Tag: multiparametric MRI

• March 28, 2016
• Active Surveillance
• Imaging & mpMRI

Multiparametric MRI Adds Value to Surveillance Monitoring

It’s always reassuring to receive affirmation, especially when offering a leading edge medical program to prostate cancer patients. Such was the case for us at the Sperling Prostate Center with the December, 2015 publication of a UCLA Medical Center study on the value-added of multiparametric MRI during Active Surveillance (AS). The authoritative Journal of Urology keep reading

• March 1, 2016
• Active Surveillance

The Right Way to do Active Surveillance

We know that the use of Active Surveillance (AS) as a way to hold off on prostate cancer (PCa) treatment is on the rise. Concerns about overtreatment, such as doing a prostatectomy on a patient who only has a small Gleason 3+3 tumor, stem from two recognized realities: Insignificant PCa may be slow-growing (indolent) and keep reading

• December 13, 2015
• General Prostate

The PSA Screening Debate

On November 18, 2015 the New York Times carried an article titled “Early Prostate Cancer Cases Fall Along With Screening.” Ever since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against broad PSA screening on the grounds that it leads to overdetection and overtreatment, two opposing positions have been created. One position favors the recommendation on keep reading

• December 10, 2015
• General Prostate

A Brief Imaging Update

Roughly 14% of American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) in their lifetime. It is the second leading cause of death in men, after lung cancer—yet it is a highly curable disease if caught early, and if choice of treatment matches the disease. This year, over 220,000 new cases will be diagnosed. Today, keep reading

• October 25, 2015
• General Prostate

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 reading

• September 30, 2015
• Imaging & mpMRI

Competition 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 reading

• September 27, 2015
• Focal Treatment & Laser Ablation

Designing 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 reading

• August 24, 2015
• Imaging & mpMRI

New Imaging Application Will Improve Multiparametric MRI

Back in May, I posted an article on our website about Haralick texture analysis as an amplification of prostate cancer features on multiparametric MRI. On July 28, a journal article on which I based the piece I posted was picked up by a medical news service, so I thought it was worth bringing attention to keep reading

• June 14, 2015
• Other Treatments

“I Did It My Way”

One of Frank Sinatra’s most popular songs is “My Way,” and anyone who’s heard him sing it knows how he builds up to those last two syllables: myyyyyy waaay. When I chose medicine as my career path, part of what influenced me was my idealism. I wanted to help people by curing disease and easing keep reading

• June 7, 2015
• Active Surveillance

What Happens When Prostate Biopsies Are Negative?

The annual American Urological Society meeting (AUA 2015, May 15-19) has more presentations than ever on multiparametric MRI detection of prostate cancer, MRI targeted biopsies, MRI/ultrasound fusion, and MRI-guided focal therapies. The urologic world is sitting up and taking notice as advanced imaging is changing the prostate cancer landscape. I will be sharing selected presentations keep reading