Category: General Prostate

Satisfaction is defined as the fulfillment of a need or want. For cancer patients, including prostate cancer, fulfilling their needs and wants is a tall order. In addition to their physical well-being, patients have mental and emotional needs and expectations. Studies have shown that long-term satisfaction is more likely to prevail after treatment when... keep reading

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 10 years since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stirred up controversy by recommending against routine PSA screening. They were concerned about overdiagnosis and overtreatment due to the nonspecific nature of an elevated PSA. Overreacting (if it can be called that) is potentially costly... keep reading

There was a time when proton beam therapy seemed to be the “Holy Grail” of prostate cancer treatments. In 1990, the Loma Linda University Medical Center became the world’s first hospital-based proton beam treatment center, making this treatment available to all cancer patients. A decade later, the New York Times reported that proton beam had now joined the ranks of other standard PCa treatment options... keep reading

Product warning labels, like most things, change over time. Since the 1850s, the skull and crossbones on a bottle or package has been a clear message that something inside is poisonous. Today, the word “toxic” is widely used to cover all kinds of dangerous chemicals that contaminate our environment... keep reading

Today’s world of prostate cancer is a far cry from what it was in your dad’s day. New knowledge about the disease includes a better understanding of prostate anatomy, prostate cancer genomics, the behavior of cancer cells, the role of lifestyle, etc. However, some old beliefs still linger. It’s time to put them to rest... keep reading

What’s not to love about fun facts? Most of the time they’re composed of trivia, but unlike the supposedly memorable dates you learned in high school history, fun facts tend to stick. For instance, here’s one about food: a single fast-food burger may have meat from 100 different cows! You might never have reason to keep reading

For years there was a gender-related gap in cancer risks related to mutations in the breast cancer (BCa) genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. Research was primarily focused on women due to the incidence of BCa among them. That is now rapidly changing... keep reading

It is universally understood that the radical prostatectomy (RP) patient who has immediate return to baseline erectile function is a very rare case. The need to wear a catheter for several days to 2 weeks is itself a deterrent to having an erection. Even men who undergo nerve sparing robot-assisted laparascopic RP can expect a best-case scenario of... keep reading

Fat cells are essentially containers that store energy. However, they also play an important health role by signaling bioactive factors that influence the endocrine and immune systems, and impact the behavior of other kinds of cells. Here is a simplified explanation of how an overabundance of fat can turn insignificant prostate cancer into a life-threatening disease... keep reading

You’ve probably heard that obesity is considered a U.S. epidemic, from kids through adolescents and adults. It is a major public health concern for middle-aged and older men, who are also at increased risk for prostate cancer (PCa) which is an aging-related disease. According to one report... keep reading