Radical prostatectomy can offer great hope to a man with prostate cancer. The procedure can cure the cancer if the surgery removes all malignant cells. One recent study found that death from prostate cancer remains minimal among patients with early prostate cancer who underwent a radical prostatectomy. This study included some of the most long-term data for this select group of patients. Other studies have supported high survival rates in men with localized prostate cancer treated with prostatectomy.

However, potential risks with prostatectomy include:

• Impotence. This will occur if some or all of the nerves that flank the prostate are injured. Even if nerve-sparing surgery is used, temporary impotence for up to a year is common with radical prostatectomy. The rate of impotence can be as low as 25 percent in patients under age 60, but as high as 80 percent in men over 70 even if the nerves remain intact, according to the American Cancer Society.
  
  
• Sterility. Radical prostatectomy and partial prostatectomy can cause infertility.
  
  
• Urinary incontinence. Severe inability to control urination is uncommon after prostatectomy. However, some men have occasional difficulty with leakage or dribbling.
  
  
• Fecal incontinence. Loss of bowel control is possible but uncommon after prostatectomy.
  
  
• Lymphedema. Accumulation of fluids near the genitals or in the legs. This is a rare complication if lymph nodes are removed during prostatectomy.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) examined the effects of treatment for prostate cancer in the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study. According to the study, men with localized prostate cancer who undergo a radical prostatectomy are more likely to experience urinary and sexual dysfunction than those who receive external beam radiation therapy. However, bowel problems are more common in men receiving radiation therapy.

In addition, prostatectomy involves the usual risks of surgery, such as:

• Heavy loss of blood
• Allergic reaction to or overdose of anesthesia
• Blood clots, stroke, heart attack and other cardiac complications
• Infection at the incision
• Death