Poverty and Prostate Cancer Risk
I have written past blogs about physical factors that increase the risk of dying from prostate cancer: genetic history, exposure to toxic agents, alcohol abuse, smoking, too much red meat, precursor conditions such as high grade PIN and ASAP, etc. However, there’s another risk factor that does not occur within the body, but certainly affects keep readingInternational Experts Give Focal Therapy a Green Light
One of the oldest and most respected urologic professional associations is the Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU), headquartered in Montreal. It was founded in 1907 during a period when national and local urologic societies were getting off the ground. As part of their membership, urologists are subscribed to the World Journal of Urology. According to the keep readingCompetition in MRI Technology
“Everyone is keeping up with the Joneses, and there are more Joneses than ever.” This statement from art critic Jerry Saltz refers to the buying habits of a public hungry for trendy art. However, it could as easily apply to MRI technology, where the strength of the magnet—measured in units called Tesla, or T—makes all keep readingDesigning Clinical Trials for Focal Salvage Ablation
Treating prostate cancer by thermal ablation uses extreme heat or cold to destroy the tissue. Prostate ablation was originally performed as a radical (total gland) treatment because prostate cancer was considered a multifocal disease. In other words, ablation was used as a substitute for surgical removal (prostatectomy) or radiation of the whole gland. It wasn’t keep readingWhat’s the Most Effective Prostate Cancer Treatment?
You’ve probably heard the saying that a camel is a horse that was designed by a committee. It is a comic way of recognizing that groups of people with no unifying vision or systematic communication process are likely to fail at collective design. However, there is an effective antidote. It is an approach to gaining keep readingDemythologizing the Gold Standard
We live in an age of medical specialties that “compete” for patients. In women’s health, for example, treating noncancerous growths called uterine fibroid tumors has traditionally been the territory of gynecologists. Gynecologists, like urologists, were trained in surgery so they often recommend hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) as the gold standard for treating severe keep readingStatins and Prostate Cancer: An Update
Last December I posted a blog entry on the possibility that statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, can reduce the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer (PCa). If you’re interested, I summarized the relationship between how statins control cholesterol and scientific theories about the connection with PCa; you can read it at https://sperlingprostatecenter.com/statins-prostate-cancer/. I try keep readingActive Surveillance, Depression and Anxiety
There’s been a noticeable uptick in urologists recommending active surveillance (AS) for patients diagnosed with early stage, low risk prostate cancer. However, according to a new British study, nearly a quarter of men on AS will become depressed and anxious... keep reading
