Month: March 2022

Six years ago, we posted a blog about the PROMIS study, which delivered a one-two punch to conventional TRUS biopsies. That blog described a planned follow-on British study that would combine mpMRI with diagnostic biomarkers, in hopes of identifying men whose prostate cancer is so low-risk as to avoid a needle biopsy, and who can be safely monitored. To launch the study... keep reading

According to cancer.net, “A cancer diagnosis often brings concerns about how long your life will be.” Even though prostate cancer (PCa) is not as life-threatening as some other tumor cancers, PCa patients who have just been diagnosed may still encounter fear of death. Yet, the odds of dying from something other than their cancer are keep reading

“Overall, African American men are 1.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with—and 2.2 times more likely to die from—prostate cancer than white men.” (From ZERO The End of Prostate Cancer) This point blank statement is the result of statistics that have remained fairly consistent over recent decades. This data has been the basis for keep reading

Once upon a fairly recent time, radical prostatectomy (RP) was the treatment of choice for prostate cancer (PCa), even for high risk disease. There were two main reasons for this: It was believed that PCa was a multifocal disease scattered throughout the gland, even if too small to be picked up by biopsy. Therefore, aggressively keep reading

We have occasionally posted blogs about the grassroots influence that prostate cancer (PCa) patients can have over trends in PCa treatment. For example, patient desire and demand for less invasive treatments that can diminish their quality of life played an enormous part in the evolution of focal therapies, such as our own Focal Laser Ablation. keep reading

When something could save lives, having an abundance of it on hand is a good thing. On the other hand, if there’s a scarcity of it, it won’t be readily available when it’s needed—and many lives will be put at risk. This is true for a prostate cancer (PCa) imaging agent called Gallium-68 (68Ga or keep reading

Everyone who wants to go through a prostate biopsy, raise your hand. What, no takers? Not surprising. Conventional transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) biopsies commonly involve 12-14 needles, and sometimes as many as 24 in a “saturation” biopsy. TRUS biopsies frequently involve pain and risk of infection. There can be side effects like bleeding and even erectile keep reading

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) was founded in 1915. It now has over 54,000 members. There are not only radiologists, but also other medical professionals and even medical physicists. At its annual gathering, its huge attendance makes it one of the largest medical conferences in the world... keep reading

Patients who choose robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) believe it’s the best way to eradicate prostate cancer (PCa). In their mind, this equates to a cure. In fact, PCa can recur (come back) as long as 15 or more years after any whole-gland treatment. Increasingly, no one talks about “cure” anymore. Instead, “success” is defined as keep reading

No one wants to go through an invasive clinical procedure if they don’t need it. Who wouldn’t prefer to be spared from simple invasions like blood draws or enemas, let alone major surgeries like replacing a heart valve or removing a lung? From the viewpoint of an individual, we’d like to avoid these if we keep reading