Dr. Fred Saad
is a professor of surgery at the University of Montreal. He is currently chief of Urology and Director of Urologic Oncology at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre (Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, CHUM). He also heads the Molecular Prostate Cancer Research Lab at the Montreal Cancer Institute and is Director of Oncology Research at the CHUM research centre. Since 2004, he has held the University of Montreal Chair in Prostate Cancer Research. In 2005, he received the Leadership Award in Medicine from the University of Montreal Hospital Centre.

Dr. Saad is a past president of the Quebec Urological Association and is currently president of the National Cancer Institute of Canada G-U Group, the Canadian Urologic Oncology Group and GU Global. He is a member of ten editorial boards and serves as a reviewer for more than 30 urology and oncology journals. He has published over 300 scientific articles and book chapters and has collaborated on over 800 scientific abstracts presented at scientific meetings around the world. He is co-editor of several books, including the first two editions of Understanding Prostate Cancer, which sold over 120,000 copies.

His main research interests include molecular prognostic markers in prostate cancer and new treatments for advanced prostate cancer. He is currently coordinating more than 40 clinical and basic research projects in urologic oncology. Nationally and internationally, he has been an invited speaker/professor over 300 times, due to his involvement in research and medical education.

Dr. Michael McCormack
is a urologist, the assistant head of urology at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre (Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, CHUM) and associate clinical professor in the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal.

After completing his studies in medullary neurophysiology at McGill University, Dr. McCormack studied medicine at the University of Montreal. He received his doctorate in 1983 and finished his urology training in 1988. He chose to begin his career in private practice in Saint-Jean-sur-Rlchelieu, where he was also head of urology and head of the surgery unit at the local hospital. In 2000, he joined the urology team at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre.

Dr. McCormack served as chair of the Quebec college of physicians' urology examination committee and vice-chair of the Examination Board in urology at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. A past president of the Quebec Urological Association, he is currently responsible for the website of that organization as well as that of the surgery department of the University of Montreal. He has chaired the IT Committee of the Canadian Urological Association and is now co-editor of a quarterly journal put out by the University of Montreal surgery department.

Dr. McCormack has contributed several chapters to medical books and is the author of two books on medical topics for the general public: Male Sexual Health (2003) and Understanding Prostate Cancer (1st edition, 2004), which he co-authored and which has sold over 120,000 copies.

In 2010, Dr. McCormack was awarded a Prix Esculape in recognition of the excellence of his teaching at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre.

Prostate cancer has become the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men today, with one in seven men it in their lifetime.

As a urologic oncologist who treats men with prostate cancer and helps their families deal with the disease, I am often asked for literature to help with the myriad of issues patients face. Although several helpful books are available, this contribution by Dr. Fred Saad and Dr. Michael McCormack is one of the most useful I have come across.

The key to any medical book dealing with a complex topic like prostate cancer is the ability to explain the issues clearly, concisely and comprehensively. I believe the authors of this book have succeeded in providing men and their families with all the information they require to help them through the difficult times during their illness.

Men are often so shaken when they are first told they have prostate cancer that they cannot focus on all the other important information their doctor is telling them. They leave the consultation room feeling terrified, still troubled by a number of questions they wish they had asked. This book can help allay some of their fears and answer many of their questions. More importantly, it can help them prepare the right questions to ask their doctors during subsequent consultations.

This book is very well written, easy to read, and contains a number of detailed illustrations. Most importantly, it provides the latest medical information available, spanning the entire disease spectrum from prevention, diagnosis and treatment to palliative care. The authors provide in-depth information on prevention and the role of diet and nutritional supplements, a comprehensive review of the various successful treatment options (including the emerging area of chemotherapy), and clear explanations of the side effects associated with the various therapies. Moreover, this book is one of the few to devote a considerable amount of space to the significant psychological impact of prostate cancer diagnosis on the individual and his loved ones.

I applaud Dr. Saad and Dr. McCormack for this wonderful book. I am confident it will help numerous men and their families as they cope with prostate cancer. The more men know about prostate cancer, the more they will be able to help themselves and meet the disease head-on.

Armen G. Aprikian, M.D.
Professor of Surgery
Head, Division of Urology, McGill University
Urologist-in-Chief, McGill University Health Centre