BY MARK SCHOLZ, MD
"You
mean you have never heard of diffusion-weighted imaging” Exclaimed a recently-diagnosed
prostate cancer patient to his doctor. How
could his doctor be unacquainted with this important aspect of modern prostate
imaging? It’s shocking when a patient realizes he possesses more medical information
than the “expert.”
No One Can Be an Expert in Everything
Actually,
in this modern era, this situation is being encountered more and more
frequently. It’s not so surprising when considering the explosive growth rate
of new medical information. It’s humanly impossible for anyone to stay abreast
of every new medical development. For
example, even though urologists “specialize” in diseases of the urinary system,
their area of responsibility demands expertise in a wide variety of unrelated
but important areas such as urinary infections, prostate enlargement, prostate
infections, sexual dysfunction and kidney stones. They also have to be expert
at the surgical treatment of such problems as congenital defects, bladder
cancer, testicular cancer and kidney cancer… just to name a few.
Prostate Cancer by Itself is Quite Complex
Prostate
cancer alone is intricate enough to keep a specialist occupied full time. For
example, simply staging prostate cancer is complicated. Prostate cancer staging
uses a multimodality profiling system that estimates
the likelihood of microscopic metastases outside the prostate using PSA, Gleason
grade, and a percentage of cancer-containing biopsy cores. Now, new imaging techniques are providing
further information about the size and location of the cancer within the
prostate gland. And even more recently molecular profiling has become
commercially available. Staging prostate
cancer properly has become a continually developing art form.
Seeking Advice—Delivered from a Level Playing
Field
Equally
important is the need to seek out unbiased treatment advice. Unfortunately, the
process of rendering advice about treatment options is usually very slanted.
Urologists (who are surgeons) usually recommend surgery. Radiation therapists usually recommend
radiation. This is not to imply that these physicians have less than the best
intentions. Over time they just become
convinced that what they do is the best option for their patients who are
consulting them.
What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
The
number of treatments available for men with newly-diagnosed disease is rapidly
expanding. For example, what was
previously known simply as “radiation” now includes IMRT, Proton therapy,
Cyberknife, two types of Brachytherapy as well as various combinations of these
different radiation modalities. Hormone
therapy options have now expanded beyond traditional Casodex and Lupron to
include Zytiga and Xtandi. The management of the potential side effects of
hormone therapy requires special training in diet physical fitness, bone
integrity and sexual health to limit the risk of lingering damage after
treatment is completed. These days, relapsed or advanced prostate cancer
requires physicians who are conversant in genetic typing, modern PET scans,
immunotherapy and injectable radiation.
Every Journey Begins with a Single Step
So newly
diagnosed prostate cancer patients are faced with daunting situation. Clearly
there is no simple answer to this tangle of complicated issues. However, the
newly diagnosed cancer patient is far from helpless. He has two overriding
responsibilities. First, he must learn as many facts as possible by getting thoroughly
educated about the different treatments for his specific type of prostate
cancer. Second, he must use discernment in the selection of which physicians to
consult.
There is Time to Learn
With
prostate cancer there is rarely a need to rush into making a treatment decision
because it is usually slow growing. There
is plenty of time for the shock of diagnosis to wear off, giving you enough
time to get educated about the scientific facts. Published studies comparing outcomes are
available. The PCRI in particular publishes articles that translate scientific
information into a patient-friendly format. Ultimately, all claims about treatment should
be supported by references published in the scientific literature. Selecting treatment for prostate cancer is a
high stakes proposition, potentially risking sexual function, urinary function,
even life itself. I want to encourage
patients to take a leadership role in the treatment-selection process.
1 comment:
Great blog entry! Thanks for summing up the situation, and empowering patients. Hope to see you at the AUA. Karen Barrie
Post a Comment