A more accurate form of prostate cancer surgery is almost chances of keeping an erection function after that compared to standard surgery, according to the first comprehensive procedure.
Doctors in five UK hospitals evaluate the surgical approach that aims to preserve the decisive nerves that pass through the outdoor layer of the prostate and are believed to be responsible for erectile dysfunction.
Known as NervesThe procedure includes examining the prostate tissues that were removed from the patient while operating the operation. If the examination indicates the removal of the tumor, the outer layer containing nerves can be left from the prostate, which reduces the risk of erection problems.
“This procedure gives surgeons reactions during surgery to give them the certainty they need to spare the largest possible nerves and give men hope to restore their sexual effectiveness after surgical removal of cancer,” said Professor Greg Show.
Prostate cancer is The most common forms of cancer in men in EnglandWith 50,000 cases diagnosed every year. Throughout the world, approximately 1.5 million men are diagnosed and 375,000 dies annually. This disease is the most common in more than the 1950s, and it is often called a silent killer because it does not cause any symptoms in the early stages.
Recent developments in automated surgery allowed doctors to perform accurate “gathering” in prostate cancer patients. This involves removing sick prostate while leaving the outer layers and nerves that pass through it.
However, doctors should be sure not to leave any cancerous cells, and it may be difficult to evaluate this. If the cancer is advanced, the surgeons will mistake the side of caution and remove the prostate with its outer layers to reduce the risk of any tumor cells and the return of the disease.
In the Neurosafe procedure, the prostate doctors remove while maintaining the largest possible nerve tissue around it. The prostate slices, stained and examined the cancer cells are frozen. If the tumor reaches the surface of the prostate, the outer layers and nerves may need to be removed. But if the tumor stops, the surgery is complete.
The experiment rated 344 men with prostate cancer who have no date of erectile dysfunction. Half received Neurosafe procedure and half of them underwent standard surgery. A year later, 56 % of men who underwent a standard surgery reached a severe erectile dysfunction, compared to 38 % who underwent surgery in the nerves.
Less than a quarter (23 %) who underwent a standard surgery that there is no mild erection dysfunction or only, compared to 39 % who have Neurosafe procedures. Details were presented at the 2025 European Assembly conference in Madrid and it is published in Oncology Lancet.
“The surgery of prostate cancer is an option to save life for many men, but it is a major procedure that can cause side effects such as erection problems. The main challenge we face is how to treat men but also to make sure they are able to live in full life after that,” said Dr. Matthew Hobbes, Director of Research in Prostate Cancer in the United Kingdom.
“This study is promising and provides evidence that innovative types of surgery can reduce erectile dysfunction in some men. However, more research is needed to prove whether neurosafe is as effective as traditional techniques in providing full treatment.
“We also need to understand exactly men who can benefit from this new technology, decisively, whether this technology can be widely delivered via NHS to make it accessible to men all over the UK.”
