What's Joe Tippen protocol

John,

I have no idea what the Joe Tippen protocol is but I want to share my recent prostatectomy surgery as they are all not the same. We all hear about having nerve sparing surgery but their are now even more advancements in the surgery. As I said all prostatectomy’s are not the same. It’s important if you are going for surgery you definitely inquire about the Surgeon’s expertise, how many he has done, his technique, what model Davinci he is working with and whether tissue is analyzed immediately in Pathology while they are operating on you. This also requires a major cancer center hospital or major hospital specializing in cancer surgeries.

I was dry with no leaking almost right away after the catheter was removed. The latest DaVinci Robotic technique is a single port entry. Only one very small vertical incision above your belly button not your typical three or four incisions. In a certain technique which not all Surgeon’s are trained in, the Surgeon is able to spare what’s called the puboprostatic ligament during robotic prostatectomy. In essence my Surgeon said this technique keeps the continence mechanism intact and it also helps maintain urethral length. A longer urethra allows for more control in the release of urine reducing the likelihood of incontinence and also the Puboprostatic ligament provides support to the urethra in keeping it in its position. He further does Retzius sparing of the tissue between the bladder and the prostate which further helps with continence. Another benefit of sparing the Puboprostatic ligament is the less likelihood the patient will see any reduction in their penile size that many patients report by either perception of it or the slight amount as its drawn in. He stated that this keeps the bladder anatomy more intact and in it’s natural place and resectioning the urethra to the bladder.

He explained that during Surgery I am certainly not upside down but he will operate through the Davinci robotic system as if I were upside down during the surgery. He said many surgeons are not familiar in the use of this approach and this is how he is able to spare the ligament. He said it was developed by a European Surgeon.

He also while I was under anesthesia sent my initial tissues immediately to Pathology to get an immediate staining for positive or negative margins. He was not expecting anything as the PET scan had indicated everything was in the capsule and from his experience did not see anything suspicious in the outlying tissue, however although the lymph nodes came back negative, there was positive margin, having just left the capsule. He then had to go back in and spent additional two hours trying to cut what he could to eliminate the positive margin. At that point I needed then to wait two weeks until I saw him and he said the final pathology report showed negative margins.

I am 71 years old and now 8 weeks post surgery. I was walking immediately. Started traveling again 4 weeks after surgery. My two main concerns the incontinence never materialized and the second ED is still under the recovery time. I am definitely seeing more girth in the morning and starting to have feeling’s that their is a wake up coming. My Surgeon said regardless even when nerve sparing surgery takes place their is trauma to the nerves that takes time to heal and regenerate. I still have Radiation Treatment in abeyance in the cancer returns. Side effects from Radiation Treatment may not be seen as quickly but they typically come and can cause possibly quality of life issues regarding the rectum and more incontinence than I wanted to possibly face. You can have salvage surgery after Radiation but it is more difficult and done by only certain Surgeons skilled in the practice. I had consultation’s with two Radiation Oncologist’s and two Surgical Oncologists so take your time.

Just enter

Joe Tippens protocol

in your favorite AI program. I used Copilot and concluded not to recommend this EVER for prostate cancer.

johnadele, a good reference book would be helpful in giving detailed information regarding the alternatives. I used the one by Dr Patrick Walsh Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer.

What is discussed in there, matches what my both urologist and oncologist said. For younger patients (who have more time to live) surgery is usually the recommended option because it's removing the cancer from your body, and if there is a recurrence, its easier to follow up with radiation. For older patients or those with other health conditions, radiation is recommended because it is less intrusive and can extend your life long enough for you to die of other causes. There are major side effects with either option. But of course your specific situation may dictate what is "best". I am 67 and chose surgery because I wanted the cancer out. Both docs said I would have good outcome either way.