I wanted to commend you on researching the treatment of prostate cancer. My name is Dr. Frank Critz and I am the founder and Medical Director of Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia (RCOG). We have been performing I-125 seed implants for prostate cancer since 1977.  Since then, we have treated over 14,000 men and have one of the oldest and largest seed implant programs in the United States.

Whether a patient or a loved one conducting research, you are in an elite group. When diagnosed with prostate cancer, many men do not investigate, but simply rely on their urologist’s or radiation oncologist’s recommendations.  Later, some may regret this decision, because they experience recurrence and/or complications.

Based upon our extensive experience with prostate cancer, most men who do research make one key misjudgment… placing their focus on which treatment to undergo – seed implantation, radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation, cryosurgery, etc. 

Why is concentrating on treatment a mistake?  Ask yourself this question; what is the reason for treatment?  If I had prostate cancer, I would not focus on ‘treatment’ for prostate cancer rather what I would want is treatment for a ‘cure’ for prostate cancer with the least chance of complications.  Therefore, I strongly recommend that you consider which plan and physician will provide you with the optimum cure potential and the best results for you.

There are three main purposes for prostate cancer treatment:

1. To be cured. For this diagnosis, your PSA must fall below 0.20 ng/ml after any treatment and remain at this level forever. This is typically measured with a ten year follow up appointment and PSA test. 
2. To be physically operational. The treatment should not leave you dependent upon pads or diapers.
3. To be sexually functional. The last of the big three is contingent upon two main factors: the man’s age and the quality of penile erection before treatment.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that you do not concentrate on treatment in a general sense of the word.  Instead, focus on the results for your specific situation and ask these questions.  Can you be cured? Will there be a possibility of wearing pads or diapers? Is there a chance of losing sexual function?  This is what prostate cancer treatment is all about. 

Whether urologists or radiation oncologists, when asked for the outcomes of treatment, most physicians cannot answer the question.  The reason is doctors who treat prostate cancer rarely keep up with all the patients they treat.  Therefore, a doctor performing either radical prostatectomy or irradiation cannot give you any documentation on the following: how well he cures prostate cancer; how many men must wear pads or diapers after treatment; how many men lose sexual function.  In fact, this is why doctors usually talk only about treatment and not about the results of the treatment. Typically, urologists will recommend radical prostatectomy and radiation physicians will recommend some form of radiation. However, they can rarely, if ever, tell you how well the treatment works for their patients. 

At RCOG we have treated over 14,000 men over the past 30 years. And in sharp contrast to others in the field, we have kept up with these men to include monitoring PSA post treatment, urinary, rectal and sexual function.  As a result, we have compiled one of the largest and oldest radiation databases in the country that is equal to any surgical database at any institution that treats prostate cancer.  Unlike other physician groups in the United States, using our database, we can give you precise information regarding: your chance of having a PSA below 0.2 ng/ml ten years later, your chance of wearing diapers and your chance of retaining sexual function with ProstRcision. 

To get a better understanding of various treatments and the significance of the database in personalized treatment, I strongly recommend you read the 136 questions most commonly asked by the men we have treated. 

Physicians at RCOG do not focus on treatment, but rather concentrate and specialize on curing your prostate cancer with the least chance of urinary leakage and urinary incontinence while offering you the best chance of retaining sexual function.  After reading the questions and answers, if you would like to get a written evaluation calculated from our database based on your prostate cancer, contact us at RCOG. Be prepared to supply us with your medical information (your PSA level etc.).  At no charge, we can provide documentation on your Individual Cure Rate (ICR) (achieving PSA <0.20 ng/ml), retaining urinary control and preserving sexual function.

Sincerely,

Frank A. Critz, M.D.

P.S.      We will provide you with the best chance of achieving the three goals and can provide your ICR in writing. Take this to your other physicians – whether urologists or radiation oncologists – and ask them to give you, in writing, from their patient database the percentage of men who have a PSA of  0.2 ng/ml or lower 10 years after treatment. Compare and then choose the treatment that is best for you.  It is that simple.