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UROLOGIC ONCOLOGY · ROBOTIC SURGERY
Robotic Prostatectomy in Turkey
Assoc. Prof. Tuncay Taş removes prostate cancer with the da Vinci robot through small ports in Istanbul. Moreover, he plans every step to protect your urinary control and erections as far as the cancer allows.
20+ years
in urology
60+ countries
patients come from
7-10 days
in Istanbul
From $6,000
robotic surgery
Career figures from Assoc. Prof. Taş's clinical profile. Prices show guide ranges, and your written quote follows the consultation.
Medically reviewed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tuncay Taş, urologist · Updated October 2026
What is a robotic prostatectomy?
A robotic radical prostatectomy removes the whole prostate, the seminal vesicles and, when needed, nearby lymph nodes. The surgeon works from a console, and the da Vinci arms move through five or six ports of about 1 cm. Then he joins the bladder back to the urethra with fine stitches.
The robot never decides anything on its own. Instead, it filters hand tremor, scales down movement and gives a magnified 3D view. So the surgeon can see the thin nerve bundles that control erections and work around them.
For cancer that stays inside the prostate, surgery is one of the strongest curative options. In fact, NCI SEER data show a five-year relative survival above 99 percent for localised prostate cancer.
Which question brings you here?
Most men arrive with one urgent question after a biopsy result. So choose the line closest to yours and jump straight to the answer.
Is robotic prostatectomy right for your cancer?
Not every prostate cancer needs an operation. So Assoc. Prof. Taş reads your PSA, Gleason grade, MRI and general health together before he suggests surgery. Here is how the risk group usually shapes the decision.
Low risk
Typical findings: PSA under 10, Gleason 6, small tumour
Usual plan: Active surveillance first; surgery only if it progresses or you prefer certainty
Favourable intermediate
Typical findings: Gleason 3+4, limited volume
Usual plan: Robotic prostatectomy or radiotherapy; focal therapy in selected men
Unfavourable intermediate
Typical findings: Gleason 4+3 or several positive cores
Usual plan: Robotic prostatectomy with lymph node removal, or radiotherapy with hormones
High risk, still localised
Typical findings: Gleason 8 to 10, PSA over 20, or T3 on MRI
Usual plan: Robotic prostatectomy with extended lymph node removal, often as part of a combined plan
Spread to distant organs
Typical findings: Bone or distant node disease on PSMA PET or scans
Usual plan: No prostatectomy; hormone and systemic treatment with oncology
Who should not choose surgery
Surgery suits men with a life expectancy of more than ten years and good fitness for general anaesthesia. However, severe heart or lung disease, a very large prostate or many past abdominal operations can tip the balance toward radiotherapy. In those cases, Assoc. Prof. Taş says so openly.
If your diagnosis is not complete yet, start with the MRI fusion prostate biopsy. An accurate biopsy also shapes the nerve-sparing plan.
Surgery, radiotherapy or focal therapy?
For localised disease, surgery and radiotherapy give similar long-term cancer control. Still, they differ in how treatment feels, how long it takes and what happens if cancer returns.
Treatment time
Robotic prostatectomy: One operation, 2 to 3 hours
Radiotherapy: About 4 to 8 weeks of sessions
Focal therapy (HIFU): One session
Final stage and grade
Robotic prostatectomy: Known exactly from pathology
Radiotherapy: Estimated from biopsy and scans
Focal therapy (HIFU): Estimated from biopsy and scans
PSA follow-up
Robotic prostatectomy: PSA falls to undetectable, easy to read
Radiotherapy: PSA falls slowly, harder to read
Focal therapy (HIFU): PSA stays measurable
If cancer returns
Robotic prostatectomy: Radiotherapy remains as a second step
Radiotherapy: Surgery afterwards is harder
Focal therapy (HIFU): Surgery or radiotherapy remain possible
Main side effects
Robotic prostatectomy: Early leakage, erection recovery over months
Radiotherapy: Bowel and bladder irritation, later erection decline
Focal therapy (HIFU): Fewer side effects, but more retreatment
Focal treatment suits only a small, well-mapped tumour. Read more on the focal therapies page.
Robotic, laparoscopic or open surgery?
The European Association of Urology states that open, laparoscopic and robotic prostatectomy give comparable cancer control in experienced hands. However, the robotic route usually means less blood loss and a faster return to daily life. So the surgeon matters more than the machine.
Incision
Open: One cut of about 15 cm
Laparoscopic: Five small ports
Robotic (da Vinci): Five or six ports of about 1 cm
Blood transfusion
Open: More often needed
Laparoscopic: Rare
Robotic (da Vinci): Under 2 percent
Hospital stay
Open: Several days
Laparoscopic: 1 to 3 nights
Robotic (da Vinci): 1 to 3 nights
View of the nerves
Open: Direct, unmagnified
Laparoscopic: 2D, magnified
Robotic (da Vinci): 3D, magnified up to 10 times
Cancer control
Open: Comparable
Laparoscopic: Comparable
Robotic (da Vinci): Comparable
Your robotic prostatectomy in Istanbul, step by step
Most men from the US, Canada and the UK plan seven to ten days in Istanbul. Here is how those days usually run.
