How do I know I found the right surgeon?
I feel like I've been in research mode for some months now and am getting concerned that I dont have a reasonable approach given I continue to come across more details in these forums and I not sure which to prioritize.
I have an upcoming surgery at UCSF where I felt the path I was going to take was the best for me. I've spoken with about 6 surgeons at various leading hospitals around the country and most came to the same diagnosis - radical prostatectomy. I'm 59, good health and have a 3+4. I've had a high res full body MRI at Cedars Sinai (part of a research study) and a genetics test. No cancer beyond the prostate and the cancer is in the low grade in the genetic test.
I was under the assumption that my prospective surgeon had done > 1000 such surgeries but recently I asked more directly and it turns out he has done 700 over the last 8 years. He mentioned that he was trained under the dept chair who has completed 5000. UCSF is a highly rated hospital for urology oncology and has 8 surgeons.
Based on what I've been reading many have recommended surgeons who have done 1500-2000. I've also recently seen mention of Reitzius sparing technique which looked promising and wanted to see if that was an appropriate option for me. My prospective surgeon does not do that technique.
I would be willing to travel to another hospital in the country but feel like like I need to have a more concise plan about finding a top surgeon without completely resetting the process.
If it is low grade as you noted and factoring in that PCa is slow to spread --- you most likely have time to find a surgeon you are comfortable with and have confidence in.
When all is said and done there are no iron clad guarantees on outcome. At the same time there is no going back after the surgery. One caution I offer in my support groups is ... it's very easy to get into endless research loop of conflicting information only to discover that in the end each case of prostate cancer is unique to an individual.
When all is said and done I suspect most of our well thought out and researched decisions in life eventually come down to making an emotional based on our comfort factor with the medical team . As far as hospitals are concerned - Memorial Sloan in NYC, The Mayo Clinic in MN , Mass General in MA and the Cleveland Clinic in OH all have excellent reputations. Good luck and feel free to reach out anytime. Dennis(ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
With 8 surgeons at UCFS have you considered interviewing one of the other MD'sor waiting for the dept chair to do the surgery??
Do you mind naming the UCSF surgeon? If you read my story, you’ll see that I had a benign biopsy at UCSF. I have been dealing with Dr Washington, and I plan to follow up with him. I like him, although haven’t inquired as to his surgical experience. I changed to Dr Peter Carroll, who is the dept chair at UCSF and has done 5000+ prostatectomies. He seems accomplished and well regarded. I had a very good interview with him - was very detailed with his answers and attentive to my concerns. Does anyone have any concerns about the age of their surgeons? Dr Carroll is 71.
Someone included Dr Carroll in their list of recommended Oncologists - search for the topic "Where to find top oncologists that specialise in prostate cancer?" and you will see the full list there.
Hi
. Did the new surgeon discuss the Reitzius sparing technique? My understanding is that it is as effective as regular prostatectomy, while avoiding many of the side effects (see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32536488/), but it can also can be trickier for the surgeon, with less space to maneuver (see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7155805/). Please feel free to keep us posted. Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)
