In a recent interview, Dr. Bradley Hennenfent, author of the book “Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery,” revealed what he would do if he were to be diagnosed with the life-threatening disease. Following are the highlights of the interview.
- "Watchful Waiting"
This means watching your prostate cancer until it causes symptoms and then treating the symptoms, if they ever do appear. Hennenfent said that it is tragic how many men rush to surgery for their prostate cancer right away because, oftentimes, surgery isn’t necessary and its side effects are irreversible. “There has never been a single medical study that has shown in conclusive terms that the radical prostatectomy prolongs life,” said Hennenfent. He said some of the side effects of surgery included impotence, incontinence, sterility, a smaller penis, sexual dysfunction, and urinary strictures. He stressed that watchful waiting is a viable option especially if the prostate cancer is small and slow-gathering. He revealed that a majority of men with prostate cancer will “go on to live their lives without ever dying from prostate cancer. They will die with prostate cancer inside them, but not from it.”
- Active Non-Invasive Therapy (ANIT)
The term "active non-invasive therapy" or ANIT is credited to prostate cancer survivor Sandy Goldman who turned his back to surgery and went the ANIT way, which basically means doing everything you possibly can to stay healthy and avoiding drastic and harmful measures, while still treating prostate cancer -- following your prostate cancer with prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests and digital rectal exams (DREs), reading books, searching the internet and joining prostate cancer groups, reducing stress and living a healthier lifestyle, replete with a disciplined diet and regular exercise.
Dr. Hennenfent adds, "All men who can safely be put on Viagra, Levitra or Cialis and want to try one of these sex-enhancing drugs should be started on one as part of active non-invasive therapy. By seeing how good your sex life can be, you will think more carefully before undergoing prostate cancer treatments that will destroy your sexual function, and you might make better choices."
- Undergoing radiation therapy in all applicable forms, including cryoablation, radiation seed implants, 3-D conformal radiation andintensity modulated radiation therapy.
- Hormone blockade
This means blocking the male hormones produced by the testicles, adrenal glands and prostate. It is called single, double or triple hormone blockade, according to how many organs are blocked. Hennefent calls this "chemical castration" as opposed to the old practice of "surgical castration" with a scalpel.
Obviously, the difference is a critical one -- surgical castration cannot be reversed, while chemical castration can be stopped.
"I will always consider starting hormone blockade regardless of the stage and grade of prostate cancer that I have, and I will be hoping that triple hormone blockade followed by Proscar (finasteride) maintenance or intermittent hormone blockade, will have been proved to extend life by the time that I need them," said Dr. Hennenfelt.
Dr. Hennenfent ended the interview on a cautionary note: "With so much happening with hormone blockage, radiation therapies, cryoblation and potential new therapies, it may be a terrible mistake to let your prostate and seminal vesicles be ripped out during radical surgery. Think of your quality of life as you pursue a cure for prostate cancer."
In closing, Hennefent stresses that there are several ways to lower the risk of getting prostate cancer if you don’t have it yet. The easiest and most immediate thing you can do is to lower your intake of animal fat or stop eating it altogether. There are also several helpful medications, but these have to be taken daily, especially in the case of dietary supplements with vitamin E and selenium. Estrogens from soybeans and other plant sources known as “phytoestrogens” are also good for keeping prostate cancer at bay.
