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Grand Rounds in Urology, Volume 6, Issue 3 |
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From the Editorial Board
E. David Crawford, MD
As I sat down to develop the introduction to this issue during the early parts of September, which as most everyone knows is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, I was struck by the fact that despite ongoing research and recent treatment advances, the disease remains the second leading cause of cancer death in the Unites States. Progress has been made toward finding frontline treatment options and ultimately a cure for this debilitating disease, and with early detection, the 10-year survival rates can be as high as 92%. Therefore, we must also focus on the quality of life issues for those patients who survive prostate cancer.
The high survival rates among prostate cancer patients mean that more patients will be living with side effects of treatment over a longer period of time. Current methods of curative treatment of localized prostate cancer include approximately the same number of patients undergoing radiation therapy and surgical intervention (ie, radical prostatectomy [RP]). To this end, in this issue of Grand Rounds in Urology Dr. Andrew McCullough, from the New York University School of Medicine, has written a superb and comprehensive article on the rehabilitation of erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy.
Sexual dysfunction is the most common long-term complication from RP, and Dr. McCullough writes about the basics of erectile dysfunction (ED) after surgery and continues a detailed follow-up discussion of the possible side effects including nerve damage, diminished or abolished nocturnal penile tumescence, and penile hypoxia. Further information is provided by the author on penile rehabilitation options such as treatment with vacuum erection devices (VEDS), intracavernosal and intraurethral alprostadil, and other PDE-5 inhibitors. All available options are discussed thoughtfully and in detail, offering the reader not only an armamentarium of diverse treatment plans, but also a cost-benefit analysis of rehabilitation.
With so much emphasis today on finding the next drug treatment, we sometimes lose sight of the ongoing battle for improved quality of life for prostate cancer survivors for whom surgery is still the best option. Dr. McCullough’s article is such a valued contribution that we have devoted the entire issue of Grand Rounds in Urology to it. This is one of the most outstanding reviews that I have ever read on the subject. We are proud to include this among the many manuscripts published in GRU that qualify a comprehensive treatise on the subject. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
Sincerely,
E. David Crawford, MD
Grand Rounds in Urology
CONTENTS
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Continuing Medical Education
• Rehabilitation of Erectile Function Following Radical Prostatectomy
Andrew R. McCullough, MD, FACS
• Directory of Meetings
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Post-Test
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Application for CME Credit
 Download a PDF of the full issue
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Perspectives in Urology website