Dr. Nicholas Karanikolas, director of Urologic Oncology at
Staten Island University Hospital, demonstrates the robotic arms
of the da Vinci Surgical System. Using the da Vinci Robot for
Prostatectomy Mario Monteleone underwent robot-assisted prostate
cancer surgery in August 2010 at SIUH. Mario Monteleone's doctor
had been tracking his PSA levels for six years. With each blood
test, his level of prostate-specific antigen - a protein made by
the body and used to help detect prostate cancer - varied. If
the number rose, antibiotics were prescribed, and the cause
attributed to infection or inflammation in his prostate. Then,
about four years ago, his levels continued to climb. A biopsy
was done that came back normal. In 2010, Monteleone's PSA level
reached 10, meaning he was at an increased risk for prostate
cancer. A second biopsy was done that showed that the 66-year-
old Great Kills man had cancer in 5 percent of his prostate. His
doctor recommended several treatment options: hormone therapy,
external beam rad