A "Radical" orchiectomy

I can't vouch for the truth of this story, but I received in this morning's email an account of an 81-year-old granny in Melbourne, Australia, who performed what I would call a really radical orchiectomy on two thugs who had carjacked and raped her young granddaughter. 

If true, I would say she not only got revenge, but perhaps inadvertently saved these two guys from the ravages of PCa later in life by lowering permanently their testosterone levels. 

She used the available evidence to track them to their hotel room and then used a handgun to shoot off their testicles!  Both survived, but one lost his testicles and his penis, the other lost testicles only. 

I wonder if the guys down in Australia have heard this tale?

I know that women who are genetically at risk for breast cancer sometimes have their breasts removed for preventive reasons.  I wonder if early castration will someday be proposed as a means of avoiding prostate cancer in those who may be genetically pre-disposed.

 

 

I shoulda checked Snopes.com.

Thanks, Steve, for running this to ground. 

Clock,
I do know of a case, and there are a few I have come to learn, of a guy who had a prophylactic intervention with radical prostatectomy to avoid the fate of his uncles, father, and a brother. All who died of prostate cancer if I remember correctly. I was told about this by the surgeon who perform the RP.

As it was this patient had prostatitis that was affecting his QoL so other circumstances were involved. He already didn't have a healthy prostate but there was no cancer found after the RP and the patient was aware that this was not a main stream decision.

Just a note in my notebook...

Tony

I would think that any surgeon, at least here in the USA, would have a hard time getting any insurance to approve something that radical without direct proof of it being needed. Certainly wouldn't be a "normal' kind of vanity or elective surgery.

My wife's cousin's husband had his prostate removed last year due to prostatitis and he came up a triple winner. The pathology showed no PCa, no problem in saving the nerves, and he's living a better life now than he has in years. As Tony notes, he is a happy camper and feels the surgery was a small price to pay (actually "free" as he's covered by our health care system here in Canada) for his new found freedom from prostatitis.

Sheldon AKA Sleepless