Prostatectomy as a medical term refers to the surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland. This operation is done for benign conditions that cause urinary retention, as well as for prostate cancer and for other cancers of the pelvis. There are two main types of prostatectomies.

Why would you have a prostatectomy?

Why it's done. Most often, prostatectomy is done to treat localized prostate cancer. It may be used alone, or in conjunction with radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Radical prostatectomy is surgery to remove the entire prostate gland and surrounding lymph nodes to treat men with localized prostate cancer.

Can a person live without a prostate?

The two prominent quality-of-life issues associated with living without a prostate are the loss of urinary control and the loss of erectile function.