Sharing My Research Notes - Hopefully Saving People Some Time
I think I've spent close to 200 hours reading everything I could about prostate cancer and treatments, etc. Consulting with several Chief of Urology and Radiotherapy Oncology at major Universities. I'm not a doctor but I know there are a lot of people out there that when they get diagnosed want to educate themselves as much as possible. I've made my notes public in hopes it will save people some time but definitely not intended as a full replacement for your own due diligence.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18QpmxgmO09DULyHtRp_vWODKmZIapeTr/view?usp=sharing
Great job. Thanks for putting that together. Pretty much everything I have read/heard/been told by doctors is confirmed in this.
I'm on 3 different PCa boards and I constantly am amazed how many patients out there have Urologists that didn't give them all the pertinent information about their disease and the latest state of treatments including detailed reasoning behind them. I would guess that this is more common in more rural areas that lack large high-volume medical centers or Universities. Many Urologists are basing recommendations on the standard of care from 10 years ago. A combination of consulting more than one (Zoom easily lets you consult out of state) and doing some of your own homework I think is critical for patients to maximize their chance for the best outcome. 
Like you, I'm often amazed at not only urologists, but many medical professionals who don't give you all the information you need or should have. Back to what you stated - do your own homework. Takes lots of time and lots of discernment, but we have to be our own advocates.
This is a terrific compilation - THANK YOU for sharing!
I couldn't agree more with your 2nd opinion advice! After receiving a biopsy Gleason score of 4+5; I then pursued three 2nd opinions at a National Cancer Institute hospital. I chose to go with the Retzius robotic RP. My surgeon was a high volume surgeon trained at Johns Hopkins. 15 months post surgery my ultra PSA scores are averaging .02. I have also saved your notes for future reference should my PSA rise and I need to further research salvage therapy.
