Category: Biopsy

I’ve posted numerous blogs on the promising applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the medical world. Early research and development of Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) show results that offer accuracy rivaling that of humans, and speed/efficiency no human can begin to approach. This all sounds glorious! However, as AI tools have become keep reading

“The Human Pincushion”. Back in 2016, I posted a blog in which I referred to the conventional TRUS prostate biopsy as a pincushion. Why? Because it involved at least 12 needles placed in a gland roughly the size of a walnut. Not only did this often entail pain, it came with risk of infection, blood keep reading

When you think of Sweden—which you probably don’t do often—what springs to mind? Maybe it’s tall blonde people, IKEA, or those cute painted horse carvings. Perhaps you picture Hollywood legends Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, or you recall the cocktail party where the hostess served tasty Swedish meatballs. If you’re a music lover, you can keep reading

If you’ve been diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, chances are your doctor has said you may be a candidate for Active Surveillance (AS). The National Cancer Institute defines AS as a cancer management strategy to avoid or delay treatments with side effect risks. It “involves closely watching a patient’s condition but not giving any treatment keep reading

Who doesn’t love to save millions of dollars? Multiparametric MRI offers huge savings in healthcare spending by ruling out need for a prostate biopsy—not to mention saving thousands of men the anxiety of being rushed into something unpleasant that may be totally unnecessary. keep reading

Since the early 1990s, prostate needle biopsy using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guidance has been the reigning method for diagnosing prostate cancer. Compared to prior biopsy methods, it was a relative walk in the park. Transrectal ultrasound not only made prostate biopsy less invasive, it also had... keep reading

In astronomy, news of a relatively rare alignment of heavenly bodies tends to generate excitement on planet earth. For example, over an 18-year period, only three or four total lunar eclipses will be visible from beginning to end (depending where you are and assuming the night is clear). I got excited over the convergence of keep reading

We all love to see a dramatic win. Such moments are memorable. Who can forget the six NBA championships achieved by the Chicago Bulls “dream team” of Jordan, Pippen and Rodman? Or the perfect-10 Olympics vault that earned petite Mary Lou Retton a gigantic gymnastics victory? Competition is the stuff that winners are made of. keep reading

I’m optimistically predicting a U.S. revolution in prostate biopsies. In some European countries, it has already begun, but on this side of Atlantic we’re still playing catch-up. In our country, the PSA blood test has been a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it has undoubtedly saved lives by red-flagging suspiciously high PSA results; therefore, keep reading

Some men will do just about anything to avoid seeing a doctor until a symptom like pain or bleeding suddenly freaks them out. If you’re one of them, you may be contributing to a shorter life. Many cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa), have no early symptoms, yet that’s when they can still be cured. Failing keep reading