Minimally invasive prostate removal was pioneered in the late 1990s by two French surgeons, Guy Vallancien and Bertrand Guillonneau.

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Researchers then randomly assigned the men to prostate removal or observation only.

MSN: Prostate cancer surgery fails to cut deaths in study

Treatment options include prostate removal, radiotherapy and hormone treatment, But for every life saved through treatment for prostate cancer, it is thought that between 12 to 48 men are treated unnecessarily.

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In early-stage prostate cancer, the gold standard of treatment for the past 25 years has been the surgical removal of the prostate.

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In February 2003, shortly after announcing his White House bid, Kerry underwent surgery for removal of a cancerous prostate.

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