Mount Sinai Medical Center Hosts 'Man To Man' Prostate Cancer Education And Support Meetings

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology;  Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 12 Jan 2009 - 4:00 PST

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There's no question that three of the most terrifying words in the English language are "You have cancer." For a man, add the word "prostate" and the fear factor rises even higher, since prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Dr. David B. Samadi, who is the Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, will volunteer his time to head the "Man to Man" community prostate cancer education program at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. It is designed to help men with prostate cancer and their spouses and partners learn about treatment options and benefit from the experiences of prostate cancer survivors.

The program begins January 14, 2009 and will convene every other month at Mount Sinai's School of Medicine for a total of six meetings over the course of a year. Each meeting will begin with a presentation on prostate cancer diagnosis, treatments and quality of life issues related to prostate cancer. After the presentation, a prostate cancer survivor will join a confidential discussion facilitated by a social worker from the American Cancer Society to encourage men and their families to speak openly about their concerns. Dr. Samadi will moderate these sessions and will try to answer individuals' concerns as well as those of family members.

Dr. Samadi will present the first lecture on his Robotic Prostatectomy procedure on January 14, 2009. He will present the data from the over 1,600 da Vinci prostate surgeries he's performed. He'll discuss quality of life, blood loss after robotic prostate surgery, continence and sexual function after a prostatectomy. Dr. Simon Hall will present the subsequent lecture titled, "Do I Have to Be Treated? Update on Expectant Management" on March 17. The third presentation will be hosted by Dr. Richard Stock, who will discuss radiation treatment for prostate cancer, or bracheatherapy, on May 19. All meetings take place at Mount Sinai's School of Medicine from 6-8 PM. The specific subjects of the remaining lectures have yet to be scheduled.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), patient support groups really benefit men with prostate cancer, their partners and their families on both emotional and educational levels. A cancer diagnosis is frightening and without this type of support, men often report they feel very alone. David Pulli of the ACS says, "The camaraderie of the group is really helpful for men who feel frightened and worried and in need of useful information."

Because the program is community-based, the Man to Man Prostate Cancer Education and Support Meetings are open to everyone, including those without insurance. Dr. Samadi is confident that "the Man to Man meetings will be a place where people can ask questions comfortably and get accurate, factual information about prostate cancer, the range of prostate cancer treatment options and how to handle some of the controversial issues that are discussed by physicians in the field. The goal is to guide the new patients and take a lot of emotional stress out of their lives by connecting them with other patients who have already gone through the surgery."

The very first Man to Man meeting was formed in 1990 by James Mullen, a prostate cancer survivor. Mr. Mullen felt he lacked the information he needed to make decisions about his prostate cancer treatment when he was diagnosed. He wanted to share life strategies and how to deal with difficult side effects with other men, so he formed a group. The American Cancer Society later teamed up with James Mullen to develop a formalized program and called it, "Man to Man Prostate Cancer and Support Meetings." In addition to Mt. Sinai, New York University holds Man to Man meetings, as does the American Cancer Society at their offices in Manhattan.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer and Support Meetings will be held at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Hatch Auditorium, 1468 Madison Ave, in the Guggenheim Pavilion on the 2nd Floor. For more information, please contact Alison Snow at Mount Sinai: (212) 241-7805, or David Pulli at the American Cancer Society: (212) 237-3843.

About David B. Samadi, M.D.

David B. Samadi, MD, is a board-certified urologic surgeon trained in open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery. He is one of the world's most experienced da Vinci surgeons with a professionally acknowledged level of success. Dr. Samadi is one of the only surgeons in the country to have completed two fellowships: one in oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and the other in laparoscopy at Henri Mondor Hospital in France.

Dr. Samadi has completed more than 1,600 da Vinci cases in his career thus far. Since his arrival at Mt. Sinai a year ago, he has performed over 750 robotic operations. Dr. Samadi has proctored and taught urologists all over the world how to perform the endopelvic fascia sparing robotic prostatectomy procedure. Dr. Samadi's robotic surgery program at Mount Sinai is unique in its ability to combine the advanced technology of robotics with the expertise of open and laparoscopic surgery.

http://www.RoboticOncology.com