Hospitals that buy surgical robots end up performing more prostate cancer operations, suggesting that technology has become a driving force behind decisions about men’s cancer care, new research shows.
The study, published in the journal Medical Care, is the latest report to suggest that how men are treated for prostate cancer appears to be influenced by a variety of factors, including the technology and marketing goals of hospitals and doctors, rather than scientific evidence on benefits and risks.For men facing prostate cancer, the findings add more uncertainty to an already confusing array of choices for treatment, with little evidence to guide them about whether one is better than another. Current options include surgery to remove the prostate gland, performed with or without the assistance of robots, as well as radiation and hormone therapies. And because prostate cancer is often slow-growing, active surveillance without treatment is also an option for many men.
The new study, conducted by researchers at New York University and other institutions, tracked surgical robot purchases at 554 hospitals, along with the treatment given to more than 30,000 men given a prostate cancer diagnosis from 2001 to 2005.
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