Open radical retropubic prostatectomy.

For more than two decades, open radical prostatectomy has been considered the gold standard for the surgical management of prostate cancer. More recently, however, laparoscopic and now robotic approaches to radical prostatectomy have become increasingly popular. It is unclear whether these techniques are associated with any material advantage with regard to short-term convalescence. In addition, the high positive surgical margin rates reported with robotic prostatectomy are concerning, particularly early in the learning curve. Additional experience with these methods and long-term follow-up data are necessary to determine whether the cancer control and functional outcomes meet the standards of open radical prostatectomy.