Prostate cancer surgery procedure

The team confirms your medicines, allergies, health history, and consent before surgery. Anaesthesia keeps you comfortable while the surgeon removes the prostate and, when planned, nearby seminal vesicles or lymph nodes. The operation may use an open incision or small incisions with instruments, including robotic assistance. A urinary catheter commonly remains temporarily while the connection between the bladder and urethra heals. [Prostate Removal Surgery](/treatments/surgical-oncology/prostatectomy/) explains the operation in more detail.

Follow instructions about fasting, medicines, showering, and arrival. Afterward, learn catheter handling, wound care, walking, hydration, bowel care, and pelvic-floor exercises. The pathology report helps the team plan follow-up. Ask how this approach compares with [Radiotherapy](/treatments/radiation-oncology/radiotherapy/) or [Targeted Radioisotope Therapy](/treatments/radiation-oncology/targeted-radioisotope-therapy/) where relevant.

Contact the surgical team if the catheter leaks or stops draining, the wound becomes more painful or red, fever develops, or bleeding increases. Get urgent help for severe abdominal pain, fainting, chest pain, major breathlessness, or sudden swelling in a leg. Difficulty passing urine after catheter removal should be assessed promptly; [Difficulty Passing Urine](/symptoms/difficulty-passing-urine/) offers related information.

Which tissues will be removed, how will the operation be performed, and how long might the catheter remain? What will recovery involve, and when will pathology and follow-up be reviewed?