April 1999 - The Physician Becomes the Patient

Introduction

As a subscriber to this newsletter you recently received a letter notifying you that I have prostate cancer. One of the first decisions Rose and I had to face was whether or not to keep my disease a secret. We decided that the better policy was to tell people. You need to know that my advice to you now reflects my experience as a patient as well as my expertise as a physician-scientist. 

We were overwhelmed by the flood of letters, emails, and phone calls wishing us well. We both took considerable solace from your support as we went through treatment. Hopefully, we can now repay you by providing a better newsletter in which our personal experience now seasons the scientific approach that has long characterized this newsletter.

Many of you have requested that I discuss my case. You seem particularly interested in the treatment I selected and how I made that decision. Therefore, this issue will recount for you the events leading to my diagnosis and the process we used to evaluate my disease and decide on a treatment plan.