Robot-Assisted Salvage Prostatectomy: Evaluation of Initial Patient-Reported Outcomes

Abstract Background and Purpose: For patients who experience a localized recurrence after definitive radiation therapy for prostate cancer, salvage prostatectomy provides a chance for cure. We sought to assess whether robot assistance would decrease the technical challenges and mitigate the considerable morbidity associated with the procedure. Patients and Methods: Using institutional data, we identified six patients who underwent robot-assisted prostatectomy after definitive radiation therapy. For all patients, preoperative and postoperative quality of life were measured using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC). Further, intraoperative and postoperative complications were assessed. Results: Functional status of patients before robot-assisted salvage prostatectomy is compromised. Three of the six patients had extremely poor sexual function before surgery (EPIC sexual domain <50), and three-quarters had significant irritative symptoms (mean EPIC urin...