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CNN Live Today
'Daily Dose'
Aired February 12, 2003 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Presidential hopeful John Kerry is recovering after undergoing prostate cancer surgery this morning. His doctor said that everything went well, and the Massachusetts senator can leave the hospital within just a few days from now. Doctors the cancer was detected in the earliest stage, and that's good news for him. And they also said this shouldn't van effect on his bid for the White House. As you all know, he said he's going to be running in 2004. Won't be running, literally, though, any time soon.
We're going to talk some more about prostate cancer in our "Daily Dose" of health news. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, as you see here, checking in. She's got some information that all you guys need to know.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And the women who love them.
HARRIS: There you go.
COHEN: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Let's talk about Senator Kerry's situation, because men can learn a lot from what happened to him. His doctor says that he is the poster boy for early detection. He had surgery this morning. We just saw some video of him walking into Johns Hopkins. And and his doctor, after the surgery, came out to tell reporters that his prognosis is excellent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PATRICK WALSH, JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL: He was asleep during the case. He had a spinal anesthetic. Everything came out very nicely. There were no complications. The -- from inspecting the prostate, everything looked completely contained. I was able to preserve all the vital structures that are necessary. And he's in the recovery room resting peacefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: As Dr. Walsh said, Senator Kerry's cancer was contained completely within the prostate. That means that he has about a 95 percent chance of surviving this battle here with cancer. And his doctor, Dr. Walsh, has pioneered the efforts in certain kind of surgery that preserves the nerves. That means that the senator has very, very low chances of becoming either incontinent or impotent, and that is why some people decide they don't want to have this surgery. This is a special surgery, which hopefully will fix that problem. HARRIS: That's great to hear. I know a lot of men are concerned about that. I have heard that talked. Most of my buddies say one reason you avoid even going to the doctor to find out.
But you know, for those of us who may be that ignorant to do that, who is at risk for this kind of thing, the most anyway?
COHEN: Right, they have figured out that there are certain men who are at higher risk than others. The biggest risk factor is age. Men over 50 are highest risk for getting prostate cancer. African- American men are also at a higher risk.
Sorry.
Men with a family history of prostate cancer are at a higher risk. Senator Kerry's father actually died of prostate cancer. Then there are two others that are a little bit more questionable, and that has to do with diet, having a diet high in animal fat is supposed to put you possibly at a higher risk, and also physical inactivity may also put men at a higher risk.
HARRIS: Every time you come here, somehow it gets back to eating vegetables, it always does.
Tell us -- I have also heard there are doctors who say you shouldn't be screening. John Kerry is a poster boy for early detection and screening. Why would a doctor say you shouldn't be screened for this?
COHEN: It sounds strange, and the reason is that prostate cancer is a very, very slow growing cancer. So some doctors say, do you really want to detect a cancer? They may not kill you until you're 99 years old, and in the meantime, you decide to have surgery, that makes you incontinent or impotent, or gives you a chance to become incompetent or impotent. This is a huge debate in the urological community. Doctors have conferences where they debate this for hours and hours.
Senator Kerry chose to go ahead with the surgery that is supposed to be perhaps the least likely to give men those two problems. That was the decision that he made. The American Cancer Society recommends that doctors offer screening to men over the age of 50, and to high- risk men over the age of 45. In other words, men with a family history, or African-American men, are supposed to get it started at 45. I know you haven't hit that age yet. But it's supposed to be offered. Some men decide they don't want to do it. The screening is a blood test, a PSA test.
HARRIS: That's an easy text to take.
COHEN: But the next one is the digital rectal examination, which I know a lot of men go yikes.
HARRIS: Wouldn't you?
COHEN: Yes, that would not be so much fun, but you know, women have to do all sorts of icky things once a year, so you guys should just back it up.
HARRIS: Speaking of that, Senator Kerry, what exactly is he going to be doing for the next couple of days, do you know at all? Is he totally incapacitated, or what?
COHEN: I imagine at this moment, he's probably a little groggy, having just come out of surgery. However, his doctors say he should be out by Saturday, that he will go home with nothing more than Tylenol for the pain. And the senator says that he wants to be right back out there on the road in two weeks, and doctors who I have talked to say that's completely realistic.
HARRIS: Sounds this has really come a long way, this kind of surgery and the technology involved.
COHEN: This is not your grandfather's prostate surgery.
HARRIS: That's good, because I'd love to outlive him. He was around until he was 90.
COHEN: Good genes.
HARRIS: Yes, I hope so. Knock on wood.
