Two new studies published on Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association highlight that likely in accordance to USPSTF recommendations against screening, fewer men are being screened for prostate cancer and fewer cases of early state prostate cancer are being detected. The question is, if decreased screening is leading to a lower rate of diagnosis, what does this mean for the future of prostate cancer patients?
Read MoreA new genetic test has recently become available called Oncotype DX. The test is made by Genomic Health and will now be available at Dr. Samadi's Prostate Cancer Center in New York City. What is Oncotype DX?
Read MoreWhat is Cyberknife? Cyberknife is a form of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and robotic-assisted radiosurgery (not actual surgery) that utilizes a computerized robot to automatically deliver high doses of radiation to the prostate gland. Fiducials are implanted into the body so that the Cyberknife machine can adjust to movement during each treatment.
Read MoreProstate cancer is the most common cancer in men. So far, the only tools available to detect and diagnose prostate cancer include: the PSA test and the transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy. Every year, about 20 million PSA tests are performed and about 1.2 million men undergo a biopsy. Traditional techniques such as the TRUS biopsy only sample the lower portion of the prostate – yet almost 30% of cancers are found outside this area. For this reason, only 30-40% of the 1.2 million biopsies performed on men each year are positive for prostate cancer.
Read MoreAfrican-American men have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer, compared all other races. A new study suggests that there are specific genes that may indicate aggressive prostate cancer in African-American men. The researchers believe that their results may partially explain the reason for ethnic disparities in prostate cancer. In the past, ethnic disparities in prostate cancer have been associated with socioeconomic and biologic factors. The study was recently published online in the journal Urologic Oncology.
Read MoreA new study suggests that patients with prostate cancer who have low prostate antigen, or PSA, levels have a higher risk for cancer-specific death compared with patients whose PSA levels are high. A low PSA level was considered less than or equal to 2.5 ng/mL or 2.6 to 4 ng/m, while a high PSA level was considered 10.1 to 20 ng/mL The study was published online in the journal Cancer.
Read MoreProstate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States. African-Americans have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer among any other racial group. Prostate cancer in African-American men also tends to be more aggressive.
Key statistics about African-American men and prostate cancer:
Read MoreSex is beneficial for prostate health. It is also beneficial for many other health reasons. In regards to prostate health, sex may decrease your risk for prostate cancer. A previous study showed that men who ejaculated at least 21 times a month were less likely to develop prostate cancer. This doesn’t mean you need to have a sex partner – whether it be sexual intercourse, nocturnal emission, or masturbation, all are beneficial.
Read MoreThe month of September is designated as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month to help bring attention to a common yet highly curable disease among men. Many different factors can play a role in reducing the risk of developing this disease but a couple of nutrients stand out in the crowd that may possibly help make this more of a reality – the mineral zinc and the phytochemical lycopene.
Read MoreA new study suggests that having high levels of stress may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer death. This is not just men who have advanced prostate cancer, but men with localized prostate cancer, which means the cancer is still confined to the prostate gland. The study was published online in the Scandinavian Journal of Urology.
Read MoreWhen diagnosing prostate cancer, a Gleason score is used to determine how aggressive the cancer is. Before understanding what the Gleason score means, one should know how a Urologist comes up with a Gleason score in the first place. To identify the Gleason score, a Urologist will do a prostate biopsy which involves collecting prostate tissue samples. These prostate tissue samples are then sent to a lab to be analyzed by a pathologist. The pathologist will determine the Gleason score which is made up of two numbers: a primary grade and a secondary grade.
Read MorePSA stands for prostate specific antigen. It is a protein in the blood and is measured by taking a person’s blood to identify the amount of PSA that is present within the blood. PSA is important to measure once a man gets older because if the level is abnormal, or elevated, it may indicate a number of prostate conditions, including prostate cancer.
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