He decided to try a relatively new treatment called targeted cryosurgery. In a procedure lasting an hour or two, probes containing liquefied argon gas are inserted through tiny incisions and guided by ultrasound into the cancerous tissue. Cryosurgery has been used since the 1960s, but recent technological advances have improved precision and eliminated some side effects. The American Cancer Society says the procedure is less invasive than surgery to remove the prostate, so it results in less blood loss and shorter recovery time. He says Tutu's health will be followed carefully.
Prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cancer-related killer of men.
It is about twice as common in black men as in white men. The cancer society estimates that 180,400 men will be diagnosed with the disease this year, and 31,900 will die. Tutu says he hopes by speaking out to encourage men to be tested for prostate cancer, because if it is caught early, it can be cured. It is imperative that they have regular examinations. We ought to be behaving the way women behave over breast cancer.