Prostate Cancer and the Man You Love

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men after skin cancer. However this cancer is highly curable and most men live for many years after treatment; only eleven percent of cancer deaths are due to prostate cancer. It is well known that the side effects of the treatment cause more suffering than the disease itself. Side effects of surgery include incontinence and erectile difficulties; radiation therapy leads to urinary and bowel problems; and androgen deprivation (hormone) therapy leads to a broad range of long-term side effects affecting physical and emotional functioning.
But it is not only the man who suffers through treatment and its side effects. The partners and spouses of prostate cancer survivors are known to experience distress as the man they love moves through the various stages of diagnosis, treatment, and survival. While prostate cancer is a couples' disease, there is much attention paid to the man with cancer and very little to the person and his partner or spouse, who is his prime supporter and who often struggles to make sense of what has happened and why, and how best to support and take care of him.
Prostate Cancer and the Man You Love speaks to the loving partners/spouses of men with prostate cancer, whether soon after diagnosis, or later when the man gets on with the rest of his life. Katz includes both the medical information necessary to understanding the disease and firsthand accounts from cancer patients and survivors and their partners. Tips for communication and problem solving, with both partners and health care teams, are offered throughout. Anyone dealing with prostate cancer will find in these pages comfort and insight, as well as specific advice for coping, healing, and moving forward in the spirit of healing and love.

Anne Katz, RN, PhD, is the author of four books on cancer and related illnesses, including Surviving After Cancer: Living the New Normal. She is also a sexuality counselor at CancerCare Manitoba and adjunct professor with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB Canada.

1: Introduction
2: What Do We Do? - Confronting the Challenges of Diagnosis
3: Is He the Right One? - Choosing a Doctor and Treatment
4: Waiting It Out - Active Surveillance
5: Get It Out! - Opting for Surgery
6: What about the Non-Invasive Route? - Radiation Therapy
7: Shall We Try This? - New and experimental treatments
8: What Does this Mean? - Cancer Recurrence
9: How Will He Feel? - Androgen Deprivation Therapy
10: Will This Improve My Chances? - Enrolling in Clinical Trials
11: Let's Talk About It! - Communication
12: One of the Guys - Joining a Support Group
13: It all went wrong - end of life care
14: Don't Worry About Me! - Self-care
Bibliography