I commonly have to correct patients decision making reasoning as related to the title of this post.
“I think I’ll remove it because at least that way I know I got it all,” I hear often.
This reasoning is flawed as the above videocast explains.
Just because you remove the prostate for prostate cancer doesn’t mean you are cured!
Prostate Diaries 
Wow! another good discussion point you have raised and one that is not often explained in such detail to prostate cancer (PCa) patients.
At least not here in the UK.
Here in the UK Urologists tend to say that the ‘cure’ rate is around 95% when the prostate is removed.
And most mens wifes/partners will convince their men that these are good odds.
Some men may look at prostate removal and think that ALL the aggressive cells are contained within the prostate and therefore only non aggressive cells have escaped outside the prostate capsule!
John is that a subset that is measurable and therefore reduces the implied 5% of recurrence?.
Of those where there is recurrence of PCa after the prostate is removed do we know how many men actually go on to die FROM PCa?
And then we go on to the next area which is survival time for those men!
And then onto how many of these men with recurrence die WITH PCa rather than of it and a further subset of these whose illness was as a result of them having PCa (e.g. Diabetes, heart disease etc etc.).
I think this/these added statistic/s would improve the confidence of SOME of the men (and their wifes/partners) when making the decision to remove or not to remove the prostate.
BUT how much information does a man need to make the decision?
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John the information was important but Penelope was the star and this meant lack of concentration. So I only got some of it!! If you want us to concentrate the Pen should play afterwards. Doesn’t she ever get tired of chasing and returning?
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