prostate cancer Archives - Page 41 of 46 - Sperling Prostate Center

10 Top Questions Men Wonder About Regarding Prostate Cancer

Q: Is prostate cancer an “old man’s” disease? A: Yes and no. In general, growing older is considered the biggest risk factor for most types of cancer. This is because genetic instability increases with aging, and it might also be because some people are more susceptible to a lifetime accumulation of environmental toxins that damage keep reading

The Truth about How Prostate Cancer Treatment Affects Men’s Lives

A diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) can be shocking, even when the cancer is early stage, localized, and considered highly treatable. A secondary shock wave hits when the patient finds out he has a number of treatment choices, but they all have a variety of trade-offs. Suddenly, the man’s fate lies in his own hands keep reading

Agreeing on Active Surveillance Terminology

Medical language is filled with technical terms that are virtually incomprehensible for many patients because in many cases they have Latin or Greek roots. Even when doctors are speaking English, however, they aren’t all using the same terms for the same thing. Take, for example, the expression Active Surveillance (AS). AS is often understood by keep reading

How Additional Treatments after Prostatectomy Affect Quality of Life

In the urologic world, there is a longstanding bias that surgical removal of the prostate gland, or radical prostatectomy (RP), is the preferred treatment for prostate cancer (PCa). It is based in the outdated belief that all PCa is a) multifocal, and b) likely to spread beyond the gland if untreated. Thus, it seemed logical keep reading

The Sperling Prostate Center Joins Focal MRgFUS Clinical Trial

The Sperling Prostate Center joins a prestigious group of academic and community medical centers participating in a Phase Three clinical trial of a new prostate cancer focal treatment. Dr. Sperling is the Principal Investigator at our Boca Raton, FL study site. The treatment under investigation is MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS), a noninvasive technology for the keep reading

Is the Sky Falling? Worrisome Trends in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Patterns

Did you ever hear the folktale about Chicken Little, who was hit on the head by a falling acorn? He wanted to warn the king – and everyone else – that “the sky is falling!” The story and its many age-old variants satirizes people who are unduly alarmed and spread exaggerated rumors. However, three recent keep reading

Experts Reach Consensus on mpMRI Before Repeat Biopsy

Men suspected of having prostate cancer based on rising PSA or abnormal DRE are typically sent for a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy using 12 or more needles. At least 30% of TRUS biopsies miss the disease that is present, not to mention the possible side effects of the biopsy itself. What happens next? The keep reading

Let’s Talk About Preserving Sexual Function

I came across a very illuminating study titled “Physician Recommendations Trump Patient Preferences in Prostate Cancer Decisions.”[i] The researchers polled 257 newly diagnosed low-to-intermediate risk PCa patients after diagnosis but before their next urology consultation. The patients answered questions about their preferences in the following areas: Treatment preference Interest in sex Cancer-related anxiety. The study’s keep reading

Men Enthusiastically Want It

No, the title does not refer to sex, a Ferrari, a promotion, or winning the lottery. It’s a quote from Dr. Robert Nam from Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre about the number of applicants for a clinical study of using 3T MRI to screen for prostate cancer (PCa).[i] There were 50 openings, but 300 applicants. keep reading

Treatment Billboards: Half Truths in Advertising?

A newly available prostate cancer treatment has made Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest not-for-profit health plans, sit up and take notice. On October 4, 2016, the life sciences news service StatNews featured an article by Kaiser News staffer Julie Appleby, “Billboards and Websites Push Costly Prostate Cancer Treatment With Unknown Long-Term Benefits.”[i] The treatment keep reading

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