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Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is now one of the most common ways to treat prostate cancer. Although it is undoubtedly an outstanding procedure, in many contexts the advantages of the laparoscopic approach are overstated. The authors believe that open radical prostatectomy will continue to have an important role. For example, an extensive lymphadenectomy is more easily accomplished with the open technique and may be important in staging and possibly curing patients at high risk for prostate cancer. Also, tactile sensation is a valuable asset in assessing the extent of local tumor, and this cannot yet be replicated with a robotic approach. Furthermore, obese patients, those with a history of extensive prior surgical procedures, and men with extremely large prostates may experience advantages with the open technique. Finally, the open approach has a significant advantage in terms of hospital costs.

Renal tumors are a common cause of cancer, and renal cell carcinoma accounts for the vast majority of the renal tumors in the United States. The past two decades have produced numerous advances in the treatment of localized and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Nephron-sparing surgery, laparoscopic nephrectomy, and energy-ablative techniques are now in the armamentarium of the urologist. The role of adrenalectomy and lymphadenectomy are better understood today than in decades past, and recent advances in the understanding of immunotherapy, cytoreductive nephrectomy, and metastatic disease have also improved treatment for this disease. As is often the case as technology and knowledge evolve, controversies regarding the surgical treatment of renal cancer exist. This article outlines some of these controversies and reviews the evidence surrounding each.

Prostate cancer represents a spectrum of disease that ranges from nonaggressive, slow-growing disease that may not require treatment to aggressive, fast-growing disease that does. The NCCN Guidelines for Prostate Cancer Early Detection provide a set of sequential recommendations detailing a screening and evaluation strategy for maximizing the detection of prostate cancer that is potentially curable and that, if left undetected, represents a risk to the patient. The guidelines were developed for healthy men who have elected to participate in the early detection of prostate cancer, and they focus on minimizing unnecessary procedures and limiting the detection of indolent disease.

The NCCN Guidelines for Prostate Cancer Early Detection provide recommendations for men choosing to participate in an early detection program for prostate cancer. These NCCN Guidelines Insights highlight notable recent updates. Overall, the 2014 update represents a more streamlined and concise set of recommendations. The panel stratified the age ranges at which initiating testing for prostate cancer should be considered. Indications for biopsy include both a cutpoint and the use of multiple risk variables in combination. In addition to other biomarkers of specificity, the Prostate Health Index has been included to aid biopsy decisions in certain men, given recent FDA approvals.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Prostate Cancer Early Detection provide recommendations for prostate cancer screening in healthy men who have elected to participate in an early detection program. The NCCN Guidelines focus on minimizing unnecessary procedures and limiting the detection of indolent disease. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the NCCN Prostate Cancer Early Detection Panel's most significant discussions for the 2016 guideline update, which included issues surrounding screening in high-risk populations (ie, African Americans, BRCA1/2 mutation carriers), approaches to refine patient selection for initial and repeat biopsies, and approaches to improve biopsy specificity.