Experts highlight unique features of their latest prostate cancer book

In this video, Neil H. Baum, MD, and David F. Mobley, MD, unique features of their book, “Prostate Cancer: Expert Advice for Helping Your Loved One.” Baum is a professor of clinical urology at Tulane Medical School, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobley is an associate professor of clinical urology at Weill Cornell Medical College in Houston, Texas.

Video Transcript:

Mobley: The other thing we've done too, is make this book so it's not like reading a novel, where you read from the front to the back. Each chapter has a title and a reason. So, an individual who has a certain problem or certain question can look at the table of contents and go to the chapter that's germane to them at that moment. I will say one thing that I think is really unique about this book, and I've had patients now who have read this and enjoyed it. Every one of them makes a comment, because it's the beginning of each chapter, we start off with a little story. And it's a conversation between, say, a husband and a wife, or a doctor and a patient. And it gives a little story and right away, patients say, "I can see myself in this story. This really brings home to me." It's not just teaching all about prostate cancer; it's real life and how people are experiencing prostate cancer. I was just looking at one of the chapters this afternoon getting ready for this. It's the chapter on advanced prostate cancer, and the scenarios are carried out–the chapter's probably 10 pages long–and the little scenarios between patient and doctor, patient and wife are carried out from time to time through the entire chapter. This is a story of a man who started off with prostate cancer that didn't appear to be advanced, and then it became advanced as he aged. Each little scenario tells his story again, and then there's some, I'll say didactic information about, here's what our options are. But people really have enjoyed the little stories we have in there. And they're down to earth, easy to understand. Any medical lingo we have in there we explain. It's written for the lay public, and I know doctors have enjoyed it, but it's written for the lay public and in their language.

Baum: Also, at the end of each chapter, we provided probably 5 to 7 questions that they might use to ask their doctor. The idea is you may have additional questions regarding yourself, your condition, and your situation, here are several questions that you may find useful. Every chapter ends with potential questions that the patient can use on their next visit, or however they interact with their urologist, that they can use. I've always found when practicing, that the better informed the patient is, and the better informed the patient is with the partner, the better that patient does and that there are no surprises. That's what our purpose of this book and those questions [are], that they now become a very educated and informed patient and now have the questions that they may find useful in asking their doctor.

This transcription has been edited for clarity.