Research in context
Evidence before this study
Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy was introduced without high level evidence. The published literature so far has consisted of non-randomised longitudinal studies of robotically assisted and open prostatectomies (considered the gold standard in terms of treatment) alone or collated in meta-analyses, although there is randomised controlled trial evidence comparing robotically assisted and laparoscopic prostatectomy showing improved functional results for the robotically assisted procedure.
Added value of this study
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published randomised controlled trial to compare robotic-assisted with open prostatectomy and shows no significant difference in outcome for standard oncological and quality of life parameters at 12 weeks.
Implications of all the available evidence
Over the past 2 decades, patients and clinicians have embraced robotic-assisted prostatectomy in the belief that this approach will result in better patient outcomes. If the short-term findings from this study are maintained with longer follow-up results, this could have implications for patient choice and for health provider decision making.