Prostate Cancer: Laparoscopic v. Open Procedures

Research indicates that demand for minimally invasive prostatectomy is growing, from 12 percent to more than 30 percent of our candidate patients over a recent two-year span. But research also tells us that there are still drawbacks to a laparoscopic approach to prostate cancer. What are the immediate and enduring pitfalls to laparoscopy, and are these concerns outweighed by the perceived benefits? Dr. Jim Hu, assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, and director of minimally invasive urologic oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, explains why some surgeons may stick with the open procedure, even as others move ahead with the laparoscopic approach. Dr. Mark Nolan Hill hosts.