Thanks, Elizabeth, as always. Good to see you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 12, 2003 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Presidential hopeful John Kerry is recovering after undergoing prostate cancer surgery this morning. His doctor said that everything went well, and the Massachusetts senator can leave the hospital within just a few days from now. Doctors the cancer was detected in the earliest stage, and that's good news for him. And they also said this shouldn't van effect on his bid for the White House. As you all know, he said he's going to be running in 2004. Won't be running, literally, though, any time soon.
We're going to talk some more about prostate cancer in our "Daily Dose" of health news. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, as you see here, checking in. She's got some information that all you guys need to know.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And the women who love them.
HARRIS: There you go.
COHEN: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Let's talk about Senator Kerry's situation, because men can learn a lot from what happened to him. His doctor says that he is the poster boy for early detection. He had surgery this morning. We just saw some video of him walking into Johns Hopkins. And and his doctor, after the surgery, came out to tell reporters that his prognosis is excellent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PATRICK WALSH, JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL: He was asleep during the case. He had a spinal anesthetic. Everything came out very nicely. There were no complications. The -- from inspecting the prostate, everything looked completely contained. I was able to preserve all the vital structures that are necessary. And he's in the recovery room resting peacefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: As Dr. Walsh said, Senator Kerry's cancer was contained completely within the prostate. That means that he has about a 95 percent chance of surviving this battle here with cancer. And his doctor, Dr. Walsh, has pioneered the efforts in certain kind of surgery that preserves the nerves. That means that the senator has very, very low chances of becoming either incontinent or impotent, and that is why some people decide they don't want to have this surgery. This is a special surgery, which hopefully will fix that problem. HARRIS: That's great to hear. I know a lot of men are concerned about that. I have heard that talked. Most of my buddies say one reason you avoid even going to the doctor to find out.
But you know, for those of us who may be that ignorant to do that, who is at risk for this kind of thing, the most anyway?
COHEN: Right, they have figured out that there are certain men who are at higher risk than others. The biggest risk factor is age. Men over 50 are highest risk for getting prostate cancer. African- American men are also at a higher risk.
Sorry.
Men with a family history of prostate cancer are at a higher risk. Senator Kerry's father actually died of prostate cancer. Then there are two others that are a little bit more questionable, and that has to do with diet, having a diet high in animal fat is supposed to put you possibly at a higher risk, and also physical inactivity may also put men at a higher risk.
HARRIS: Every time you come here, somehow it gets back to eating vegetables, it always does.
Tell us -- I have also heard there are doctors who say you shouldn't be screening. John Kerry is a poster boy for early detection and screening. Why would a doctor say you shouldn't be screened for this?
COHEN: It sounds strange, and the reason is that prostate cancer is a very, very slow growing cancer. So some doctors say, do you really want to detect a cancer? They may not kill you until you're 99 years old, and in the meantime, you decide to have surgery, that makes you incontinent or impotent, or gives you a chance to become incompetent or impotent. This is a huge debate in the urological community. Doctors have conferences where they debate this for hours and hours.
Senator Kerry chose to go ahead with the surgery that is supposed to be perhaps the least likely to give men those two problems. That was the decision that he made. The American Cancer Society recommends that doctors offer screening to men over the age of 50, and to high- risk men over the age of 45. In other words, men with a family history, or African-American men, are supposed to get it started at 45. I know you haven't hit that age yet. But it's supposed to be offered. Some men decide they don't want to do it. The screening is a blood test, a PSA test.
HARRIS: That's an easy text to take.
COHEN: But the next one is the digital rectal examination, which I know a lot of men go yikes.
HARRIS: Wouldn't you?
COHEN: Yes, that would not be so much fun, but you know, women have to do all sorts of icky things once a year, so you guys should just back it up.
HARRIS: Speaking of that, Senator Kerry, what exactly is he going to be doing for the next couple of days, do you know at all? Is he totally incapacitated, or what?
COHEN: I imagine at this moment, he's probably a little groggy, having just come out of surgery. However, his doctors say he should be out by Saturday, that he will go home with nothing more than Tylenol for the pain. And the senator says that he wants to be right back out there on the road in two weeks, and doctors who I have talked to say that's completely realistic.
HARRIS: Sounds this has really come a long way, this kind of surgery and the technology involved.
COHEN: This is not your grandfather's prostate surgery.
HARRIS: That's good, because I'd love to outlive him. He was around until he was 90.
COHEN: Good genes.
HARRIS: Yes, I hope so. Knock on wood.
Thanks, Elizabeth, as always. Good to see you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
