“Power to the people!” This slogan, and variations of it, took on a life of its own in the Sixties and Seventies. John Lennon even wrote a song with that title, and James Brown used it as a lyric. Change that comes as a result of a social movement is often referred to as change from below, or simply, grassroots change. “Grassroots” is a great image. When you think about a beautiful lawn, where you don’t count the blades of grass but instead you perceive a field of green.
Changes in medicine primarily come from “above”: scientists, labs and research centers, academics, even an occasional individual with an inspired innovation. They all strive for breakthroughs that will make life better for the majority of patients. Occasionally, however, the patients themselves create a demand for change, even becoming their own majority voice. We saw this in the very recent past when breast cancer patients began seeking an alternative to the disfigurement and impairment created by radical mastectomy. I recently heard of a book called They’re Mine and I’m Keeping Them. To me, that title has definite power-to-the-person character, and I’m sure the author, herself a breast cancer survivor, reflects the attitudes and dreams of hundreds of thousands of female patients.
I’m increasingly aware that many of my focal laser ablation (FLA) patients are thrilled with their treatment yet disgruntled—even downright mad in some cases—about two things they want changed:
- Lack of awareness among prostate cancer patients, and men in general, that FLA exists, and
- Lack of Medicare and insurance reimbursement despite FDA approval.
I sympathize with the frustration of men for whom these two areas of change can’t come soon enough. A small but growing number of FLA patients are beginning to use the internet to find their like-minded brothers (and sisters who care about their partners, friends, family members who are dealing with prostate cancer). I’m amazed and inspired at the ways in which they pool creative ideas, perhaps to gain media coverage or to influence the politics and policies of the reimbursement process.
As I write this, I believe a wave is building. I believe that when prostate cancer patients, whose disease has so much in common with breast cancer, unite with a similar commitment like the women who wanted to keep their breasts, they will influence medical history. Talents, determination, and courage will emerge, coalesce, and create a single voice. I want to believe that 2015 will be a breakthrough year for prostate cancer patients who are actively promoting change. It’s not just about FLA. It’s about broader men’s health issues, including choice, access and affordability.
I wish each and every one a happy, successful and VERY healthy New Year. Will it be a Power-to-the-Patients year? I hope so, for all of our sakes.
About Dr. Dan Sperling
Dan Sperling, MD, DABR, is a board certified radiologist who is globally recognized as a leader in multiparametric MRI for the detection and diagnosis of a range of disease conditions. As Medical Director of the Sperling Prostate Center, Sperling Medical Group and Sperling Neurosurgery Associates, he and his team are on the leading edge of significant change in medical practice. He is the co-author of the new patient book Redefining Prostate Cancer, and is a contributing author on over 25 published studies. For more information, contact the Sperling Prostate Center.
