Does the presence of robotic surgery affect demographics in patients choosing to undergo radical prostatectomy? A multi-center contemporary analysis

We report on differences in patient demographics in those men choosing to undergo radical prostatectomy in a UK center where there is no influence of robotic surgery and in those choosing radical prostatectomy in a US center where there is a strong robotic influence. Demographic and pathologic data were prospectively recorded in parallel for 78 consecutive men undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in a tertiary care academic US center and 69 consecutive men concurrently undergoing open radical prostatectomy in a similar UK center. Although average patient age was significantly younger in the US cohort (58.8 years, range 43.1–77.6 vs. 62.2 years, range 51.7–70.5; P = 0.002), the US cohort encompassed a wider age range and older patients than the UK cohort. Average preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was significantly lower in the US group (6.0, range 2.0–6.0 vs. 8.60, range 4.6–12.6; P