John

In surgery, experience counts — and now we have some real numbers to support that premise, thanks to a recent study that tracked the long-term outcome of prostate cancer surgeries against the experience of the surgeons performing them. The results were straightforward: The more experienced the surgeon, the lower the risk that the patient’s cancer would recur.
RATING RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY SUCCESS
Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, and surgical removal of the prostate is a common treatment, I was told by Andrew Vickers, PhD, lead study researcher and a statistician at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. The operation is called a radical prostatectomy. Dr. Vickers and his research team tracked a total of 7,765 patients treated with radical prostatectomy by one of 72 surgeons at four major academic medical centers. Many patients were followed for more than five years after the surgery to see whether their cancer came back. The researchers analyzed this information relative to the number of radical prostatectomies each surgeon had performed prior to each patient’s case.
The resulting “surgical learning curve” turned out to be a steep one that didn’t begin to plateau until a surgeon had completed approximately 250 prior radical prostatectomies, Dr. Vickers told me. The risk of cancer recurrence in patients operated on by a surgeon who’d performed only 10 previous prostatectomies was higher (18% likelihood of recurrence at five years) than in those patients treated by a surgeon who had performed 250 surgeries (11% rate of recurrence).
Prior to this study, the learning curve for surgery — meaning the concept that improved surgical outcome correlates with a surgeon’s experience performing that specific procedure — was largely theoretical. Now there’s evidence. If you or someone you know require radical prostatectomy, put yourself in experienced hands — specifically ones that have performed a minimum of 250 similar operations. How to find out? Ask.

Source(s): ??Andrew Vickers, PhD, a statistician and researcher at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and the lead researcher on the above mentioned study.

So, tell me, why oh why, did you have to remind me of your ‘modification’ hahaha, you horn/hone whatever you want just remember – it won’t get you out of the ZL ‘goddess worship’ classes, and its an on-going process, but trust me, babe, you’ll be asking for lengthy extra credit assignments.

And, um, it seems like the way you told off ‘addicted’ on my site that you still may be suffering from DSB, hahaha…mmmmm, so ornery, but I liked it…you have the fiery/spicy thing going on.

Connie, thanks for the back up, bc while I’m positive there are some pretty toes out there, anonz will probably prefer mine and I will probably prefer his : ) I like your flower analogy.

Robert, I’m ok with the lengthy gilding of the Lilly process between anonz and I, there are some very good reasons for it on both sides, extenuating circumstances if you will, but not to worry, we’ll meet in our own good time. But thanks for calling me Zen Baby, that was kind of sexy.

Although, anonz, my sweet pea, now that Robert brought it up, I’d like to suggest: get the face fixed soon and please defer Darfur, not me. Methinks my place should be at the front of your line, not last…

Sheberghan, no offense to religions of any kind, I don’t pray but your words make me want to pray for you. I wish you the best. I do wish you could experience some of the freedoms we women in the US often consider commonplace, I’m feeling humbled right now. I hope there is an anonz out there for you.

Tucker, have you missed something? Michelle and I are both dykes? Huh? I’m obviously into anonz, the honored sweet pea, a man if there ever was one. He doesn’t seem to mind that I have a child, why should you? And why would I make that up? Doug is ‘live’ and he’s a fine man and Mischa is gorgie and just as cool in person as she is here on this blog. Not sure where or why you would gather these ideas…? Are you angry about something else?

Anonz, since I know you’re reading, you might enjoy ‘Yes, I am the ‘American” Sweet dreams, sweet pea.
- the Zen Lady Lilly