Brighter Future for Men Undergoing Prostatectomy Many men with prostate cancer decline to undergo a possibly live-saving prostatectomy out of fear of incontinence and impotence. Until recently, data seemed to indicate that these fears were well-grounded. According to a new study performed at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, however, the key to recovering from a prostatectomy without these side effects is having an experienced surgeon. Researchers hope this news will encourage more men for whom radical prostatectomy is the best treatment to agree to have the procedure. The results of two independent studies indicate that while women tend to smoke less and are less likely to inhale deeply than men, they encounter considerably more difficulty when they try to quit.
Women also tend to smoke brands of cigarettes that are lower in nicotine.
Dr. Thomas Eissenberg of the Virginia Commonwealth University agrees that the dependence of women on cigarette smoking may be influenced by external factors. The taste, sight, or smell of cigarette smoke may create a conditioned response in women, leading to psychological dependence. Alternately, suggests Dr. Perkins, there may be social pleasures to be derived from smoking rituals. Smokers exhibit gender differences in the way they gather outside buildings to smoke . . . The association of pleasant socialization with smoking can create dependence as well.