Tag: Prostate cancer

Up till now, prostate cancer has been the only tumor cancer diagnosed by random luck. That’s right, random luck. The most common type of prostate biopsy is guided by transrectal ultrasound, or TRUS. It is considered the “gold standard” for prostate biopsy because it’s most widely used by urologists... keep reading

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

You’re having a dream. In it, you’re in the lunch line at a fast-food restaurant, anticipating a tasty burger, fries and soft drink. Part of you feels a bit guilty because you had junk food just last week, but you have to be at an early afternoon meeting and... 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

It was bad news then, and five years down the road it’s still bad news. According to Barnett, et al. (2021), “Of the risks associated with RT, the development of a secondary malignancy is of most concern for the patient and physician.” The blog we posted below presented a 2016 paper on prostate cancer radiation therapy as a catalyst for... keep reading

I have never met Dr. Bert Vorstman, a urologist in Coral Springs, FL, but he sounds like a doctor who is not afraid to speak his mind. In fact, he calls robotic prostate cancer surgery “a public health nightmare” and a “boondoggle for public health.” These are strong words, especially coming from a surgically-trained urologist... keep reading

Over the years, I have spoken with many patients about the idea of doctors being 100% open with regard to their treatment results. I came across a large-scaled Swedish study on prostatectomy side effects, and it’s as transparent as it gets. keep reading

Everyone has heard the term “chemotherapy” and it conjures up scary, negative images. On the other hand, have you heard the term “chemoprevention”? The National Cancer Institute defines chemoprevention as “the use of pharmacologic or natural agents that inhibit the development of invasive cancer... keep reading

When HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) was finally approved in the U.S. by the FDA in 2015, it was for whole gland, or radical, prostate cancer treatment. Leading up to that approval, some PCa patients who were candidates for prostatectomy held off on surgery, in hopes that... keep reading

A couple of years ago I saw a patient who previously had three negative TRUS-guided prostate biopsies. Because his PSA had been slowly rising from 4 to 10, the number of biopsy needles had increased from 10 to 12 to 14... keep reading