• May 18, 2017
• Imaging & mpMRI

Multiparametric MRI Before Prostate Biopsy: Dawn of a New Era

“Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.” Tony Robbins In medicine, change sometimes happens with two steps forward but one step back. For example, in the early 20th century, delivering babies in hospitals became more popular than home births in order to have “painless” births with anesthesia. However, for many women the higher complication and infection keep reading

• May 16, 2017
• Imaging & mpMRI

Less Expensive MRI Rules Out Unnecessary Prostate Biopsy

Two problems face men who have a high PSA or abnormal digital rectal exam (DRE). First, they are often referred for a conventional TRUS needle biopsy of the prostate because there is suspicion of prostate cancer (PCa). Second, multiparametric MRI is considered too time-consuming and expensive for routine determination of the need for a biopsy. keep reading

• May 4, 2017
• Imaging & mpMRI

How to Detect Cancer in Large Prostate Glands

There are so many benefits to detecting prostate cancer (PCa) using multiparametric MRI that it’s hard to single out just one. However, the merits of mpMRI to find PCa in large glands deserve a spotlight. First, a word about prostate size. An average adult gland in younger men is about 30 – 40cc, roughly the keep reading

• April 25, 2017
• Focal Treatment & Laser Ablation

The Sperling Prostate Center Joins Focal MRgFUS Clinical Trial

The Sperling Prostate Center joins a prestigious group of academic and community medical centers participating in a Phase Three clinical trial of a new prostate cancer focal treatment. Dr. Sperling is the Principal Investigator at our Boca Raton, FL study site. The treatment under investigation is MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS), a noninvasive technology for the keep reading

• April 9, 2017
• Active Surveillance

Why Choose the Sperling Prostate Center for Active Surveillance?

With Active Surveillance on the rise, one would think that doctors who support AS for their prostate cancer patients have similar commitment and protocols. A new study (Sep. 2016) in the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI) spells out 8 areas of qualitative differences among AS doctors: physician comfort with active surveillance protocol selection beliefs keep reading

• March 28, 2017
• Imaging & mpMRI

British Study Confirms the Role of mpMRI Before Biopsy

Terrific news and a great way to start off 2017! On January 17, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet issued online publication of a British study, “Diagnostic accuracy of multi-parametric MRI and TRUS biopsy in prostate cancer (PROMIS): a paired validating confirmatory study” (Ahmed et al., 2017[i]). This large trial validated the importance of multiparametric keep reading

• March 22, 2017
• General Prostate
• General Prostate Information

Is the Sky Falling? Worrisome Trends in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Patterns

Did you ever hear the folktale about Chicken Little, who was hit on the head by a falling acorn? He wanted to warn the king – and everyone else – that “the sky is falling!” The story and its many age-old variants satirizes people who are unduly alarmed and spread exaggerated rumors. However, three recent keep reading

• February 6, 2017
• Imaging & mpMRI

Experts Reach Consensus on mpMRI Before Repeat Biopsy

Men suspected of having prostate cancer based on rising PSA or abnormal DRE are typically sent for a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy using 12 or more needles. At least 30% of TRUS biopsies miss the disease that is present, not to mention the possible side effects of the biopsy itself. What happens next? The keep reading

• January 24, 2017
• Active Surveillance
• Imaging & mpMRI

MRI Outperforms PHI for Patients Considering Active Surveillance

When it comes to Active Surveillance (AS) decisions, there’s good news and bad news. The good news: based on biopsy results, more doctors are recommending AS for prostate cancer (PCa) patients with insignificant disease. The bad news: the biopsy might have missed significant PCa so the patient can’t know for sure if AS is a keep reading

• December 20, 2016
• Focal Treatment & Laser Ablation

Let’s Talk About Preserving Sexual Function

I came across a very illuminating study titled “Physician Recommendations Trump Patient Preferences in Prostate Cancer Decisions.”[i] The researchers polled 257 newly diagnosed low-to-intermediate risk PCa patients after diagnosis but before their next urology consultation. The patients answered questions about their preferences in the following areas: Treatment preference Interest in sex Cancer-related anxiety. The study’s keep reading