Surgery is one of two main treatments for prostate cancer (radiation is the other).

Surgery is generally done to remove the prostate, as well as to remove lymph nodes in the area to see whether the cancer has spread. Surgery may also be performed to fix urinary problems that are caused by a tumor pressing on the urethra.

A surgery called radical prostatectomy is used to remove the prostate as well as any nearby tissue that may contain cancer cells. There are two basic types of this surgery: open and minimally invasive.

• In conventional open radical prostatectomy,  the prostate and any nearby tissue that may contain cancer are removed via a lower abdominal incision. 
• In  laparoscopic radical prostatectomy,  a minimally invasive technique, very small incisions and  special lighting and surgical instruments are used instead of a larger incision. 
• In robotic radical prostatectomy, a minimally invasive technique that is a specialty of the UCSD Moores Cancer Center, an advanced robotic surgical platform called the da Vinci® Surgical System is used. This cutting-edge technology allows a surgeon to use advanced imaging and computer-enhanced robotics to operate with extraordinary precision.