With most things in life it is true to say that the more practiced and experienced you are the better your performance and this is most certainly true with prostate cancer surgery.
One of the biggest problems with cancer is that, in spite of the best efforts of your surgeon, it has a bad habit of recurring in a number of cases.
In the case of prostate cancer following the total removal of the prostate by radical prostatectomy recent studies show that, while the chances of a recurrence are around 18 percent where surgery is carried out by a fairly inexperienced surgeon, this figure falls to under 11 percent in more experience hands.
So just what do we mean by 'experienced hands'? A recent study examined just under 8,000 prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy surgery in the United States between 1987 and 2003 involving no fewer than 72 surgeons from 4 major academic cancer centers around the country.
The study showed that there is a very steep learning curve when it comes to carrying out prostate surgery and that it takes considerable practice to master this particular surgical technique.
Indeed, the study revealed that it was not until surgeons had carried out at least 250 operations that a marked improvement in recurrence rates was evident.
So just what can we learn from this study if we are faced with the possibility of having to undergo prostate surgery? First and foremost it is very important that patients select a surgeon who regularly undertakes this form of surgery.
Indeed, it may well be advisable to select a surgeon who specializes exclusively in prostate surgery, or whose work revolves largely around such surgery.
In most general settings surgeons will perform such surgery infrequently, perhaps as rarely as just once a year, and this is simply insufficient to provide them with the expertise necessary to provide you with the best possible change of a low recurrence rate.
Against this background therefore your first choice should undoubtedly be that of a specialist cancer treatment center and a surgeon whose work involves exclusively, or very largely, prostate surgery.
The study also showed however that there is a marked improvement in recurrence rates not merely for specialist cancer centers, but also for teaching establishments.
This is because, within an academic setting, a great deal of emphasis is placed on supporting mechanisms to assess the outcome of procedures and to provide feedback in an effort to create an environment in which continuous improvement is seen.
This is not always the case in non-academic environments.
Also, academic centers tend to attract people who are particularly interested not just in the outcome of their work but in correcting their errors and improving their technique.
So, should you find yourself in the position of needing prostate surgery then you would be well advised to elect to have surgery with an experienced and practiced surgeon who works in a specialist cancer center housed within a major teaching facility.