Prostate Cancer: A Non-Surgical Perspective

This concise guide to treatment options by Wallner of New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who has been treating prostate cancer with radiation since 1987, provides valuable up-to-date information about the bewildering choices facing the patient. Using layman's language, uncomplicated tables, simple line drawings and photographs, Wallner brings remarkable clarity to his subject. He explains what the prostate is, how cancer is diagnosed and its stages defined, and he describes the available treatment options. The pros and cons of surgery, external radiation, radiation implants, cryotherapy and various forms of hormonal therapy are set forth clearly. Wallner considers not only cure rates but also costs and the likelihood of complications, such as incontinence and impotence, that affect quality of life. The book's large type will be especially welcome to older readers. (June)