Improved lower urinary tract symptoms after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: implications for survivorship, treatment selection and patient counselling.

OBJECTIVE

To assess changes in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and quality of life (QoL) after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A prospectively curated database of 1917 consecutive RARPs undertaken over an 8-year period from January 2009 to January 2017 was assessed. Preoperative information including age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, body mass index (BMI), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and QoL score was collected, with IPSS and QoL score compared between baseline (preoperatively) and 12 months post-surgery.

RESULTS

Of the 1917 patients who underwent RARP, 1470 with complete data were included in the analysis. Their mean ± sd age, prostate weight and BMI were 62 (±6.7) years, 51 (±17.6) g, and 28 kg/m , respectively. Overall, 57% of patients reported an improved IPSS score, whilst 76% reported an IPSS of ≤7 postoperatively. A total of 41% of patients reported an improved QoL and 90.3% of patients with severe preoperative LUTS (IPSS 20-35) demonstrated clinically improved LUTS at 1 year post RARP. The post-RARP mean IPSS in the present study was lower than those reported in the existing post-radiotherapy literature, especially in patients with moderate to severe baseline LUTS (IPSSs ≥ 8).

CONCLUSIONS

At 12 months post RARP, most patients reported improved overall LUTS and QoL, with the greatest benefit seen in those patients with a high pre-RARP IPSS. This has implications for treatment selection and preoperative counselling in men being offered active treatment for their prostate cancer. Further analyses of specific IPSS domains and longer follow-up are needed.