Health Buzz: Robotic Prostate Surgery Doubts and Other Health News

Study Says Minimally Invasive Prostate Cancer Surgery Carries Risk

A new study of close to 9,000 men suggests that minimally invasive, robot-assisted surgery to remove the prostate carries a higher risk of impotence and incontinence than traditional surgery, HealthDay reports. The newer surgery's advantages include a shorter average hospital stay, a smaller incision, and a smaller chance of post-op complications, the study found. But the study's author told HealthDay that benefits of the high-tech cancer surgery are being too heavily touted, especially via direct-to-consumer ads that have fueled patient demand. The robot-assisted surgery carries a 4.7 percent risk of complications such as impotence and incontinence, compared with 2.1 percent with standard surgery, the study found. That raises the question of whether the benefits outweigh the risks. The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

[Read Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer and Getting Closer to the Origins of Prostate Cancer.]

Why 1 in 4 Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients Still Opt for Mastectomies

For more than 20 years, breast cancer patients have been overtreated with mastectomies, experts contend, instead of receiving breast-sparing surgery that removes just the lump and a little of the surrounding tissue. But a new survey of 2,000 women shows that about 75 percent of those who qualify for breast-conserving surgery are getting it.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that for those who still opted for total breast removal, the decision was sometimes based on a surgeon's recommendation and sometimes made against medical advice, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz reports. In fact, nearly 9 percent of breast cancer patients opted to get a mastectomy when their doctors didn't state a preference or favored breast-conserving surgery. "Our findings suggest that patient preferences play an important role in initial receipt of mastectomy, especially in the absence of a surgeon recommendation favoring one procedure over another," wrote the study's authors. Read more.

[Read What You Can Do to Find the Cause of Breast Cancer and 4 Steps to Take Now to Lower Your Breast Cancer Risk.]

5 Common Popular Psychology Myths

Opposites attract. . . . We use very little of our brainpower. . . . American culture teems with commonly accepted pop-psych beliefs. They're embedded in TV and radio talk shows, self-help books, websites, movies, magazines, and, of course, everyday conversation, U.S. News's Lindsay Lyon writes.

In a new book, 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology, Scott Lilienfeld and his coauthors explore the gulf between what millions of people say is so and the truth. While some of these myths are just plain fascinating, others may lead to bad decisions with unfortunate consequences. Lyon spoke with Lilienfeld about five of the myths exposed in the book. On the list: That in romantic relationships, opposites attract. Not only do opposites not attract, but being too different from a partner in personality, beliefs, and attitude is a good predictor of a future breakup, says Lilienfeld. For the most part, similarities attract. Pairing up with someone who is a yin to your yang may make life more exciting in the short run, but it's unlikely to be a recipe for long-term love, he says. Read more.

[Read 7 Myths about Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder and 7 Ways Your Siblings May Have Shaped You.]

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