George Burns made people smile when he said, “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.” Who doesn’t love the idea of staying young at heart? But staying young in body is another matter. For example, urinary tract infections (UTIs) like bladder infections are rare in men younger than 50, but…
Prostatitis is one of those medical conditions that is hard to pin down and even more difficult to cure. According to the Prostatitis Foundation, “Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland, often resulting in swelling or pain. Prostatitis can result in four significant symptoms: pain, urination problems, sexual dysfunction, and general health problems, such…
With respect to the ancient physician Hippocrates, I paraphrase one of his most famous quotes: Let food be thy prostate’s medicine, and your medicine be thy prostate’s food.” A darker admonition comes from an English proverb that I also paraphrase: Don’t dig your prostate’s grave with your own knife and fork. Both quotes address the…
Throughout history, there were noteworthy treasure hunts that were doomed from the start. Turning base metal into gold, a Fountain of Youth, the Holy Grail—all proved fruitless. Today, however, we have every reason to believe that scientific exploration for a universal prostate cancer (PCa) cure is destined to succeed. But until that day comes, patients…
A 65 year old healthy man, with no family history of prostate cancer, had a routine PSA of 4.7 ug/L. His digital rectal examination was normal. He became anxious and depressed. A transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy showed a single microfocus of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. He remains dispirited. A new disease entity was identified and termed…
Cryotherapy, or freezing, is a method of destroying prostate cancer by subjecting the prostate gland to the extreme temperature of -40° Celsius. The procedure, done under anesthesia, consists of using ultrasound image guidance to insert thin hollow needles into the prostate gland through the perineum (skin between the scrotum and anus). When argon gas is…
According to the authors of a new study out the Harvard School of Medicine, “Sleep deficiency is a major public health problem.” The Centers for Disease Control tell us that about 25% of Americans occasionally suffer insufficient sleep, and 10% have chronic insomnia. Sleep disorders are connected with chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, mood disorders,…
If you are a man who has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that has not responded to hormone therapy, you have several treatment options from which to choose. The medication Xtandi (enzalutamide) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on August 31, 2012. Another medication is Zytiga (abiraterone acetate). Are either of these new…
The number of prostate cancer patients who opt for active surveillance (AS) is rising. The most important reason men go on AS is to avoid the risks that accompany whole-gland treatments. In fact, it’s so important to patients that according to a Dutch study, 30% who were not considered candidates for AS chose it anyway…
There are so many benefits to detecting prostate cancer (PCa) using multiparametric MRI that it’s hard to single out just one. However, the merits of mpMRI to find PCa in large glands deserve a spotlight. First, a word about prostate size. An average adult gland in younger men is about 30 – 40cc, roughly the…
The challenge to overcome cancer has been around as long as the human race has known about cancer. An Egyptian papyrus from 1600 B.C. identifies cancer and describes removal of a breast tumor by cauterizing (burning) it. The writer notes that there is no known cure for cancer. In modern times, the three main methods…
From our perspective at the Sperling Prostate Center, the title question is somewhat absurd. I would respond with, “Who DOESN’T benefit the most from multiparametric MRI of the prostate?” The powerful 3T multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) that we offer provides detection and diagnostic excellence in all of the following scenarios: A suspicious PSA and no previous…
I have written on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, especially diet and nutrition, which is correlated with preventing prostate cancer (PCa) and other diseases. (NOTE: You can read some of my related blogs from links at the end of this one.) I came across a new multi-center Italian study that addresses the question: does…
Americans are living longer. In 2014, USA Today reported a new record high for life expectancy. Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average person will live to be 78.8 years old (for women, 81.2 years; for men, 76.4 years). Heart disease remains the number one cause of death, and cancer…
Testosterone has important benefits for men. When it’s at a normal level, it helps develop muscle mass, decrease fat, avoid depression, keep bones strong, maintain libido, improve erections, and may help reduce risks of cardiovascular and cognitive disease. However, about 40% of men over the age of 45 have symptoms of reduced blood levels of…
It is universally understood that the radical prostatectomy (RP) patient who has immediate return to baseline erectile function is a very rare case. The need to wear a catheter for several days to 2 weeks is itself a deterrent to having an erection. Even men who undergo nerve sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic RP can expect a…
Question: What do transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy and MRI prostate scans have in common? Answer: Almost nothing. While both try to find cancer in a walnut-sized gland tucked away in the pelvic bed, there’s no comparison. Noninvasive MRI detects prostate cancer better than conventional invasive TRUS biopsy. In fact, multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) is so…
Over half of patients with advanced prostate cancer ignore or underreport symptoms that their disease has spread to the bone (bone metastases or bone mets). This can create a dilemma for the physician: is it better to Not ask about symptoms if the patient doesn’t volunteer the information? Ask questions at the risk of seeming…
Advanced prostate cancer (PCa), along with breast and lung cancer, has a preference for spreading first to bone (bone mets). Bone mets differ from primary bone cancer, which is rare and begins in the bone itself. Bone mets are much more common; nine out of ten advanced PCa patients will eventually have bone mets. This…
Active surveillance, a strategy for delaying prostate cancer treatment, is now chosen by 40-50% of newly diagnosed low-risk patients. Yet nearly a third may not be appropriate due to serious flaws with most methods for qualifying and monitoring AS candidates. Good news: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can now make AS safer than ever. In fact,…
