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Any experiences with pelvic fascia-sparing prostate surgery?
Has anyone had the fascia-sparing technique done as part of their prostate surgery? If so, what was your experience like? I believe it was developed by Dr Edward Schaeffer at Northwestern. There are several surgeons on the East Coast that also use the technique.
Also, does anyone know of a surgeon in the western part of the country that performs that version of the surgery?
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@nicholasn, I found a current clinical trial that is being conducted at Weill Cornell and Northwestern as well as John's Hopkin's.
– Study protocol for a prospective, multi-centered randomized controlled trial comparing pelvic fascia-sparing radical prostatectomy with conventional robotic-assisted prostatectomy: The PARTIAL trial https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05155501
It sounds like this surgical approach is still be studied to see if "PFS-RARP is non-inferior to RARP in terms of cancer control and has better functional outcomes," it could become the surgical standard of care for men with localized prostate cancer.
Are you considering the clinical trial?
Hi Colleen,
Yes, I’ve been in contact with them and am considering becoming a participant. I’ve also located a surgeon at Fred Hutch that performs the pelvic fascia-sparing surgery. We’re in the process of scheduling consults now.
Thank you for taking the time to research it and reply.
Nick
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1 ReactionGood to know about Fred Hutch using this type of surgery as well. Is it standard of care there or part of a clinical trial?
There’s only the one surgeon who uses that technique at FH and I believe it’s on a case by case basis. I’ll post more about it after the consult. As far as I know, they’re not part of the clinical trial.
I understand that only about 10% of the surgeries performed today are pelvic fascia-sparing. According to Dr Schaeffer, it adds about 45 minutes to the procedure and the surgeon’s workspace is smaller. So, it’s more difficult and there’s an increased risk of not getting all the cancer out, but the results appear to be worth it. It’s definitely worth the time and effort to find the best surgeon you can!
Dr Peter Attia has a great podcast (paid subscription) with Dr Edward Schaeffer that has a segment about the procedure. Dr Schaeffer is also participating in the clinical trial and has been using the technique for about 2.5 years now.
Nick