A prostate cancer specialist is urging men recently diagnosed with localized prostate cancer to carefully review all methods of treatment.

Some treatments can result in several post-operative quality-of-life issues, including incontinence and impotence, that often require second surgeries.

Dr. Bert Vorstman, who is based in Coral Springs, announced he has launched a Prostate Cancer Advocacy Help Center so he can respond to questions from recently diagnosed patients through a help center call-in number, 877-783-4438.

Vorstman said he has also recently launched a Web site, www.hifurx.com, that offers a broad spectrum of information, including an interactive blog site for the latest updates on prostate cancer treatments and options.

“Sadly, over the past 30-plus years, I’ve counseled far too many post-operative cases done elsewhere, where men are suffering from numerous quality-of-life issues and are desperate for help,” Vorstman said in a statement.  “Often these men relied solely on the advice of their physician, who specialized in a specific localized prostate cancer treatment procedure and the patient was not fully aware of all alternative treatment options.”

Vorstman said his goal is to try to encourage newly diagnosed patients to review and understand what he called the four definitive therapy options for localized cancer – high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), cryoablation, radiation and surgery – and provide information as to selected risks, recovery and quality of life issues related to each procedure.

“The four treatment options for localized prostate cancer offer similar survival benefits but vary differently in quality of life considerations,” Vorstman said. “The incidences of complications are profoundly different between the four treatments. My goal is to allow these men to make an educated decision on the course of treatment.”

Vorstman cited the American Cancer Society as saying next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men.  The latest statistics show that more than 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2011 and about 30,000 men will die of the disease.

About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime and more than two million U.S. men, who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point, are still alive today.  About one in 36 will die of the disease.