New Book Suggests Surgery For Prostate Cancer No Longer Necessary in Most Cases More Men Now Choose High Tech Radiation Therapies
April 4 2005 During the 1990s most
prostate cancer patients had their prostates removed by the surgical procedure known as radical prostatectomy But in more recent years radical surgery has fallen increasingly out of favor The majority of
prostate cancer patients now avoid the knife by opting for more effective stateoftheart radiation therapies
That trend is reported in a new patient guidebook Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery The New Gold Standard Treatment That Can Save Your Life and Lifestyle coauthored by members of a leading radiation oncology team under the direction Dr Michael J Dattoli of Sarasota's Dattoli Cancer Center Citing the most recent medical studies and Medicare statistics this is the first book to report that advanced radiation therapy has now replaced radical prostatectomy as the mainstream treatment of choice for most early stage
prostate cancer patients The issues involved are similar to those raised by radical mastectomies for the treatment of breast cancer which can also be treated by less invasive methods
According to Dr Dattoli one of the pioneers of high tech radiation research in this country the new 'Gold Standard' treatment for
prostate cancer is a cutting edge protocol that combines radioactive seed implants brachytherapy with advanced external radiation therapy known as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy IMRT
With one of the highest cure rates in the country and numerous peerreviewed studies to his credit Dr Dattoli explains The greater than 10year diseasefree survival rate for patients who have completed our brachytherapy protocol is superior to surgical removal of the prostate with far less risk of complications such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence Recent advances in the delivery of high energy photons ultrasound imaging and computerized treatment planning have essentially turned the tide against what was previously thought to be a disease most effectively treated by means of radical surgery In just the past few years we have seen a revolution in the field
The director of the Dattoli Cancer Center Brachytherapy Institute Don Kaltenbach himself a 14year
prostate cancer survivor suggests With increased awareness more men are choosing not to go under the knife because they want to avoid the high risk of complications We now have sophisticated noninvasive treatments like seed implants and IMRT that have proven more effective in curing the disease while preserving quality of life for most patients In recent years some highprofile
prostate cancer patients such as Colin Powell and Robert Deniro have had prostatectomies but more men are now following the example of former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani whose
prostate cancer was successfully treated with seed implants
In Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery Dr Dattoli discusses all the pros and cons of the currently available treatments He points out Many surgeons don't inform their patients that even in the best surgical hands there is a great likelihood that a man will be wearing diapers the rest of his life and he is also very likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction even with Viagra and similar remedies We now know that in addition to those unwanted side effects surgical removal of the prostate leaves behind cancer in as many as half of those patients who are characterized as intermediate or high risk To a large extent the increasing popularity of brachytherapy and IMRT has been patientdriven with men doing their homework joining support groups and searching the Internet At this time an overview of
prostate cancer care and treatment from a nonsurgical perspective is crucial for every patient wishing to receive the highest standard of care
IMRT is the most advanced form of external radiation therapy often referred to as 'Smart Beam' technology because of its extraordinary ability to direct thousands of precisely targeted radiation 'beamlets' into the tumor itself while avoiding healthy surrounding tissue Dr Dattoli explains Our protocol typically combines IMRT with brachytherapy in order to increase the dose and more effectively eradicate the cancer Even higher risk patients those with high PSA values and high Gleason scores have enjoyed a greater than 80 survival rate in our program while low risk patients have a success rate of more than 90 As we discuss in our book we now have every reason to believe that the vast majority of early state
prostate cancer patients can be cured without surgery
Unlike other books on the subject Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery provides patients with advice from three essential points of view physician nurse and patientsurvivor Drawing on their shared experience the book is intended to guide patients stepbystep through diagnosis treatment and recovery Knowing what to expect is one of the keys to beating this disease says Kaltenbach We want to prepare patients for the journey ahead regardless of which particular treatment they may choose for themselves We want them to be fully informed
Published by Seneca House Press and the Dattoli Cancer Foundation Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery The New Gold Standard Treatment That Can Save Your Life and Lifestyle is available from bookstores and Amazoncom or by calling the trade distributor Pathway Book Service at 800 3456665
Paperback 284 pages 22 color photographs index glossary resource directory ISBN 0964008882 Pub date March 28 2005
Additional information can be obtained from the Dattoli Cancer Foundation by calling 800 9151001 or by visiting the Web site httpwwwpcasurvivingwithoutsurgerycom
New Book Suggests Surgery For Prostate Cancer No Longer Necessary in Most Cases More Men Now Choose High Tech Radiation Therapies
