Comments on: More on the surgical learning curve for LRP http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2009/04/07/more-on-the-surgical-learning-curve-for-lrp/ Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:28:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2009/04/07/more-on-the-surgical-learning-curve-for-lrp/#comment-4429 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:40:14 +0000 http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/?p=5018#comment-4429 Leah: It is very important in reading this paper to discriminate between LRP and RALP. This study only compares LRP to open surgery. It did not include any surgeons using RALP.

There might be a small number of surgeons in Europe by now who had learned to do LRPs without ever doing an RRP — so there might be a few virgins, but not too many! In American today, 95 percent of trainees are learning to do RALPs, so there are probably no virgins of the LRP persuasion in America. In Europe RALP is still rare because of the cost of the robot, and many trainees will learn to do LRPs.

With respect to your question … “… but improvements in outcome seem to accrue more slowly than for open surgery” means that better overall outcomes were evident after fewer procedures (on average) among surgeons learning RRP as compared to surgeons learning LRP.

]]> By: Leah http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2009/04/07/more-on-the-surgical-learning-curve-for-lrp/#comment-4428 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:28:25 +0000 http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/?p=5018#comment-4428 I just wrote about this story on my blog. I guess you have to get yourself a VIRGIN surgeon (never done RRP) who is also an artiste — done 750 RALPs. Don’t know anyone who fits the bill.

Can you explain what this means?

“… but improvements in outcome seem to accrue more slowly than for open surgery.”

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