Prostate Cancer Surgery Is Misleadingly Advertised

Prostate Cancer Surgery

A recent headline screams "Surgery is Urged for Prostate Cancer." An outspoken urological surgeon says on his website that "... 90% of prostate cancers can be cured ..." Another urologist has been quoted as saying "With surgery, 3 out of 4 men (75%) are totally cured." Another headline alleges: "Surgery cut prostate cancer deaths by more than half."

"The truth about prostate cancer surgery is far less favorable," says Bradley Hennenfent, M.D., author of the new book, "Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery."

"The radical prostatectomy has undergone two randomized controlled studies. In the first, there was no statistically significant increase in overall survival after 23 years of follow-up. In the second study, only 5% more of the patients who underwent surgery were alive after 10 years than those who underwent watchful waiting. Therefore, our best studies only show a 0 to 5% survival benefit from surgery."

The usual prostate cancer operation is called the radical prostatectomy. It makes all men sterile and gives all men sexual dysfunction. The surgery leaves most men with a smaller penis, and there is significant risk of suffering impotence, incontinence, and/or urinary strictures.

"Getting the facts straight is very important," says Dr. Hennenfent. "Many men blindly accept the spin put on studies by urologists, reporters, and patients."

A previous news release by this publicist (Arnold Romanofski) said that Dr. Hennenfent "refuted recent studies." In fact, Dr. Hennenfent did not refute those studies, but rather rebutted the slant put on those studies by those with vested interests in surgery, or by reporters who do not understand medical statistics.

"When my generation faces prostate cancer," says Dr. Hennenfent, "we will be better educated and better informed. We have the Internet. We are putting the establishment on notice now that an operation with horrible side effects and a very low success rate is not going to be good enough for us."

In his book, "Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery," Dr. Hennenfent points out that with such a high failure rate and high adverse reaction rate for surgery, men need to look at brachytherapy, cryoablation, 3-dimensional radiation, herbs, watchful waiting, active non-invasive therapy, and other forms of treatment, which studies suggest are more successful, while being less harmful than surgery.

Dr. Hennenfent has seen five uncles suffer from prostate cancer and has seen them be treated by various methods. He co-founded the Prostatitis Foundation, founded the Epididymitis Foundation, and founded the Acoustic Neuroma Foundation. He previously published "The Prostatitis Syndromes."

"Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery" can be found in fine bookstores everywhere. Biblio Distribution (800-462-6420) distributes the book. It's $19.95, a trade paperback, 334 pages, 34 chapters, ISBN Number: 0-9717454-1-2, and was published January 15, 2005. Twenty-seven illustrations and cartoons are included within the book, which also includes an extensive index.

Website: www.SurvivingProstateCancerWithoutSurgery.org