Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery: The New Gold Standard Treatment That Can Save Your Life and Lifestyle

Radiation oncologist Michael J. Dattoli, M.D., Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Cash, and prostate cancer survivor and executive director of the Dattoli Cancer Center and Brachytherapy Institute Donald Kaltenbach present Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery, a potentially lifesaving book brimming with information on the treatment options for those diagnosed with prostate cancer. In addition to possible choices of radiation, radical surgery, or some form of hormonal therapy, Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery offers the latest medical data on state-of-the-art radiation therapy such as seed implants and IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy). From its title, Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery may appear to strongly advocate non-surgical approaches, but in fact the title is simply a reaction against the long-standing favoritism of surgery to the extent of perpetuating myths concerning how effective it truly is. Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery gives an evenhanded assessment of various options, including statistical data with an eye toward possible contradictions or innacuracies hidden within the numbers. The goal is to provide the reader with as much information as possible, in clear, easy-to-understand terms, concerning prostate cancer, how it can be treated, why some men are more or less likely candidates for surgery than others, the risks involved in different types of treatment including risks of temporary or permanent incontience or impotence and how to get help - not only medical help, but also emotional and financial help. A "must-read" for anyone researching or personally grappling with difficult questions and problems concerning prostate cancer, the better to confront one's doctor and discuss options with as much knowledge about the situation as possible. Highly recommended.

This book gave both me and my wife hope and direction. It helped us to understand my prostate cancer diagnosis (PSA 6.4, Gleason 7) and it clarified my doctor's advice about the best treatments. For us, it's on a par with Dr. Susan Love's breast cancer book. Both are really excellent because they give you the kind of information you need to ask your doctors the right questions. They're the gold standard of cancer books. This is our second time having to face the 'Big C' together and we're going to beat it again!!

I'm posting two reviews on here because the two books are mostly about the same subjects but from opposite points of view. I'm a new prostate cancer patient but my older brother went through it almost ten years ago and thanks to him I already knew a little about what to expect. He survived with surgery and so I haven't let myself get depressed about it, worried for sure, but so far not really down or bent out of shape.. I had my first PSA test back in 1998 and sort of expected it sooner or later, and then this year, bingo, it was my turn alright. But it wasn't my PSA that did me in, it was a lump my doctor found with the digital rectal exam. Then came the bad news I had a positive biopsy (and be forewarned, those biopsy needles turn your prostate into a pin cushion, which maybe is easier for some guys but still NOT a pleasant experience no matter what anybody tells you). I have to read a lot of technical books for my job and I plowed through these two prostate books just to be able to understand my own doctor's results and figure out what the hell to do next. One was Dr. Peter Scardino's surgical book and the other was Dr. Dattoli's radiation book. I think they're both good even with their "biases" and disagreements, and which one is better for you might just depend on who you believe more and what you want for yourself. I think it's like both of these doctors say in their books, deciding the right treatment is like deciding between buying a Lincoln or a Cadillac. Only it's more of a gamble for us because we have to play the odds with being treated. What are the chances that I'll be cured? How likely is it that I'll have problems later on? It's all about percentages. My urologist told me I have a choice between prostatectomy and radiation (or else doing nothing). So I can either have my prostate cut out or I can have it zapped with radiation seeds. Fortunately, both are covered by insurance and for me it's turning out to be pretty much of a no-brainer because of my early stage and low risk that the cancer has spread. But if you're facing it, like every doctor will tell you, you've got to decide for yourself with your own PSA and Gleason scores and whatever your needs are and instincts tell you. There is a learning curve and both these books are a good way to start on it because they REALLY force you to test yourself and your doctors. Unlike many other surgeons, my urologist does both the surgery and the seeds and he lets his patients decide which they want and tells them what his own results have been for each kind of treatment. No pressure either way. His results were published in the medical journals this year and that study might help you find your way through the maze to get a handle on where the books are coming from and where your own doctors are coming from. This was a big 12-year study by six urologists in their group practice who treated more than 1700 patients who had either the surgery or radiation. If you're intere

Like the previous reviewer ("Peace of Mind"), I found solid reassurance in this book but for different reasons, not the least of which is knowing that I chose the right path for myself.  I'm a retired lawyer and I was treated successfully with radioactive seeds and IMRT over two years ago at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering. My PSA has since fallen almost all the way to zero and as far as I know, I'm now cancer-free.  I've probably read most of the popular books about prostate cancer, those by radiation oncologists like Dr. Dattoli, as well as those by urologists like Dr. Walsh, and also a fine book by an oncologist, Dr. Stephen Strum, who specializes in hormonal therapies.  Aside from having an interest based on my own case, some years ago I happened to represent a patient who brought a malpractice suit against his urologist because the radical surgery had unfortunately resulted in a serious complication for which there was no remedy.  We've all heard those terrible stories, but this really was a case where the cure was probably worse than the disease. Regardless of your opinion about malpractice, all doctors who treat prostate cancer have biases that are based on their own specialties. They recommend what they know how to do because of their training, and not always with the best interest of their patients in mind. It's more than a little unsettling for patients to realize that regardless of which type of treatment we choose to have, there's no 'magic bullet' and there will always be some chance that our cancer may come back.  As a radiation therapy "team," the three authors of this new book offer a very thorough and balanced presentation of this whole complicated field. What helped me the most was learning that I still have quite a few treatment options if my cancer should ever return, including being "re-seeded," or cryotherapy, or even having the dreaded prostatectomy.  I think both surgical patients and radiation patients stand to benefit from Dr. Dattoli's discussion of the treatment options after recurrence.  More recently diagnosed patients should also benefit from the unusually clear comparisons of the various treatments in terms of their cure rates and side effects. Those critical comparisons are based on the results obtained by the very best practitioners of each type of treatment (radiation, surgery, etc). As anyone who's gone through it knows, the decisions aren't easy. This book is very readable, with diagrams, graphs and photos to illustrate the important points in each chapter.  The authors also offer a lot of helpful advice for the wives of men with prostate cancer, especially useful in this age of Viagra and Cialis and other lifestyle issues (like cutting the red meat out of our diets!).  I don't think that anybody should make a treatment decision based on one doctor's opinion or on one book, but this one comes across as fair and informative even though it's written primarily from a radiation point of view, since rad

This book was a godsend for me. I was given an advance copy last month by a journalist friend who knows I've been wrestling with a prostate problem for most of the past year. I'm a university librarian and reading the book was such a relief that it has prompted me to offer my story here with hope that other men will find some peace of mind when confronted with a possible prostate cancer diagnosis. This was a very scary experience for me that will take some explaining. I'm 61 years old, married and sexually active, without any history of serious medical problems. But after a checkup in the summer of 2004, I was told I had an elevated PSA of 4.4, up nearly one whole point from the year before. My digital rectal exam was negative, and my doctor told me that I shouldn't be overly concerned. Nevertheless, an "abnormal PSA" was a very unsettling red flag in my mind, and I was referred to a respected urologist in New York (who I won't name because I don't have a high opinion of him at this point). Hoping to rule out cancer, I went through a series of tests, including an ultrasound and biopsy. All of the tests turned out to be negative and I was advised to pursue a course of "watchful waiting," which just means waiting and being retested regularly. It might be called "watchful worrying" because the anxiety was terrible. I wasn't at all relieved because after being retested last year, my PSA was still elevated at 4.2 and I still didn't know if I actually had cancer or not, or what to do about it. I was told by my urologist that most men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer have surgery, a radical prostatectomy, to cut out the prostate gland. In fact, according to the latest reports (cited in the Dattoli book), it is no longer the case that most men with early stage prostate cancer have the surgery. But I didn't know that yet. With the uncertain prospect of a major operation hanging over my head, I hunted on the internet and read Dr. Patrick Walsh's book, Surviving Prostate Cancer, and then Michael Korda's book, Man to Man. I now realize that both of these books are out of date and don't have the latest statistics about treatment options, cure rates and so forth. Korda's book is a real horror story about his experiences before and after his surgery. He was treated by Dr. Walsh, a Johns Hopkins surgeon with a reputation for being one of the best. Dr. Walsh's own book is full of information but unfortunately has a serious pro-surgery bias. Most importatly, the book does not contain the long-term study results (more than 10 years) with the non-surgical treatments, and offers little hope to men like me who want to avoid the knife (and the likelihood of having to wear diapers, or worse). That is where this new book comes in. I read Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery in one long sitting, and it was like having a truly caring doctor and nurse answer my questions for the first time. The third author, Kaltenbach, is a former prostat