Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer

July 16, 2001
Walsh, professor of urology at Johns Hopkins University, and Worthington, a medical writer, offer a thorough guide to one of the most frightening diseases for men. Starting with an explanation of how the prostrate works—surprisingly, it's not an essential organ—Walsh then discusses why prostate cancer is prevalent in the U.S. and other developed Western countries, but not in Asia. He also detail the reasons men develop prostate cancer, including age, race, family history and diet. The book describes a variety of symptoms, some of which indicate ailments other than cancer, and what steps should be taken to get a proper diagnosis. Complete with diagrams and charts detailing the results of biopsy, the book provides an exceptionally complete (albeit worrisome, for squeamish readers) overview of the disease. Many of these details—not taking aspirin prior to a biopsy, taking antibiotics ahead of time—should obviously be included in the information doctors routinely provide to patients, but given the state of today's medical system, having such information available in this ready guide is useful and reassuring. Similarly comprehensive and easy-to-understand explanations are provided for surgical and other types of treatment, side effects, postsurgical complications and more, as well as a glossary of medical terms, along with a brief resource section. While people shouldn't use this book as a substitute for a medical check-up, it is one of the best all-inclusive books on this subject. All men—and their loved ones—battling or concerned about prostate cancer should read this book.

August 1, 2001
Urologist-surgeon Walsh has long striven to improve the prostatectomy, so that men undergoing it run the least possible risk of postoperative incontinence and impotence. Worthington is well acquainted with prostate cancer because of her previous collaboration with Walsh, " The Prostate" (1993), and the illnesses of her late father-in-law and her father. In this hefty updating of the earlier book, they speak with authority as well as with ordinary reader friendliness. Each of 12 long chapters treats one aspect of the prostate, its diseases, and their treatments, and each begins with a summary of its contents entitled "Read This First." Fully expecting the book to be browsed, Walsh and Worthington also list each chapter's topical subheadings at its offset. More prostate cancer is being reported every year, thanks to rapid recent progress in detecting the disease, and many more men are being cured of it, thanks to rapidly improving treatments. Those bits of breaking news mandate adding the book to any collection patronized by men and the women who care about them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)