title: Robotic radical prostatectomy: a critical analysis of the impact on cancer control.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) has become the most used surgical procedure to treat clinically localized prostate cancer. Considering its curative intent, the evaluation of the oncologic outcomes must be considered with careful attention. In this review, we summarized and critically discussed the most relevant oncologic data available in the literature about RALP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Currently, the oncologic effectiveness of RALP procedure can be evaluated looking at surrogate end-points such as positive surgical margins rate, percentage of additional salvage therapies required, and biochemical disease-free survival (bDFS). Available studies comparing RALP and retropubic radical prostatectomy showed that positive surgical margin rates were equivalent or slightly lower following RALP. Moreover, population-based studies showed similar risk in terms of additional salvage therapies between retropubic radical prostatectomy and minimally invasive radical prostatectomy. Moreover, comparative studies with short-term follow-up demonstrated overlapping results also in terms of bDFS. The initial long-term oncologic data (5-year median follow-up) estimated excellent 5-year and 7-year bDFS probabilities after RALP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although further studies with long-term follow-up are needed to estimate the main oncologic outcomes (overall and cancer-specific survival), available data supported the oncologic safety of RALP procedure in patients with clinically organ-confined prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Clinic, Aalst, Belgium. a.mottrie@gmail.com
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mottrie
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Naeyer
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Novara
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ficarra
mesh_terms: D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012371:Robotics; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome