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| Surviving Prostate Cancer without Surgery: The New Gold Standard Treatment That Can Save Your Life and Lifestyle | 
 enlarge | Authors: Michael J. Dattoli, Jennifer Cash, Don Kaltenbach
Publisher: Seneca House Press / Pathway Book Service (dist.)
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy Used: $8.25
You Save: $10.70 (56%)
New (5) Used (11) from $8.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 357250
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 284
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0964008882
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.99463
UPC: 009640088829
EAN: 9780964008885
ASIN: 0964008882
Publication Date: March 28, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: well kept, some wear to outside, inside pages very nice
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Product Description
Unlike any other book on the subject, Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery provides the most up-to-date information and lifesaving advice from three essential points of view -- physician, nurse, and patient-survivor. Three leading cancer care specialists guide readers step by step through diagnosis, treatment and recovery, covering both the physical and emotional challenges of the disease. The authors share their knowledge and experience as members of the prestigious Dattoli Cancer Center & Brachytherapy Research Institute of Sarasota, Florida.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Highly recommended April 11, 2005
75 out of 76 found this review helpful
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 radiation is the most widely used prostate cancer treatment and also one of the options after surgery fails. Highly recommended if you're searching for answers and a healthy perspective.
For prostate cancer patients making decisions April 16, 2005
66 out of 67 found this review helpful
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 interested you can find it on Google or Yahoo by searching under "Dr. Jerrold Sharkey" and the University of South Florida. Hope it helps. So cutting hairs, I guess I'd have to say Dr. Dattoli's book is a little more focused in for me and also he agrees more with my urologist so I'll give him the five stars and Dr. Scardino the four, with sincere thanks to both for being my devils advocates. My advice would be to read them both because the more knowledge that we have going in the better off we're likely to be no matter what happens later on down the line. Writing this was my own way of thinking it through again, hopefully for the last time, and I'll end by saying GOOD LUCK to all of us who find ourselves in this situation.
 Comments on Surviving Prostate Cancer without surgery June 1, 2005
54 out of 58 found this review helpful
The book suffers from a rhetorical bias against surgery -- a bias that leads to little good being said about surgery. A study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that if you see a surgeon about treatment options he/she will likely represent surgery; if you initially see a radiologist, the recommendation is likely to be radiation.
As other reviewers have pointed out, a man facing treatment options must determine if surgery that is right for him. IMRT/seeds is a great approach but many patients aren't eligible due to the progression of the cancer. Similarly, expansion of the cancer beyond the prostate gland may mean that surgery is not feasible. But surgery is, in my experience, one of the best options for a T2a or T2b diagnosis. Obviously much depends on the skill of the surgeon but if the surgeon manages to excise all the cancerous tissue, you will be in great shape re recurrence of cancer. The same cannot be said about hormone therapy.
I would make two points about surgery versus other options (all the while emphasizing that the best option depends on the state of your cancer). First, I found that men facing the treatment decision often recoil in horror at the idea of being cut open, nerve bundles being severed and a Foley catheter in their penis for two or three weeks. A tough call. But remind yourself that once the surgery is over and the catheter is out, you are done. Hopefully the surgeon will save enough nerve bundles that you will be able to function sexually, with a little help from the blue pill. I had the surgery and have not taken one bit of medication or treatment since. Luckily for me, the surgeon got it all and my PSA remains zero. You will also have the psychological relief of knowing that the cancerous object is gone from your body. (I was influenced by a certain famous football coach who said, 'as soon as I got the diagnosis I wanted this thing out of me')
Second, surgical techniques are getting better. Robots, cryogenic techniques and other technology are starting to move into the mainstream. Many surgeons have done hundreds of these operations. Success stories are increasing. The same cannot be said of radiation -- it still is likely to devastate surrounding tissue. Hormone therapy can be useful but the patient really needs to talk at length with his doctor about how long the course of treatment will take and the side effects, which can be terrible.
A final bonus re surgery. If it does not succeed, ADT therapy remains an option.
To all prostate patients: evaluate every option carefully and develop a good sense of the prospects for success of each option. Hang in there.
A potentially lifesaving book brimming with information May 7, 2005
52 out of 54 found this review helpful
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.
Excellent For Men and For Women April 21, 2005
37 out of 40 found this review helpful
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!!
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