Tag: PSA blood test

Imagine a world championship boxing match. The two contestants are different screening methods for prostate cancer (PCa). The winner will be crowned King of Screening. In one corner stands the current reigning champion, PSA. He has managed to retain the title for decades. Although some have questioned his ability to land accurate punches, he’s still keep reading

“Look before you leap.” That advice originated centuries before you first heard it at a kid. Its first known use was found in a 1350 Latin manuscript. Then in 1546 it appeared in English from a collect of proverbs. It was good wisdom back then. Today, it’s even better wisdom if a PSA blood test keep reading

For the past 10 years, the PSA screening controversy has been driving me crazy. All along, our position at the Sperling Prostate Center has been a constructive middle ground: support annual screening, and back it up with multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) of the prostate. We’ve known all along that the blood test is imperfect because it’s keep reading

One of the best things that ever happened in men’s health was been a steady drop in prostate cancer (PCa) death rates once PSA screening began in the 1990s. Before that, the PCa world was grim because there was no good way to detect early PCa—because it has few-to-no symptoms. Back then, many cases of keep reading

I’ve said it before, and I’ll undoubtedly say it again: multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) can avoid unnecessary biopsies. In a previous blog, “A PROMIS is a Promise for Multiparametric MRI,” I cited the results of the PROMIS study in which 576 men initially had an mpMRI scan, then underwent 2 types of needle biopsy (ouch!) so keep reading

In the not-so-distant past, a PSA blood test that showed an elevated or rising PSA most often led to a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided needle biopsy of the prostate. Most TRUS biopsies involve 12 or more needles for the simple reason that ultrasound cannot clearly identify what’s a tumor and what isn’t. And unfortunately, this keep reading

Let’s say you never had a problem with ants in your kitchen. Then, one day you spy a single ant zigzagging its way around the floor. You don’t jump to the conclusion that your home is infested, and you can live with a random ant or two. But what if that first ant is a keep reading

If you had prostate cancer (PCa) and opted to be treated with either prostatectomy (surgical removal) or whole-gland radiation, what sign of recurrence would you watch for? You’d be sure to have an annual PSA blood test. Why? Because after whole-gland treatment, it is expected that your PSA will drop to zero (or very close keep reading

Getting an annual PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer (PCa) has been likened to playing Russian roulette. You hope to dodge the you’ve-got-prostate-cancer bullet. So far, the search for a 100% accurate liquid biopsy via blood draw or urine test has been as unsuccessful as the hunt for a better mousetrap. keep reading

Prostate cancer is considered highly curable when it is detected early! This is also when a patient has the most treatment choices, including Active Surveillance and focal therapy with few to no side effects. The problem is, early stage prostate cancer is a silent lurker with no symptoms. However... keep reading