Prostate cancer is the number one cause of cancer in men and the second- leading cause death in men. Doctors have better results when their wife plays a key role in their recovery from prostate cancer. A Roper Starch Worldwide Survey finds that men don't communicate as well as they should with their physicians. Doctors say the wife is the primary seeker of healthcare information in the household. She can ask the important questions and do the research to help educate about the disease.
Doctors say the wife can help stress the importance of yearly prostate cancer screenings.
At age fifty and over, perhaps earlier if there is a family history of the disease, and every year at age forty and over for African-American men. Couples also need to know that there are new techniques today to 'spare' nerves in the prostate area if the couple chooses surgery to remove the tumor or the prostate gland. This lessens the potential side effects of impotence and incontinence. Treatments today are highly successful if the prostate cancer is caught early. Other treatments include forms of radiation and hormonal drugs that lower levels of testosterone.