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Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery

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Each year over 200,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 30,000 die from it each year. About the same number of women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. At one time, most women with breast cancer had the whole breast removed. Now most of them will have a Lumpectomy whereby only the cancer tumor is removed.

At one time when a man was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he was immediately urged to have surgery to remove the prostate. It
was the "Gold Standard". But more and more men are learning that today we have many other options.

The prostate and seminal vesicles manufactures almost all of the ejaculate. When the prostate is removed, a man's sex life will be changed forever. He may still be able to have an orgasm but it will not be the same. Many of the men will no longer be able to have a normal erection. Since the prostate is intimately connected to the bladder valve, it is often damaged. The man may be incontinent for the rest of his life.

Dr. Bradley Hennenfent describes some of the options that one may choose instead of surgery. I wish I had known these options in 1992 when I was encouraged by my urologist to have surgery.

Any cancer therapy will have some side effects. The alternate
options listed by Dr. Hennenfent will have fewer unpleasant ones.

I strongly recommend that any man who is diagnosed with prostate cancer to buy this book. It is a small price to pay in order to hold on to your prostate. I sorely miss my prostate.

Dr Hennenfent is a well-known name as a champion for all those who suffer with prostatitis or with prostate cancer. His tireless work during the last decades has helped to bring both diseases into the forefront of public awareness and media attention. In his book, SURIVIVING PROSTATE CANCER WITHOUT SURGERY, he calls attention to the surgeons' bias permeating the field of urology. Despite the paucity of double blind controlled studies to support the superiority of the surgical approach, a few published books written by influential surgeons dominate the field and are heavily biased toward surgical intervention. The author gives a balanced and critical review of the alternative therapies, watchful waiting, radiation or hormone therapies, that are just as affective, if not better than surgery. Unfortunately, these approaches lack glamour, media hype or financial rewards and therefore are woefully pushed aside.

This book is a badly needed wake up call to all patients with prostate cancer. All options should be considered before choosing surgery. There could be permanent changes in the quality of life following an overly zealous surgical procedure for a slow growing cancer that, if left alone ultimately may not even be the cause of death.

The book reads well. It's highly recommended for laymen and professionals alike.

When you or someone you know receives a diagnosis of prostate cancer what won't be realized is not only will one battle have to be fought with the cancer but a second battle will also have to be fought against the very profession - the urologists that treat prostate cancer. You will learn the shocking truth that your interests of treating the cancer the best way possible and prolonging the quality of your life are not the interests of the urology profession. "Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery" investigates in careful detail the inner workings of the urology profession and how they will work against you. You will enter a world you couldn't possible imagine would exist in this day and age. Page after page will reveal shocking and startling details of the true nature of the urology profession. You will be angry to learn the practices of the urology profession possibly caused your cancer and of possible warning signs, which could have been easily treated medically, were ignored before your cancer developed. You will quickly realize that going to a urologist without reading this book is like trying to cross a busy highway blindfolded. The treatment offered by your urologist could be worse than the actual disease and might even contribute to the spread of your cancer and cause your death rather then prevent it. The information in this easy to understand book written for the average person will guide you in the right direction. You will learn of more effective treatments your urologist probably won't even tell you about. It will enable you to make your own decisions of what treatment is best for you so that you can survive prostate cancer without surgery and have the best quality of life possible. Don't be another victim. Reading this book will give you the knowledge to win both battles. You will beat the urologists at their own game! What you don't know can and will hurt you. "Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery" is a must read if you value your life or the life of someone close to you.

A flaw in the medical care system is that most patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) are diagnosed by urologists -- surgeons with a surgical specialty which admittedly until 15-years ago was probably the most effective treatment for localized prostate cancer. Accordingly, too many newcomers leave the office with an appointment for what is a highly destructive surgical procedure, not knowing that other treatment options are available which are effective and have fewer side effects.

Not all urologists are unwilling to mention the options (my experience). Nevertheless, this point in the PCa journey is the time to hit the brakes, do lots and lots of research, get second opinions and consider options.

This is a book that should be read. The author articulately and systematically describes available treatments, their advantages and disadvantages. Quite possibly, no other disease has so many treatment options. A little knowledge can result in much empowerment.

I have read much on the subject, but I learned much original information from this book. This book will help you avoid urologists' reflex to take out your prostate the minute you get an elevated PSA level. After reading this book, it becomes clear this is the last thing one should do.

Dr. Hennenfent educated me that prostate diseases are sequential. Men first experience prostate inflammation (prostatitis). Then, the inflammation degenerates into enlargement (BPH). Enlargement turns into prostate cancer. Both prostatitis and BPH do cause false positive high PSA levels. Therefore, he recommends that anyone receiving a high PSA level diagnostic should first be checked for the other two preceding conditions (prostatitis and BPH) instead of incurring prostate biopsies for investigating cancers. He indicates later in the book that biopsies may cause in certain cases the cancer to spread.

The author explains how BPH comes about (blockage of acinus ducks leading to bursting of acinus sacks). His explanation is completely different than what I had learned so far (BPH is due to age related hormonal change that causes the prostate to grow in size and harden). Maybe both explanations are valid and cumulative. But, again Dr. Hennenfent shared knowledge I had not come across elsewhere.

