Is there a perfect prostate cancer treatment? All of us—doctors and patients—wish it were so, but since all treatments (including focal laser ablation) have some risk, however small, there is a better question to ask. What is the perfect treatment for YOU? Which leads to another question: How can you be sure? I have seen keep reading

Beyond doubt, the interest in Active Surveillance for prostate cancer (AS, also called Expectant Management) is on the rise. A number of converging factors are driving the increase: Better early detection and diagnosis of low-risk disease Emerging science on which cell lines are unlikely to progress into lethal disease Broader awareness of the risks of keep reading

In the world of women’s health, word about new tests and treatments gets out quickly. Countless women know about two gene mutations, BRCA1 and BRCA2, because of actress Angelina Jolie’s choice to have both breasts removed. When these two genes function normally, they help to make sure cells don’t proliferate out of control. However, certain keep reading

“One of my pet peeves is over-reliance on science and technology at the expense of a caring doctor-patient relationship.” Abraham Verghese, MD[i] Dr. Abraham Verghese holds a prominent place among my medical heroes because of the way he champions the doctor-patient relationship. Today, medicine seems to be dominated by devices, tests, procedures, reports, records, and economics. keep reading

It’s been three years since the US Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation against routine PSA screening for prostate cancer in otherwise healthy men or men who were not at known risk for the disease. It was controversial then—and not much has changed. A multi-institution team published a research letter in the Journal of keep reading

The CaPSURE registry (Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor) is a remarkable ongoing collection of information about prostate cancer patients drawn from 36 clinical sites that participate in this endeavor. Currently, data on more than 13,000 men exists in CaPSURE. While their identities are protected, information on factors such as date of diagnosis, keep reading

For those not familiar with the name of California oncologist Mark Scholz, MD, he is the co-author of a book provocatively titled “Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers.” Currently, he is the Medical Director of Prostate Oncology Specialists, and also serves as Executive Director of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. As a respected authority on prostate keep reading

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland that affects as many as 50% of men at some point during their lives. It is not a life threatening condition, but chronic prostatitis can make life miserable. The four main symptoms are pain, difficulty urinating, sexual dysfunction, and general health concerns such as fatigue, flu-like feelings, keep reading