Robot-assisted vs open retropubic radical prostatectomy: a propensity score-matched comparative analysis based on 15 years and 18,805 patients

To compare oncological, functional, and surgical outcomes of a large cohort of patients who underwent open retropubic radical prostatectomy (ORP) or robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Data from 18,805 RPs performed with either the open or the robot-assisted approaches at a single tertiary referral center between 2008 and 2022 were analyzed. The impact of surgical approach on biochemical recurrence-free survival, salvage radiotherapy-free survival, and metastasis-free survival was analyzed by log-rank test and Kaplan–Meier analysis in a propensity score (PS)-based matched cohort. Intraoperative and postoperative surgical outcomes were assessed. One-week, 3-month, and 12-month continence rates and 12-month erectile function (EF) were analyzed. No statistically significant differences in oncological outcomes were found between ORP and RARP. A slight statistically significant difference in favor of RARP was noted in urinary continence at 3 months (RARP vs. ORP: 81