01
Consultation and staging
First, Assoc. Prof. Taş examines you and reviews your MRI, biopsy report and PSA history in person. Then he orders any missing staging, such as a PSMA PET scan for higher-risk cancer. Finally, he explains the plan, the nerve-sparing approach and the written quote.
02
The operation
Next, under general anaesthesia, the robotic operation takes about 2 to 3 hours. Lymph node removal adds 30 to 45 minutes. Most men stand up and walk the same evening.
03
Hospital and hotel recovery
After one to three nights in hospital, you move to your hotel with a urinary catheter. Also, the nurse teaches you catheter care before discharge. Meanwhile, the coordinator checks on you every day.
04
Catheter removal and flight home
The catheter usually comes out between day 5 and day 10. Then Assoc. Prof. Taş checks you and starts your pelvic floor plan. The final pathology report arrives in 7 to 10 days, and he goes through it with you.
How Assoc. Prof. Taş protects function during surgery
Cancer control always comes first. Even so, three techniques work together to protect continence and erections, and they decide much of your recovery.
Nerve-sparing dissection: the nerve bundles beside the prostate are peeled away when the tumour is not close to them.
Bladder neck preservation: keeping the outlet of the bladder narrow helps early urinary control.
Maximal urethral length: saving every millimetre of the urethra supports long-term continence.
Retzius-sparing approach in suitable men: reaching the prostate from behind the bladder leaves its supporting tissues intact.
When a nerve cannot be saved
If cancer sits close to a nerve bundle, he removes that side to clear the tumour. After all, leaving cancer behind is a far bigger problem than losing one nerve. So you hear the likely plan for each side before the operation, based on your MRI.
Urinary control and erections after surgery
Leakage and weaker erections are the two worries most men raise first. Both usually improve with time, so here is the honest timeline.
Walking and liquid diet
Evening of surgery
Catheter removal
Day 5 to 10
Desk work and short walks
2 to 3 weeks
Heavy lifting, cycling, gym
About 6 weeks
Clear improvement in leakage
Within 3 months for most men
Full urinary control
About 90 to 95 percent of men by 12 months
Erection recovery after nerve-sparing
6 to 24 months
Pelvic floor training
Start Kegel exercises before surgery, because stronger muscles give continence a head start. Then you restart them as soon as the catheter comes out.
Penile rehabilitation
Even spared nerves stay sleepy for months. So Assoc. Prof. Taş starts low-dose tablets in the weeks after catheter removal to keep the erectile tissue healthy. If that is not enough, vacuum devices or injections follow, and later options appear on the erectile dysfunction treatment page.
What are the risks of robotic prostatectomy?
Every major operation carries risk. However, serious complications are uncommon in experienced robotic centres, and most problems settle within three months.
Urinary leakage: common in the first weeks, usually temporary.
Erection problems: depend on age, prior function and how many nerves were spared.
Bleeding: transfusion is needed in under 2 percent of robotic cases.
Leak at the join: rare, and usually heals by keeping the catheter a few days longer.
Lymph fluid collection: possible after node removal; a simple drain treats it if it causes symptoms.
Port-site hernia or infection: rare.
Blood clots on the flight home: reduced by walking, fluids, compression stockings and the right timing.
PSA follow-up after you fly home
Once the prostate is gone, PSA should fall to an undetectable level. Therefore the first test comes 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. After that, you test every three months in year one and every six months from year two.
Your local laboratory can run every test, and you share the results with Assoc. Prof. Taş by video or message. If PSA rises above 0.2 ng/ml, he discusses salvage radiotherapy with you and your local team.
When the pathology report changes the plan
Clear margins and clean lymph nodes usually mean PSA checks alone. However, a positive margin or spread beyond the capsule may call for added radiotherapy. That decision is shared and never rushed.
How much does robotic prostatectomy cost in Turkey?
With Assoc. Prof. Taş, robotic radical prostatectomy costs a guide $6,000 to $7,500, hospital stay included. By comparison, the same operation often costs $20,000 to $40,000 in the United States.
Robotic or laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Istanbul, Assoc. Prof. Taş: $6,000 to $7,500
United States: $20,000 to $40,000
United Kingdom (private): £12,000 to £20,000
MRI fusion prostate biopsy
Istanbul, Assoc. Prof. Taş: $1,000 to $1,800
United States: $3,000 to $6,000
United Kingdom (private): £2,000 to £4,000
Focal therapy (HIFU), selected men
Istanbul, Assoc. Prof. Taş: $6,000 to $9,000
United States: $20,000 to $30,000
United Kingdom (private): £12,000 to £18,000
Your written quote covers the surgeon fee, the robotic system, hospital care, anaesthesia, pathology and aftercare. In addition, the team arranges your hotel and airport transfers.
