Tag: prostatectomy

“I’m sorry to say your prostate cancer has recurred.” No one wants to hear that message after an initial whole-gland treatment like surgery or radiation. While 5-year survival rates for localized prostate cancer approach 100%, over the longer term as many as 20-40% of patients will experience recurrence. Recurrence after radiation treatment offers a unique opportunity... keep reading

What’s the secret to the perfect treatment plan for prostate cancer (PCa)? It’s YOU, it’s YOUR tumor and YOUR anatomy. No two patients have identical disease in identical bodies. Thus, the perfect treatment plan is the one tailor-made for YOUR PCa. Therefore, it’s essential that your doctor has as much accurate information as possible about keep reading

If you were a kid in the 1960s, you may recall listening to the exciting audio countdown for NASA’s first rocket launches: “Liftoff at T minus 10 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero…and we have liftoff!” Since then, zero has been dropped from the countdown. In fact, it has keep reading

Comedians sometimes become identified by a catchphrase, like Rodney Dangerfield’s “No respect.” According to him, it’s the story of his life—and it became the unforgettable story of his stand-up routines. Just as Dangerfield was tagged with those two words, the late Joan Rivers will be remembered for her 3- word question “Can we talk?” According keep reading

When it comes to prostate MRI, experience matters. Discover why choosing an expert with a proven track record can make all the difference in accurate, reliable results. keep reading

“The customer is always right” is sometimes wrong, as many companies have learned when disgruntled customers use this slogan as an excuse to speak abusively to employees. As consumers of medical care, prostatectomy patients are also customers, but they often avoid expressing complaints to their surgeon about urinary or sexual side effects of treatment... keep reading

Here’s a suggestion you don’t hear every day: if you’re diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, get your testosterone checked. If you’re wondering what your male hormone levels have to do with prostate cancer, you’re asking an important question. It was long believed that high T levels could lead to the development of prostate cancer... keep reading

In the ancient world, there were endless tales about the epic deeds of heroes like Jason, who set out with a band of fellow argonauts to find the Golden Fleece. Today, we know these deeds are myths, but we now have researchers conducting a very real, historic argosy for a liquid biopsy that could diagnose keep reading

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” These words, attributed to Yogi Berra, are a humorous way of saying that we can remember the past and live in the present—but what lies ahead exists in a fog of uncertainty. In medicine, it’s important to manage expectations, since no treatments come with absolute guarantees. keep reading

This headline got my immediate attention: “No Benefit with Surgery for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer.” The article is based on follow up findings from the PIVOT randomized trial. They suggest that radical prostatectomy does not offer men with localized prostate cancer a significant survival benefit over active surveillance or other type of observation. For traditional urologists, this might seem close to heresy... keep reading