How to find a doctor?

Grasshopper, Welcome to HW, and sorry to hear about your partner’s diagnosis.   One thing to keep in mind is the uniqueness of prostate cancer compared to other cancers…it is most often slow growing which allows time for clear thinking and advanced planning.   With the partial case info you’ve already provided (3+4 at age 65), nothing whatsoever indicates any need to rush.   (Some of the other key case indicators are his PSA history, the number of biopsy cores with present [often expressed as X cores positive out of Y cores sampled], and the percentage of cancer present in those sampled cores.)   Unless you have any red flag indicators which you haven’t yet indicated, I would strongly encourage you not to rush into an aggressive treatment.   Seeking the best possible medical care is just plain smart !   Many of us who have been around here (at HW) for a while have seen quite a wide variation in the levels of care different men receive…and this spans the spectrum of total care from (A) to (Z).   I’ll provide two example comments on the extremes: (A)   Surgical technical proficiency is a leaned skill.   There have been multiple studies looking at the “learning curve” of radical prostatectomies.   If you know anything about medical studies, you will know that no two different studies arrive at precisely the same endpoint, but all of the learning curve studies concluded that finding an experienced surgeon—one who has already experienced many issues and learned to overcome them—was of utmost importance.   It sounds like you are already aware of this. (Z)   Holistic/integrative care is not widely practiced; and some places it’s poorly practiced.   There is abundant authoritative scientifically validated evidence that the immune system—and therefore one’s individual risk of cancer progression—can be profoundly influenced by lifestyle choices (diet & exercise).   There is a relatively small group of well-known PC “gurus” (mostly treating advanced PC cases) who all include some form of integrative care/lifestyle changes in their treatment modes…but many others treating PC cases simply don’t take the time to either learn about these benefits or teach their patients about the levers of control within their own grasp.  We've even seen unfortunate examples of doctors/dietitians giving out what can only be characterized as  bad information about diet/exercise.   I also live near Chicago (NW suburbs), which is fortunate to have two Comprehensive Cancer Centers—both Northwestern and the University of Chicago.   See this LINK for a list and discussion. At the University of Chicago (where I went), there are two highly experienced surgeons who both specialize in robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP).   Dr Gregory Zagaja , previously mentioned in this thread, had performed about 1,800 RALPs as of about 6 months ago, and Dr Arieh Shalhav had performed about 1,700.   Both these surgeons were “pioneers” of the process (they were early adopters of the robotic procedure), but neither operate "prostate mills."   Dr Shalhav performed my surgery, and his attention and coaching about my lifestyle choices helped solidify my selection/decision.   He helped open my eyes to the fact that men die of heart disease at more than 10x the rate of PC…in his words, “we don’t want to cure you of cancer only to have you die of a heart attack.”   For many men, a diagnosis of PC is a wake-up call to make important lifestyle (diet and exercise) changes.   Dr William Catalona at Northwestern University is also outstanding, but as previously noted he does indeed only do " open" (non-robotic) RPs.  In the big picture, open & robotic surgeries main difference is in recovery time...other key outcomes are essentially indistinguishable.   I’ve given this advice to other newcomers in the past: Put together the best possible medical team that you can; but after you do, concentrate your efforts on the lifestyle changes within your control.   Retaining an excellent medical team without doing all you can do help yourself is like attempting to walk with one stilt…it’s possible, but the results are frequently disappointing. best wishes… Post Edited (Casey59) : 11/7/2011 3:31:34 PM (GMT-7)

Hello Gracious Forum Members!
Thank you for sharing all your wisdom and advise. This forum was the one key piece that helped orient us in finding a surgeon. It all seemed so overwhelming before I found you. The doctors we consulted with did indeed recommend surgery sooner rather than later, and we feel the one we chose is good for us. It was interesting too, as I researched the different doctors, to read the research articles they have written, to learn so much more about prostate cancer, and to get a sense for which doctors presents their findings in the most honest way. Thank you again for all. I should have responded sooner, but have been busy reading up on prostate cancer, as well as taking time to smell the roses and enjoy the beautiful gift of today. Good luck to all of you on your journeys. You are all brave!

Just take a look at your Midwestern options before you start flying all over the country. Some of the best are in your backyard. I'm partial to Mani Menon. All I can say is I was walking in four hours and home within 24. If compassion means anything, you aren't going to do better. Search the internet for more information on the top docs. Just chiming in after a long and needed break from all the debate (but I've been reading it all). http://www.drmanimenon.com/