What changes the final price
Lymph node removal, extra staging such as PSMA PET, and a longer hospital stay can change the total. So the final figure follows your consultation, and it does not change after you arrive.
Questions to ask any clinic before prostate surgery abroad
A good surgeon welcomes these questions. In fact, clear answers tell you more than any package price.
Who performs the operation, start to finish? Confirm the named surgeon operates, not a team member you never meet.
Will you spare my nerves, and on which side? The answer should come from your MRI.
Will you remove lymph nodes, and why? It depends on your risk group.
When does the catheter come out, and when can I fly? Plan your return flight around it.
Who reads my PSA after I go home? Make sure you have direct contact for years, not weeks.
Travelling from the US, Canada or the UK
Most men who travel want two things: speed after a cancer diagnosis and a lower total cost. Istanbul offers both, with direct flights from many US, Canadian and UK cities.
Waiting times at home
NHS England aims to start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral, yet many men wait longer. Canadian men can also face long waits for surgery. In Istanbul, by contrast, consultation and surgery usually fall within the same week.
Before you fly
Bring your MRI images on a disc or link, the biopsy report and all PSA results.
Bring a list of your medicines, especially blood thinners, which need a plan before surgery.
Book a flexible return flight, at least one or two days after catheter removal.
The flight home
Long flights after pelvic surgery raise the risk of blood clots. So walk the aisle every hour, drink water and wear the compression stockings you receive. If you have an enlarged prostate without cancer instead, read about Rezum and HoLEP treatment.
Why patients choose Assoc. Prof. Tuncay Taş
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tuncay Taş is a urologist with more than 20 years of experience. He also founded Safe Urology Clinic in Istanbul, and patients travel to him from over 60 countries.
Medical degree from Istanbul University School of Medicine, 2004
Urology residency at the University of Health Sciences, Taksim Training and Research Hospital
Fellowship in urological oncology and laparoscopic urology, Heidelberg University, Germany
Robotic surgery in JCI-accredited partner hospitals in Istanbul that run the da Vinci system
Member of the European Association of Urology and the Endourological Society
He also publishes research on prostate disease and uro-oncology training. Read his full background on the About Us page, or meet the wider surgical oncology team.
Frequently asked questions
How long does robotic prostate surgery take?
The operation usually takes 2 to 3 hours. Lymph node removal adds about 30 to 45 minutes.
How long do I need to stay in Turkey?
Plan for seven to ten days. That covers the consultation, surgery, recovery and catheter removal before your flight home.
How much does robotic prostatectomy cost in Turkey?
With Assoc. Prof. Taş, the guide price is $6,000 to $7,500, hospital stay included. Your written quote follows the consultation.
Is robotic prostatectomy better than open surgery?
Cancer control is comparable. However, the robotic route usually means less blood loss, smaller scars and a faster recovery.
How long will I have a catheter?
Usually 5 to 10 days. Assoc. Prof. Taş removes it when the join between bladder and urethra has healed.
Will I be incontinent after surgery?
Leakage is common at first but usually temporary. About 90 to 95 percent of men regain full control by 12 months.
Will I still have erections?
It depends on your age, prior function and nerve-sparing. Recovery takes 6 to 24 months, and penile rehabilitation helps.
Can every man with prostate cancer have robotic surgery?
No. It suits cancer confined to the prostate or just beyond it. Cancer that has spread to distant organs needs systemic treatment instead.
Who checks my PSA after I go home?
Your local laboratory runs the tests. Then Assoc. Prof. Taş reviews each result with you by video or message.
When can I fly home after prostatectomy?
Usually a day or two after catheter removal. Walking, fluids and compression stockings lower the clot risk on long flights.
Assoc. Prof. Taş's published research
These peer-reviewed papers come from Assoc. Prof. Taş's own work on prostate conditions and uro-oncology.
Current status of uro-oncology training during urology residency and the need for fellowship programs: An international questionnaire study. Turkish Journal of Urology, 2020. Co-author.
Use of the UPOINT Classification in Turkish Chronic Prostatitis or Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Patients. Urology, 2016. Co-author.
The role of bipolar transurethral vaporization in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Urologia Internationalis, 2011. Co-author.
Public health information
This page informs and does not replace an in-person medical consultation. So treatment decisions always follow your own examination, scans and pathology.
Talk to Assoc. Prof. Taş about robotic prostatectomy
Book a consultation and get a clear plan, a written quote and surgery dates that suit your trip.
