Quick. What does SMART mean to you?
If you think it’s how to describe your friend who can do calculus in his head, you’re partly right. But if you’re a prostate cancer patient, you know it stands for Dr. David Samadi and the Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique (SMART), a prostate removal surgery.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, according to the American Cancer Society. About 241,740 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year, and about 28,170 men will die of prostate cancer. One in six men will be diagnosed with it during his lifetime, although I’ve heard it said, that any man who lives long enough will eventually have it, too.
But men no longer need to panic.
Samadi has helped over 4,000 men around the world overcome prostate cancer, according to a press release. His use of robotic-assisted surgery has left patients with less scarring and complications and a much quicker recovery. He uses the technology of the da Vinci Surgical System robot for enhanced dexterity and visibility during surgery.
Samadi has many years of experience in open prostate surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and robotic surgery, and through his regular "treat and teach" overseas trips, Dr. Samadi performs his SMART surgery for the benefit of both patients and prostate cancer specialists throughout the world.
Doctors used to advise “watchful waiting.” A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated, however, the benefit of surgery in reducing the risk of cancer progression, metastatic disease and death.
"Men, regardless of nationality, have the same priorities when it comes to fighting prostate cancer. They want to the opportunity to enjoy a long life with family and friends. This means providing patients with the best possible care."
Samadi notes that it’s interesting that as prostate cancer surgery has become less invasive and easier to treat surgically, the number of cases is actually decreasing. Some attribute it to more circumcisions, which may lower the incidence of this kind of cancer by about 15 percent if a man has one before his first sexual encounter.
Edited by
Carrie Schmelkin
