Previous
Prostate Cancer Treatment & Peyronies Disease - Men Are Not Informed About This Association
Added: (Wed Oct 21 2009)
The prostate gland is a small walnut size structure that is part of the
male reproductive system. It is the site of the most common male
non-skin malignancy. According to the American Cancer Society, 1 out of
every 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime.
Approximately, 218,000 men in the United States will receive this
diagnosis annually. The most common treatment is the surgical removal of
the prostate and its surrounding tissue known as a Radical Prostatectomy
(RP). The Centers for Disease Control report that 168,000 of these
surgeries are performed every year in the United States. Evidence strongly suggests that a RP is associated with a significant increase in the incidence of Peyronies Disease (PD)
PD is a common adult male disease that most readers have never heard of. It is a medical disorder in which dense fibrous tissue surround the corpus cavernosum of the penis, resulting in bending of the erect penis and is often accompanied by excruciating pain. In all but the mildest cases, there is also a decrease in penile length and girth. There is no satisfactory treatment.
As noted above, surgical removal of the prostate is associated with an increased incidence of PD. (Men who have not undergone a RP also develop this condition.) There is no universally accepted estimate of the number of men who develop PD. However, because of the embarrassing nature of this disease, virtually every researcher believes that the published data significantly underestimates the incidence of this disease. Medical News Today, 02 July 2008, reports that a retrospective review of 589 patients undergoing a RP was performed to examine the incidence of PD in this population. The incidence of PD of men undergoing surgical removal of the prostate who developed was 17%. This is more than double the incidence rate of adult men in the general population.
According to an analysis in a presentation, “Expectations of Patients
Regarding Sexual Function Following Radical Prostatectomy” (April 27,
2009) men who had a RP were ignorant with regard to their long term
sexual functioning. Three Hundred Thirty Six consecutive patients were
enrolled in the study with a mean age of 64 plus/minus 11 years. The
percentage of men who were aware of post operative Peyronies Disease development was Zero. That is correct, not a misprint, none were aware of this potential side effect.
Informed consent has been a vital part of patients’ rights since the
1970s. Essentially, since then, a physician has been obligated to
communicate all material to the decision at hand, including the entire
risks associated with the procedure(s) that might sway their decision.
One can only speculate how many men since the 1970s have undergone a RP
without fully understanding the risks associated with this procedure.
When I developed PD, I was unaware that a condition like this even
existed. In frustration about the lack of accurate information about
this medical condition, I started an informational web site, www.curepeyronies.net. Almost daily, I get emails from desperate men who don’t know where to turn after developing this condition. Hopefully, my website and this article will give publicity to this hidden epidemic and inform men of this post RP side effect.