You probably heard the news that a recent medical study has shown that men are at greater risk (of what, we are unsure), just by allowing the screening test to be conducted: to wit, the following article from The New England Journal of Medicine by F.H. Schroder, M.D. (November 24, 2011 OnLine Edition):
“ ‘….On October 11, 2011, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a draft report on prostate specific antigen (PSA)---based screening for prostate cancer, giving it a grade D recommendation. Grade D means that “the USPSTF recommends against the service” because it concluded that “there is moderate or high certainty that the service has no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits.’ “
That proclamation hit the news wires like a tsunami and the resulting fall out was that millions of men over the age of 50 breathed a sigh of relief…thinking, “…I’m so relieved that I no longer need to get a PSA as part of my annual physical!”
Unfortunately, what they didn’t read was that the study that the advice was based on really didn’t show that they were at much greater risk (of what? Having a non-cancerous enlarged prostate? Or of having cancer? Or of seeking a biopsy because the PSA number was high?). What it really was about was not causing insurance companies to spend the $$$ for an “unnecessary” test for men whom the insurance companies think are likely to die of other causes than PC.
But, just the sensational news that men were somehow going to be at a higher risk from the test itself seemed to skew the fall out and that is where Prostate Cancer 2.0 seeks to provide better and more detailed information so men will know how to seek out accurate and truthful information before choosing a treatment (or not) for PC.
If you are reading this, it is most likely that you are either a close relative/friend or wife of someone who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer OR, you (yourself) have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Or maybe you are just worried that your frequent night-time trips to the bathroom have signaled the fear that you might have early signs of cancer in your prostate. Whatever your situation, the feedback received from The Prostate Cancer Primer published by iUniverse in 2004, tells me that what you are interested most is finding answers about your prostate health---YOUR prostate health. And, if you’ve been diagnosed with PC, you want to know what the right treatment for your particular cancer is…or, perhaps you just hope to be told that you don’t need any treatment at all. So, Prostate Cancer 2.0 begins (in Chapter One) with trying to give you the best answer(s) to those concerns that are uppermost in your mind right now.
Unfortunately, there is no single answer that will satisfy each person’s specific (physical) situation, nor can anyone answer all YOUR questions; men’s prostates are only the same in physical structure and function but, they aren’t the same when cancer cells are present. Some have more cells, some have fewer and other’s prostate cancer cells may already have migrated outside the gland. Some cancer is more aggressive than others and even the biopsy results do not clearly show just how YOUR specific cells are likely to be aggressive.
Essentially, some cancer may be more aggressive than others and therefore require more aggressive treatment and/or a more rapid intervention rather than a less aggressive type of cancer that may be slower growing and perhaps can be allowed to remain untreated while ‘watching and waiting’ to see how or if it grows over future months or even years and just require frequent PSA exams to track it.
With all those concerns comes inevitable questions about what kinds of ‘after treatment’ effects will be experienced and that is where PC 2.0 is focused; the medical community tends to do a poor job of explaining what the various treatment, after treatment quality of life expectations will be and PC 2.0 goes to great length in documenting studies and follow-up interviews with men who have had treatment across the spectrum: radical prostatectomy’s (surgery and robotic), external beam radiation and brachytherapy (seeds implanted), and cryogenics patients tracking their after-treatment experiences for the past 7 to 10 years to give you a real-world view of what you can expect from each.
Treatment technologies have advanced in the years since The PC Primer was published but after-treatment quality of life for each of the treatments discussed in this book have remained pretty static. So, while your chances of dying with Prostate Cancer have diminished, the type of treatment you choose will determine what kind of quality of life you have after treatment and whether or not incontinence and sexual dysfunction are a given.
Prostate Cancer 2.0 is a no nonsense look at the statistics of Prostate Cancer with no embellishments about what to expect from the medical community….after treatment quality of life is YOUR responsibility so use this information to make an informed treatment decision that will give you the best and healthiest life.
Finally, throughout the book, the over-riding theme has been clearly stated:
“IF YOU HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER (ANY CANCER… NOT ONLY PROSTATE CANCER--- YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SEEK MORE THAN ONE MEDICAL OPINION ABOUT YOUR TREATMENT OPTIONS! AND, YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SEEK OPINIONS FROM DIFFERENT TREATMENT SPECIALISTS: SURGERY, RADIATION, CRYOGENICS, ROBOTICS SURGERY; ETC.”
Dr. Hild notes in closing, “it is YOUR prostate and YOUR treatment decision to make. Seek several consultations with doctors who treat PC with ALL manner of treatment methods, then choose the treatment that meets YOUR specific needs which will be most likely to provide you with the best quality of life after treatment. This book gives you all the information to make that best informed decision.”
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