Tag: prostate cancer

Advanced prostate cancer (PCa) threatens to shorten a man’s life. Advanced means PCa is no longer contained in the gland but is still within the prostate bed and groin lymph nodes. In such cases, prostatectomy is generally not done. The rationale is to avoid putting a patient through surgery with no hope of cure, yet keep reading

If you want to be grossed out, watch the 2004 documentary Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock. In case you missed seeing it, it chronicles a month in his life when he ate only McDonald’s food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. McDonald’s is hardly a fast food chain that specializes in fresh vegetarian meals. In an extreme form of the Western diet, for 30 days Spurlock lived (if one can call it living) on meat, cheese and refined flour. In terms of impact... keep reading

In 1998, Hollywood actor Harrison Ford was acclaimed by People magazine as the “Sexiest Man Alive.” He had already achieved stardom thanks to his early roles as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Whatever his secret by 1998, it appears that the masculinity Force was with him as news media spread word of his new title. keep reading

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

When you think of Italy, what stands out in your mind? Perhaps it’s landmarks like the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, or Leaning Tower of Pisa. Maybe you think of designers like Armani, Versace or Zegna. No doubt Ferrari cars spring to mind, as well as the mystique of Venice or the Renaissance wonders of Florence. And keep reading

The last time you were hired for a new job, you were probably concerned about salary, hours, and work satisfaction. Did you think about possible bodily harm that could occur because of the job? Most of us take work-related safety for granted, unless you’re in a field like logging, fishing/hunting, or roofers. Those are the 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

Previously, we posted a recommended caution that men of African American descent discuss possible risks of going on Active Surveillance (AS) even when early clinical factors suggested they qualify for AS. Then, the authors of a 2018 paper noted that the observational studies encouraging more use of AS were largely composed of White men, raising the question of whether positive results of those studies should be applied to Black men. After reviewing studies that focused on Black men, they concluded... keep reading

Numerous studies have shown that multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) of the prostate before biopsy improves the detection rate and diagnosis accuracy of targeted biopsies. If you or someone you love is being recommended for a prostate biopsy, here are key points about traditional 12-core TRUS biopsies to keep in mind... keep reading