The procedure helped improve Robert Ott’s life in ways that weren’t possible through other methods.
Courtesy of Robert Ott
As cancer treatment becomes more precise, physicians at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center and across the country are innovating to improve the quality of life for patients living with the disease. NYU Langone Health is at the forefront of this innovation, being among the first to perform a new robotic microsurgery procedure on patients with prostate cancer.
For Robert Ott, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, this procedure offered him a new option to maintain his quality of life that wasn’t possible before. After Ott had his prostate removed, his radiation treatment and various complications left him unable to walk, due to urine leaking into his pelvic bone and causing severe pain.
Until now, this pain has had limited treatment options. Often, a bag was used to store the patient’s urine, and a catheter was employed to maintain continence. However, Robert’s care team, led by Dr. Lee C. Zhao, director of male reconstructive surgery in NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Urology and a member of Perlmutter Cancer Center, presented another option that would allow him to keep his bladder and urinary function.
Ott underwent the successful 17-hour robotic procedure earlier this year. Dr. Zhao was able to patch Ott’s urethra with part of his small intestine, reconnecting the bladder and urethra. The surgery gave Ott immediate relief from the leakage that caused him pain and interfered with daily life.
With his pain alleviated, Ott was back on his feet and went camping by himself after the surgery. He is now overseeing construction of his new family home in Florida with his wife of 40 years. Ott will undergo a final procedure next year to restore continence—the last step in enabling him to get back to his normal routine.
Over 300,000 people develop prostate cancer every year, and half of patients undergo radiation as part of treatment. Although radiation injury like Ott’s is rare, it seriously impacts patients’ wellbeing and daily activities when it does happen. At NYU Langone, prostate cancer patients experiencing radiation damage and complications have a new option that can restore their quality of life.
