Tag: multiparametric MRI

Contrast agent Before addressing the title question regarding safety, it’s important to understand what a contrast agent does during MRI prostate imaging. Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) of the prostate relies on two or more imaging sequences, or parameters, each of which depicts certain tissue characteristics that the others do not. When the results are synchronized, we keep reading

In the 5+ years since we posted the blog below, a new grading system called Gleason grade group has simplified the two-number system, which was confusing for patients. For example, in Gleason 7 prostate cancer (PCa), what’s the difference between... keep reading

I have written in the past about the problems with using prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a screening tool for prostate cancer. Virtually all men over age 40 know they should have a PSA blood test at their annual exam, yet few have a complete understanding of what it really says... keep reading

Diagnosis of prostate cancer brings forth a mixed variety of feelings — from anger to disbelief to depression. To learn more about the condition and to be able to make an informed decision concerning diagnostic exams and treatments, it pays to ask questions.... keep reading

In recent years, there’s been a huge shift in understanding the difference between insignificant and significant prostate cancer (PCa). Over 15 years ago, Albertsen, et al. (2005) established that clinically insignificant PCa could be defined as cancer that “will not affect the patient during the natural course of his lifetime. The indolent course of localised keep reading

Rising healthcare costs are even more concerning today than in 2014, when we posted the blog below. At the same time, advances in medical technology have continued at a steady pace. This is especially true for the ever-increasing applications of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in prostate cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment. keep reading

Fourteen months prior to the time of this writing, the world began locking down due to the emerging SARS-CoV-2 viral pandemic and the potentially deadly COVID illness it causes. We were all confused, and studies repeatedly show that normal screening for cancers such as breast, prostate and colorectal dropped significantly... keep reading

Beyond doubt, PSA screening for prostate cancer (PCa) has saved hundreds of thousands of lives since the blood test was introduced in the mid-1990s. However, the classical screening strategy involved a pathway from a suspiciously high or rising PSA directly to... keep reading

“There is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.” This quote from humorist H. L. Mencken might well apply to the latest government recommendation regarding PSA screening. Since its development and wide availability starting in the late 1990s, this simple blood test has undoubtedly saved the lives of hundreds of thousands keep reading

Dr. J. Curtis Nickel is a Canadian urologist who is an authority on prostate inflammation and BPH. In January, 2018 he opened his presentation to an audience of urologists and oncologists with the wry observation, keep reading