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Radical prostatectomy

Source: Prostate Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.

Source updated: May 14, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.

Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary.

Context: Treatment of Stage II Prostate Cancer / Treatment Options for Stage II Prostate Cancer

Radical prostatectomy, usually with pelvic lymphadenectomy (with or without the nerve-sparing technique designed to preserve potency) is the most commonly applied therapy with curative intent.[2,9,10] Radical prostatectomy may be difficult after a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

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Because about 40% to 50% of men with clinically organ-confined disease are found to have pathological extension beyond the prostate capsule or surgical margins, the role of postprostatectomy adjuvant radiation therapy has been studied.

Consideration may also be given to postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) for patients who are found to have seminal vesicle invasion by tumor at the time of prostatectomy or who have a detectable level of PSA more than 3 weeks after surgery.[11-13] Because the duration of follow-up in available studies is relatively short, the value of PORT has not been determined; however, PORT does reduce local recurrence.[11] Careful treatment planning is necessary to avoid morbidity.

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Evidence (radical prostatectomy followed by radiation therapy):

In a randomized trial of 425 men with pathological T3, N0, M0 disease, postsurgical EBRT (60–64 Gy to the prostatic fossa over 30–32 fractions) was compared with observation.[12][Level of evidence A1]

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In a randomized trial of 425 men with pathological T3, N0, M0 disease, postsurgical EBRT (60–64 Gy to the prostatic fossa over 30–32 fractions) was compared with observation.[12][Level of evidence A1]

The primary end point, metastasis-free survival, could be affected by serial PSA monitoring and resulting metastatic work-up for PSA increase. This could have biased the primary end point in favor of radiation therapy, which was associated with a lower rate of PSA rise. Nevertheless, metastasis-free survival was not statistically different between the two study arms (P = .06). After a median follow-up of about 10.6 years, overall median survival was 14.7 years in the radiation therapy group versus 13.8 years in the observation group (P = .16).

In a randomized trial of 425 men with pathological T3, N0, M0 disease, postsurgical EBRT (60–64 Gy to the prostatic fossa over 30–32 fractions) was compared with observation.[12][Level of evidence A1]

Although the OS rates were not statistically different, complication rates were substantially higher in the radiation therapy group compared with the observation group: overall complications were 23.8% versus 11.9%, rectal complications were 3.3% versus 0%, and urethral stricture was 17.8% versus 9.5%, respectively.

In a randomized trial of 425 men with pathological T3, N0, M0 disease, postsurgical EBRT (60–64 Gy to the prostatic fossa over 30–32 fractions) was compared with observation.[12][Level of evidence A1]

After a median follow-up of about 12.5 years, however, OS was better in the radiation therapy arm; hazard ratio (HR)death, 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55–0.96; P = .023). The 10-year estimated survival rates were 74% in the radiation therapy arm and 66% in the control arm. The 10-year estimated metastasis-free survivals were 73% and 65% (P = .016).[13][Level of evidence A1]

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Evidence (radical prostatectomy compared directly with watchful waiting/active surveillance/active monitoring and/or external-beam radiation therapy):

In a randomized clinical trial performed in Sweden in the pre-PSA screening era, 695 men with prostate cancer were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting. Only about 5% of the men in the trial had been diagnosed by PSA screening. Therefore, the men had more extensive local disease than is typically the case in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States.[14-16]

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In a randomized clinical trial performed in Sweden in the pre-PSA screening era, 695 men with prostate cancer were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting. Only about 5% of the men in the trial had been diagnosed by PSA screening. Therefore, the men had more extensive local disease than is typically the case in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States.[14-16]

The cumulative overall mortality at 18 years was 56.1% in the radical prostatectomy arm and 68.9% in the watchful waiting study arm (absolute difference, 12.7%; 95% CI, 5.1–20.3 percentage points; relative risk [RR]death, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59–0.86.[16][Level of evidence A1]

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In a randomized clinical trial performed in Sweden in the pre-PSA screening era, 695 men with prostate cancer were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting. Only about 5% of the men in the trial had been diagnosed by PSA screening. Therefore, the men had more extensive local disease than is typically the case in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States.[14-16]

The cumulative incidence of prostate cancer deaths at 18 years was 17.7% versus 28.7% (absolute difference, 11.0%; 95% CI, 4.5–17.5 percentage points; RRdeath from prostate cancer, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.41–0.77).[16]

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In a randomized clinical trial performed in Sweden in the pre-PSA screening era, 695 men with prostate cancer were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting. Only about 5% of the men in the trial had been diagnosed by PSA screening. Therefore, the men had more extensive local disease than is typically the case in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States.[14-16]

In a post-hoc–subset analysis, the improvement in overall and prostate cancer-specific mortality associated with radical prostatectomy was restricted to men younger than 65 years.

The Prostate Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT-1 or VA-CSP-407) is a randomized trial conducted in the PSA screening era that directly compared radical prostatectomy with watchful waiting. From November 1994 through January 2002, 731 men aged 75 years or younger with localized prostate cancer (stage T1–2, NX, M0, with a blood PSA <50 ng/mL) and a life expectancy of at least 10 years were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting.[17-19][Level of evidence A1]

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The Prostate Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT-1 or VA-CSP-407) is a randomized trial conducted in the PSA screening era that directly compared radical prostatectomy with watchful waiting. From November 1994 through January 2002, 731 men aged 75 years or younger with localized prostate cancer (stage T1–2, NX, M0, with a blood PSA <50 ng/mL) and a life expectancy of at least 10 years were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting.[17-19][Level of evidence A1]

About 50% of the men had palpable tumors.

