The gold-standard treatment for young men with early-stage prostate cancer is surgical removal of the prostate gland and the surrounding tissues. This surgical procedure, referred to as a radical prostatectomy, is highly successful in treating localized prostate cancer. In fact, in men with organ-confined disease that is well to moderately differentiated (Gleason score 6 or less), the 10-year cancer-free rate after a radical prostatectomy is 95 percent.

While the radical prostatectomy does have a high success rate in treating prostate cancer, it also carries the risk of urinary incontinence and impotence. However, these side effects can be minimized by a qualified, experienced surgeon using advanced, nerve-sparing techniques.

The nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy was pioneered in the early 1980s by Dr. Patrick Walsh, Chairman of the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins. In 1987, Dr. Chris Teigland of McKay Urology became the first residency-trained urologist in Charlotte to perform the bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. Since then, Dr. Teigland has performed over 750 radical prostatectomies. When the bilateral, nerve-sparing technique can be performed, two-thirds of Dr Teigland's radical prostatectomy patients regain the ability to achieve an erection adequate for intercourse. In addition, Dr. Teigland's patients experience only a 2 percent rate of severe incontinence, and only 10 percent pad usage at one year following surgery. Dr. Teigland has extensive experience performing bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy, and he is committed to the continuous advancement and adaptation of this surgery. This is one of the reasons that U.S. News and World Report has recognized the Department of Urology at Carolinas Medical Center as a center of excellence in prostate cancer treatment since 2000.