Open Letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from the Prostate Cancer Community

(Editor’s note: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Medical Center on Monday after spending the first 15 days of 2024 being treated for infectious complications from a prostatectomy he underwent on December 22.

(He ran Defense from a command post in his hospital room, including calling in drone strikes. He has faced criticism for not informing the Commander-in-Chief of his surgery and subsequent hospitalization. He will not be returning now to his post immediately as the Pentagon’s Inspector General investigates the bungled hospitalization.

(Still, now it is time for this Wounded Warrior to begin his healing process. In the open letter below addressed to Austin, leading patient organizations and prostate experts offer their support and request that Secretary Austin and his doctors share their decision-making process to help other newly diagnosed patients,)

Dear Secretary Austin,

Thank you for your service to the United States. We appreciate your leadership as Defense Secretary in these treacherous times.

You long have been a “warrior” serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, you have joined another warrior class. We call ourselves the “Reluctant Warriors,” your fellow prostate cancer survivors. 

There are 3.3 million of us in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Close to 300,000 men per year join our ranks, and last year estimated deaths were almost 35,000.

Black men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer, with earlier presentation, more aggressive disease, and higher mortality rates compared with white men. One in six Black men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime—compared to one in eight men overall. Black men are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with and 2.1 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men. Black men are also slightly more likely than white men to be diagnosed with advanced disease.

As you know, prostate cancer is a focus of research through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program run by DoD, emphasizing research to help veterans, especially Black vets with advanced disease. Several of us have served as consumer reviewers for this vital program.

In addition, prostate cancer has been a significant issue for military retirees, Data shows that in addition to men impacted by exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, veterans in the aviation communities are also at a significantly higher risk for prostate cancer.

Be assured we have your back and offer you support through groups. But also, we hope you and your doctors can seize this unique opportunity to educate the public about this disease, the most common non-skin cancer in men.

We request that you and your Walter Reed physicians tell the story to the public through the media about your diagnosis, assessment, Gleason score, and how you decided to elect surgery over alternative treatments.

We know this is a very personal journey. But as a high-profile public servant, we implore you to help other men and their families navigate their treatment course through this malignancy, as Generals Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf did in the past.

We, your fellow Reluctant Warriors, wish you well and a speedy recovery. Again, many men and their families will look to you and learn from your experiences as they chart their course.

Sincerely,

Howard Wolinsky, Editor & Publisher, TheActiveSurveillor.com, co-founder of Active Surveillance Patients International

Michael Crosby, CDR USN ret., Founder and CEO of Veterans Prostate Cancer Awareness, Inc.

Mark Lichty, Chairman and Co-founder of Active Surveillance Patients International

Richard Davis, Founder & V.P., AnCan Foundation

Alexandra Scholz, Chief Executive Officer, Prostate Cancer Research Institute

Paul Schellhammer, MD, prostate cancer patient and Professor Emeritus/Urology, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Ming Zhou, MD, PhD, Pathologist-in-Chief and Chair of the Tufts Medical Center Department of Pathology; Professor and Chair, Department of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Tufts University School of Medicine

Peter C. Albertsen, MD, Professor of Surgery and Chief and Program Director, Division of Urology, University of Connecticut

Wayne L. Greaves, MD, prostate cancer patient and member, AnCan Foundation Virtual Support Group for Active Surveillance

Michael Wyn, Founder, "ProstateNOW.org"

James Schraidt, JD, moderator, AnCan Foundation Virtual Support Group for Active Surveillance

Hugh Idstein, moderator, AnCan Foundation Virtual Support Group for Active Surveillance

Gary Ireland, JD, moderator, AnCan Foundation Virtual Support Group for Active Surveillance

Capt James "Jim" Marshall, USAF(Ret), USGOVT(Ret), Moderator, AnCan Foundation's Veteran Support Group, 100% VA Disabled Permanent & Total StageIV Terminal Prostate Cancer

Neal Berke, CEO, Prostate Forum of Orange County

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