Commentary on Urinary and Sexual Outcomes After Radical Prostatectomy

Initial Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study (PCOS results revealed that 2 years after radical prostatectomy more than 90% of men were continent and about half were by some definition potent. This represented a dramatic improvement over the era before Walsh and Donker reported their now classic description of the cavernous erectile nerves posterolateral to the prostate, a journey recounted 25 years later in Walsh*’s lyrically serendipitous cadence of scientific discovery. Subsequent PCOS results revealed that 5 years after treatment men who had undergone surgery reported stable urinary function, while those who had undergone radiation experienced progressive urinary impairment.