Types of surgery for prostate cancer

• A quick guide to what's on this page
• How doctors decide which surgery you need
• Removing the prostate gland
• Removing the testicles (orchidectomy)
• Transurethral resection (TUR) of the prostate

Your doctor will discuss the most suitable type of surgery for you depending on

• The size and whether there is any spread of the cancer (the stage)
• What the cells look like under a microscope (the grade or Gleason score)
• The likely outlook for your condition (your prognosis)
• Your general health
• Your symptoms

Before any operation, talk it over fully with your doctor. You need to know what it involves. Remember - no operation is done without your consent.

Removing the prostate gland is also called total prostatectomy or radical prostatectomy. It is done through a cut in your abdomen, or it might be carried out as keyhole surgery. This can often cure the cancer if it has not spread beyond the prostate gland. There is more information about radical prostatectomy in this section.

This operation removes both your testicles so that they cannot produce testosterone any more. Testosterone can make prostate cancer grow. This operation is not commonly used these days, as hormonal therapies that stop the testicles producing testosterone are usually used instead. We have more information about orchidectomy in this section of CancerHelp UK.

Your surgeon removes part of the inner area of the prostate gland around the urethra, the tube that carries urine from your bladder. They do this by passing a thin tube up your penis through the urethra. This operation can be done to relieve symptoms such as being unable to pass urine. It will not cure a prostate cancer. There is more information about transurethral resection of the prostate in this section.