I must say I found the following article in USA Today ( 4/1/09, by Liz Szabo) , bonechilling. A British study confirms what I've said many times: that when it comes to performing minimally-invasive radical prostatectomy or laparoscopy (which includes robotically assisted surgery, *although that was not the subject of this study*), NO amount of experience on the [...]
I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed in the article Prostate Cancer: Men Deserve Better, European Association of Urology, March 17, 2009 (exerpts below). . But talk is cheap. The question is, how do we bring about real change (change we can believe in!)? That's a lot to ask -- but heck, we are worth [...]
I have long said that prostate cancer surgery is a PROCESS, not a one-time event. RP doesn't end when the anesthesia wears off. You are likely to have problems that need further attention, such as impotence or incontinence, even if it's temporary. And of course you will need a doctor who will follow you for signs [...]
My fellow blogger, Kathy Meade, alerted me to the following. It's about time we developed holistic approaches to treating cancer patients! "University of Edinburgh researchers have reported success with an interdisciplinary intervention for treating major depressive disorder in people living with cancer. The intervention is delivered by specially trained oncology nurses, is designed to work alongside [...]
I am including an excerpt from a blog post written by Dr. Michael Glode, an experienced genitourinary oncologist. I highly recommend his site because what you get from Dr. Glode is straight talk. Dr. Glode writes that he's had reservations about robotic prostate surgery for a long time. He acknowledges that it is now seen by urologists as the [...]
There is an article in today's New York Times in which the author describes his thought processes as he went about first choosing a treatment and then a doctor after he was diagnosed with PC. Trouble is the guy is a newbie who doesn't know anything but thinks he does . But didn't we all?? I think [...]
I initially posted my previous message about depression and PC treatment on a site I have been frequenting which brings together people from diverse backgrounds. You might be interested to read the responses I got, which came from a broad spectrum of the PC community: patients and their partners, a surgeon, psychiatrist, psychologist, a number of patient advocates and [...]
All serious illnesses cause emotional distress. But prostate cancer patients may be even more vulnerable. This is because treatments for PC often cause erectile dysfunction (in at least 50% of men who've had RP, for example), which is highly correlated with depression. Also, some men who've undergone treatment have been left with distressing side effects [...]
Faster Cures is a novel organization created by the financier Michael Milken, who also founded the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Faster Cures' goal is to find new ways to bring drugs to market faster -- the average is 17 years from conception to the time the drug hits the market. Faster Cures sends me a newsletter, and in this issue, they [...]
One of my stated goals for this blog is to try to discuss and so help improve the doctor-patient relationship. There is a disturbing article in today's New York Times which claims that the doctor-patient relationship is "on the rocks". That many patient no longer trust doctors. And that the advent of the Internet has affected things, sometimes for [...]