The Prostate Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT-1 or VA-CSP-407) is a randomized trial conducted in the PSA screening era that directly compared radical prostatectomy with watchful waiting. From November 1994 through January 2002, 731 men aged 75 years or younger with localized prostate cancer (stage T1–2, NX, M0, with a blood PSA <50 ng/mL) and a life expectancy of at least 10 years were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting.[17-19][Level of evidence A1]

After a median follow-up of 12.7 years (range up to about 19.5 years), the all-cause mortality was 61.3% versus 66.8% in the radical-prostatectomy and watchful-waiting study arms, respectively, an absolute difference of 5.5 percentage points (95% CI -1.5 to 12.4) that was not statistically significant (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70–1.01). Prostate cancer–specific mortality was 7.4% versus 11.4%, and it also was not statistically significant (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.3–1.02).

The Prostate Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT-1 or VA-CSP-407) is a randomized trial conducted in the PSA screening era that directly compared radical prostatectomy with watchful waiting. From November 1994 through January 2002, 731 men aged 75 years or younger with localized prostate cancer (stage T1–2, NX, M0, with a blood PSA <50 ng/mL) and a life expectancy of at least 10 years were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting.[17-19][Level of evidence A1]

Although treatment for disease progression was given more frequently in the observation arm of the study, most such treatment was for asymptomatic, local, or biochemical (PSA) progression.

The Prostate Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT-1 or VA-CSP-407) is a randomized trial conducted in the PSA screening era that directly compared radical prostatectomy with watchful waiting. From November 1994 through January 2002, 731 men aged 75 years or younger with localized prostate cancer (stage T1–2, NX, M0, with a blood PSA <50 ng/mL) and a life expectancy of at least 10 years were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting.[17-19][Level of evidence A1]

As expected, urinary incontinence and erectile/sexual dysfunction was more common in the prostatectomy group for at least 10 years of follow-up. Absolute differences in patient-reported use of absorbent urinary pads was greater in the surgery group by more than 30 percentage points at all time points for at least 10 years. Disease- or treatment-related limitations in activities of daily living were worse with surgery than with observation through 2 years, but then were similar in both study arms.

In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20]

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In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20]

With a median follow-up of 10 years, there were a total of 17 deaths from prostate cancer, with no statistically significant differences among the three study arms (P = .48). The 10-year prostate cancer–specific survival rates were 98.8% in the active monitoring arm, 99.0% in the radical prostatectomy arm, and 99.6% radiation therapy arms.[20][Level of evidence A1]

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In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20]

Likewise, all-cause mortality was nearly identical in all three study arms: 10.9 deaths in the active monitoring arm, 10.1 in the radical prostatectomy arm, and 10.3 in the radiation therapy arm per 1,000 person-years (P = .87).[20][Level of evidence A1]

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In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20]

There were statistically significant differences in progression to metastatic disease among the treatment arms (33 of 545 men in the active monitoring arm; 13 of 553 men in the radical prostatectomy arm; 16 of 545 men in the radiation therapy arm) that began to emerge after 4 years, but these differences had not translated into any difference in mortality after 10-years of follow-up. Over the course of 10 years, 52% of the patients required active intervention.

In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20]

As expected, there were substantial differences in patient-reported outcomes among the three management approaches.[21][Level of evidence A3] A substudy of patient-reported outcomes up to 6 years after randomization reported the following results:

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In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20] › As expected, there were substantial differences in patient-reported outcomes among the three management approaches.[21][Level of evidence A3] A substudy of patient-reported outcomes up to 6 years after randomization reported the following results:

Men in the radical prostatectomy study arm had substantial rates of urinary incontinence (e.g., using one or more absorbent pads qd was reported by 46% at 6 months and by 17% at year 6) with very little incontinence in the other two study arms.

In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20] › As expected, there were substantial differences in patient-reported outcomes among the three management approaches.[21][Level of evidence A3] A substudy of patient-reported outcomes up to 6 years after randomization reported the following results:

Sexual function was also worse in the radical prostatectomy group (e.g., at 6 months, 12% of men reported erections firm enough for intercourse vs. 22% in the radiation therapy arm and 52% in the active-monitoring arm).

In the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172 and ISRCTN20141297), 82,429 men were screened with PSA testing, and 2,664 were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,643 men (median age 62 years, range 50–69 years) consented to a randomly assigned comparison of active monitoring, radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing when possible), or external-beam 3D conformal radiation (74 Gy in 37 fractions). The primary end point was prostate cancer-specific mortality.[20] › As expected, there were substantial differences in patient-reported outcomes among the three management approaches.[21][Level of evidence A3] A substudy of patient-reported outcomes up to 6 years after randomization reported the following results:

Bowel function, however, was worse in the radiation therapy arm (e.g., about 5% reported bloody stools at least half the time at 2 years and beyond versus none in the radical prostatectomy and active-monitoring study arms).

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