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da Vinci® Prostatectomy is the #1 choice for treatment of localized prostate cancer in the United States, and is rapidly being chosen by more men, as well as their doctors, worldwide. da Vinci Prostatectomy is a minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgical procedure that removes the cancerous prostate gland and related structures. The board certified physicians at Wichita Urology Group in Wichita, KS are specialty trained in da Vinci procedures.

• WebMD (4/18, DeNoon) reports, "The study analyzed data from 6,666 men treated with IMRT, 6,310 men treated with 3D conformational therapy, and 684 men treated with proton beam therapy."

• HealthDay (4/18, Dotinga) reports that "proton therapy costs about $50,000 per patient, roughly twice as much as IMRT, study co-author" Dr. Ronald Chen "said."

MedPage Today (4/18, Fiore) reports that the researchers found that "men who had IMRT were less likely to need additional cancer therapy (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.89)." These patients "were also less likely to have gastrointestinal comorbidities (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.96) and hip fractures (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.93) than those who had conformal radiation therapy, although they were more likely to have erectile dysfunction (RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.20)." Men "who had proton therapy, on the other hand, didn't gain any advantages over IMRT patients in terms of mortality or additional cancer therapy -- but they did have a higher risk of gastrointestinal morbidity, the researchers found.

• "What patients should know about Prostate Cancer screening tests Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men in the United States, and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Early detection may save lives. Recent reports about prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing present conflicting information about the value of this critical prostate-cancer screening test. The benefits of regular screening and early detection should not be discounted in the overall population.

• Data show clinical advantages to robotic surgery - With a 3-D view and greater dexterity, the da Vinci surgical robot offers many advantages.
• ABC News Profile on da Vinci Surgery New research suggest doctors will perform better with robotic assistance.
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