LAUSR

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in males in the UK and mostly treated via robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). The prognosis of prostate cancer is promising especially if detected early. Studies have shown that the use of 3D patient-specific models has positive effects on surgical outcomes in other fields. This systematic review aims to assess whether 3D printed and virtual models reduce surgical complications for patients undergoing RARP. This study was a systematic review conducted using PRISMA guidelines from comprehensive databases - PubMed and Medline. These were then screened using an inclusion and exclusion criteria, to remove papers that were not relevant to the research question. Last, each abstract was screened for relevancy and duplicates were removed. A total of 201 patients had the use of 3D patient-specific modelling of the prostate to aid in surgery. Across all studies, a decrease in positive surgical margin rates was reported, indicating better outcomes for patients. However, no statistically significant difference was found between intervention and control groups, in nerve sparing, bladder neck sparing and postoperative SHIM score. A decrease in detectable PSA was found in intervention groups. Furthermore, the use of 3D models did lead to more surgeons changing the pre-operative plan, suggesting that 3D modelling enhances surgical planning – leading to potentially improved outcomes. The use of 3D modelling has positive outcomes for patients undergoing RARP, however, the extent is still unclear as research in this area remains limited.