The Prostate Cancer Center

Minimally Invasive, da Vinci® Robotic-Assisted Prostate Cancer Surgery

When Reverend Harald Peeders was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he wanted the best care available. He chose the Cooper Cancer Institute and an innovative, minimally invasive procedure in which his doctor used a surgical robot to remove his prostate.

“I was impressed with the innovative technology in the surgical robot, and the good science behind it,” said Reverend Peeders, who is a Lutheran minister at Holy Trinity in Burlington, New Jersey.

Before the procedure, Reverend Peeders’ PSA level was 9.9 [the higher a man’s PSA level, the more likely it is that cancer is present]. Afterwards, it was down to less than 0.1. “The robotic-assisted surgery was absolutely the best way to go for me,” he said.

“Reverend Peeders illustrates how a highly skilled team armed with the latest technology can conquer cancer,” said Raul O. Parra, M.D., who performed the procedure. Part of Cooper’s Genitourinary Cancer Center, Dr. Parra is also Chief of Urology and Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Cooper, and a Professor of Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is a fellowship-trained urologic oncologist and a nationally recognized expert in minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Parra is also using the robot in some bladder and kidney cancer procedures.

Patients generally leave the hospital within 24 hours of robotic-assisted prostate removal, compared to two or three days with traditional surgery, and resume normal activities in about one to two weeks rather than about six weeks. The robot, called the da Vinci® Surgical System, also facilitates nervesparing surgery. “Patients have a better chance of maintaining sexual function and continence,” said Dr. Parra.

Since 2003, nearly all prostate removals at Cooper have been performed with the da Vinci. The first center in the Delaware Valley to use the surgical robot in prostate surgery, Cooper's specialists are the most experienced in the Delaware Valley.

Dr. Parra is part of a team of doctors who work together within the Genitourinary Cancer Center to provide the best possible care for cancer patients. The team includes Medical Oncologist Robert A. Somer, M.D., Director, Genitourinary Cancer Center; and Nurse Coordinator Jaime Austino, RN, BSN. Austino supports, educates and assists patients and their families, serving as a link to their physicians and to supportive services.

For more information about the Prostate Cancer Center or to schedule an appointment with a Cooper physician, please call 1-800-8-COOPER (800-826-6737).