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Can you recommend a good prostate oncologist (surgeon, rad., etc) in SE Michigan?

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 1/2/2012 8:34 PM (GMT 0)

On the 20th of Dec 2011, I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer T1c, Gleason score 6 (3+3) with 2 (left lat and left med) of 12 biopsy samples having adenocarcinoma with no perineural invasion present.  I will see a surgeon oncologist next week at UofM.  Any recommendations for doctors/cancer centers - treatments?  I am 55 and in good health condition.  Many thanks.

Posted 1/2/2012 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. You should know that your numbers are very encouraging. If you're going to get prostate cancer, your diagnosis is about as good as it gets. Get yourself a good doc and he'll fix you right up.

I don't have any personal experience with him, but Dr. Menon at the Henry Ford Center in Detroit is something of a superstar surgeon. Whether or not you opt for surgery is something you'll have to decide, but you should look at all your options, and you have several. You should also consider a consultation with a radiation doc who specializes in prostate cancer. Knowledge is power.

You have time to take a breath and educate yourself, and you should do so. Don't be rushed into anything. You've landed at a really good place here at Healingwell. Check out the threads, especially the newby threads, and ask any questions you come up with. There are lots of really knowledgeable people here who can be very helpful. I also recommend the Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer. He's a nationally recognized expert and it's the bible.

Good luck, hang in there, and don't freak out. Chances are excellent you'll be fine.
Posted 1/2/2012 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
Who are you seeing at Umich??

I did a lot of research and narrowed it down to Dr. Menon and one at Umich (cannot remember his name). I visited both of them and would have been comfortable with either one, but I chose Menon as they seemed to have more of a team approach.

Mel
Posted 1/2/2012 9:07 PM (GMT 0)
I appreciate your replies, jazzman 1 and compiler!  I got Dr. Walsh book, and I agree that is very informative.  I will see dr. Weizer (oncology surgeon) and then a radiation specilist.
Posted 1/2/2012 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
That name is not familiar. I also saw a radiation specialist at Umich (Heemstra or something like that -- I'm not sure why I can't remember the names).

The surgeon I saw at Umich was David something or other (very common short second name).

Oh... well

Mel
Posted 1/2/2012 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
Let me ad that you should call Ford Hospital (Vatikuti Institute) and perhaps schedule a consultation with Menon's team.

Where do you live?

Mel
Posted 1/2/2012 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
I live in Ypsilanti twp.  I called the urology institute you've mentioned today, and they are closed for the holiday.  At UofM, it was dr. Wood, I believe you spoke to.  I was told that he is transitioning to Beaumont.
Posted 1/2/2012 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it was Wood.

I believe a colleague of mine had Weizer do his surgery and he was quite pleased.

If you do consult with Menon and Weizer, I hope you will report here your impressions.

Mel

Posted 1/2/2012 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, again. After I will consult with the surgeons and radiology, I will post my impressions here. Has anyone experinced CyberKnife rad treatment at St. Joe/Ann Arbor? Based on Dr. Walsh's book, I am biased towards a well done surgery.
Posted 1/3/2012 3:31 AM (GMT 0)
Dr. Wood is over at Beaumont Royal Oak as of the 1st. U of M, HFH, and St Joe's are equally as good. Couldn't be in a better place for medical care than metro Detroit. Plenty of great Doc's and centers to choose from :>)

Swim
Posted 1/3/2012 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
You might want to consider Dr. Hugh Solomon who operates at St. Joe's.  He is a very experienced, knowledgeable urologist/robotic surgeon.  He operated on me in March of 2009 and, so far, I've been pulling PSA's of .01, so I'm very satisfied.  Prior to my surgery, I found him very accessible and, because I was so nervous and full of questions, I actually had 3 one hour long meetings with him before I made my decision.  He was very patient and didn't push me in any direction, and even referred me to a radiologist so that I would have a maximum amount of knowledge and opinions prior to making my decision.

FYI, there is a monthly PC support group meeting at St. Joe's that you may want to look into.  I attended a few meetings early in my decision-making process and found them somewhat helpful. 

I also interviewed Dr. Wood who was at UM at the time.  I believe he is also very experienced, competent and knowledgeable, but I found him less accessible than Dr. Solomon.  I don't think you could go wrong with either surgeon, if that's the direction you decide to pursue.  I intended to interview Dr. Peabody at Henry Ford, who works with Dr. Menon (Dr. Menon didn't accept my insurance), but the wait to see him was too long (several months) and I was anxious to act sooner than that.

Since you already had a biopsy, you must have already been seeing a urologist.  Does your urologist have any suggestions?  Does your urologist not perform surgery?  While I'm not a doctor and can't really offer any medical advice, I would guess that, based upon your low numbers, many health care professionals would recommend Active Surveillance for you.  This is a difficult decision.  You do have some time, so get educated.  Best of luck to you!

MichGuy

Posted 1/3/2012 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
I also had my surgery done by Dr. Menon at Henry Ford. I was so impressed with his team approach and other factors that I flew from Orlando, FL to have him do my surgery.

However as others have pointed out, with a Gleason 6 and only 2 of 12 cores finding PCa, I would think that you have plenty of time to research and make a decision.

You may in fact be a good candidate for AS/WW. As you have probably seen from the wealth of information here on HW, no matter how you approach PCa there are inherent side effects that come along with treatment. Being 55 and in good health otherwise, your QoL and the potential for side effects should also be considered in your equation.

But that is just my opinion. I would hazard a guess that if you polled all of us here that have had PCa treatments, we might have approached it differently if we had your stats.

Good luck with your research and decision. Anything we can do to help along the way is what we are all here for.

PCa is a brotherhood, but we are very sorry you had to apply for membership.

Sonny
Posted 1/4/2012 1:49 AM (GMT 0)

I appreciate your messages… My biopsy was performed by a professor of urology, who referred me to the surgeon and radiation oncologist (all associated with UofM), stating in the pathology report letter that if I choose active surveillance, I shall see him in 3 months. My PSA values were: 2.8 in 9/09, 3.4 in 9/10, 4.2 in 9/11, 3.7 in 11/11. My blood pressure is 110/65 (I ran the Detroit marathon in 2009), and take no medication other than ibuprofen for occasional headaches. However, since I was told that I need to have a biopsy (at the beginning of November 2011), my anxiety level has increased.

Post Edited (NewDiag) : 3/22/2012 1:14:52 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 1/4/2012 7:31 AM (GMT 0)
I wish you the best in making the right decision, NewDiag.  Your stats are very good and having such excellent health is most hopeful!  If you do end up at Rotal Oak Beaumont or Try Beaumont, both are excellent hospitals.  Good luck and take care!

Aimzee

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