This book is a manifesto against radical prostatectomy and the urology establishment. The author cites many scientific papers to make his case that radical prostatectomy impairs quality of life (impotence, incontinence) and does not extend life. I had read the same thing from other sources as well. He further demonstrates how the urology establishment has manipulated statistics to arrive at flawed favorable outcomes. The few rigorous studies done without any statistical bias clearly demonstrated that prostatectomy did not provide any life extension benefit over just watchful waiting. And, this does not account for the abrupt drop in the mentioned quality of life associated with prostatectomy. Also none of the celebrity prostate cancer survivors he mentioned opted for this procedure including Robert Giuliani and Andy Grove.

In other chapters, Dr. Hennenfent spends much time explaining all the different tests and rating levels related to prostate cancer including the PSA test, the Gleason scale, and the TNM and ABCD staging systems. He fleshes out the debate regarding these tests effectiveness and accuracy. And, he goes into details as to their implications always referring to the relevant scientific sources.

The author's coverage of watchful waiting and active non-invasive therapy (ANIT) is also very informative. The chapters on hormone blockade and seed implant are especially interesting. A combination of those two therapies appears to be the preferred cure for many of the celebrity prostate cancer survivors he mentioned.

Given all the research he has done the chapter where the author shares how he plans to deal with prostate cancer is most helpful. It flows from the information he shares in the book. He would first use watchful waiting and then consider hormone blockade, and different forms of radiotherapy, including seed implant, if necessary.

If you want to further study this subject, I also strongly recommend the following books: "The Cancer Handbook" by Lynne Mc Taggart, "Should I be tested for cancer?" by H. Gilbert Welch, and "The Prostate Cancer Protection Plan" by Dr. Bob Arnot.

I was recently diagnosed with PC, and I was told by my urologists that I had several options for treatment to make the decision that fits me best -- everyone is different. He gave me a book that outlined the various treatments and the pros and cons of each treatment. After reading the book, I was in the dark. No mention in the book what other people were getting and their satisfaction with the treatment. I find these type books, althrough very helpful, didn't really contribute toward my decision. I found the book, Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery, of essential help in understanding what others consider about the aftermath of their treatment. I want to know what men of prominence and wealth are choosing for their treatment. What are the current trends in treatment. This book helps greatly in answering my questions. All men diagnosed with PC should read this book.

Dr Hennenfent's exposé is a watershed in the information available to those who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and to those wishing to improve their knowledge of the problem. Its content may prove critical to sufferers in deciding what treatment option to adopt, and what quality of life and life expectancy they may realize as a consequence.

The book readily distinguishes from many others published before it because of Dr Hennenfent's standing as a doctor of medicine. His account is written from inside the medical profession and reflects an intimate knowledge of both good and bad in medical practice. He is also a Director of the prominent US organization, the Prostatitis Foundation, which actively promotes information about prostate infection and has an ongoing engagement with the US Government in identifying research opportunities that may improve the plight of sufferers in the US.

The book bears an authority that has no parallel in earlier texts on this subject. Dr Hennenfent's frankness in informing readers without fear or favor of the serious concerns associated with radical prostatectomy is what readers have wanted and needed for decades. He reveals the absence of adequate peer scrutiny of high-risk and inappropriate treatment which is all-too-often being routinely dispensed to patients by his urological colleagues. Elsewhere, he highlights the failure of the urology profession to initiate controlled studies utilizing the wealth of raw data that they have at their disposal from operations they have performed and other forms of intervention they have administered or coordinated. Such studies would offer great potential to advance the knowledge and understanding of the disease, and in turn offer scope for improved treatment outcomes for the current and future generations of patients.

Good science does not always emerge on its own. In the case of the treatment of prostate cancer, it requires the determination of advocates like Dr Hennenfent and an informed and determined public to force the reform of attitudes and practice within the medical profession in general, and within the urology profession in particular. In an era of rapid communication technology, it can be expected that the message of this book will quickly spread to the wider global community, and in so doing will take the debate to a new level. Hopefully, it will also bring about that good science that is desperately needed by so many.

The book is compelling reading not only for those who feel powerless and confused as they face the dilemma of what road to take for treatment, but also for those who know the ever-looming danger of prostate cancer and believe that being forewarned is to be forearmed.


Mr A S McCaffrey
Brisbane, Australia
26 February 2005

I too am recently diagnosed, and have bought and read quite a few different books on this topic. This was the best one that I've read thus far. It has helped me from making some really serious (bad) and irreversible decisions. Highly recommended. The other one that I thought was really good was "Eating Your Way to Better Health-The Prostate Forum Nutrition Guide" by Charles E. Myers, Jr., M.D. & Sara Sgarlat Steck, R.T. & Rose Sgarlat Myers, PT., Ph.D. God's blessing on you all.

If you are a man...Read this book. As a prostrate cancer patient, I found this book a very complete and informative overview of all the treatments and conditions men face with this disease. I learned things that neither of my two doctors (a radiation oncologist and a urologist)told me. This is the best overview of prostate cancer conditions to date. The information can guide you to a better life.

This book presents the kind of information you might never otherwise learn and that some actually seek to suppress (note the couple of negative reviews unabashedly trying to steer you away from reading this book, with weak ad hominem attacks). I bought numerous copies of this book and gave them as gifts to friends and family coping with prostate cancer. Dr. Hennefent truly cares about the situation because he had so many loved ones (uncles) suffer from poor treatment decisions for prostate cancer and doesn't want to see others suffer. The information presented is well supported with references to reputable information sources. Prostate cancer victims need to educate themselves and not rely on biased doctors, or any other single source of information, to give them the full picture. This book will help round out whatever other information you may have received and presents much information that is quite surprising.