PSA, Gleason score and imaging studies enable us to accurately identify Sky a Low-Risk type of prostate cancer which is harmless. Sky prostate cancer grows at a snail’s pace compared to other cancers. Active surveillance, close monitoring over time, is the method used to double check and…

Many treatments have irreversible consequences, so the goal is to do it right the first time. It is well known that long-term survival is improved by receiving optimal treatment up front. The first treatment is your best opportunity to eradicate cancer...

PSA plays a variety of roles, the most familiar being screening to detect prostate cancer. PSA also helps to define the Stages of Blue. Another role of PSA is to detect cancer relapse after surgery or radiation. Lastly, rises or declines in PSA after hormone therapy or chemotherapy help determine whether a treatment is working or not…

The two major components of the pathology report from a random 12-core biopsy are the Gleason score, which measures how aggressive the tumor appears, and the quantity of cancer, i.e., the extent of disease detected by the 12-core specimen…

Multiparametric MRI (MRI) provides a three-dimensional image of the prostate, giving important information about the cancer’s location, size, and how “aggressive” it appears. MRI also greatly increases the confidence that higher-grade cancers are not being overlooked in men on active surveillance. MRI is usually performed without an endorectal coil…

Once the proper Stage of Blue is assigned (Chapter 1), the different treatments appropriate for that Stage can be considered and compared. In the prostate cancer treatment realm, decisions are usually based on comparisons amongst several alternatives. In the most general sense, there are four main types of treatment: observation, local treatments, systemic treatments, and combination therapy…

If every eligible candidate in North America and Europe pursued active surveillance, close to 300,000 men could be spared from unnecessary surgery and radiation every year. To date, the published literature on surveillance includes numerous prospective studies. These studies, which evaluate men who were mostly Gleason 3+3=6, fail to identify any increased risk of prostate cancer mortality…

It is estimated that as many as a third of newly diagnosed men have only one spot of cancer in their prostate. These patients may be candidates for focal treatment. Focal therapy is defined as the destruction of a section of the prostate gland rather than treating the whole prostate. The known tumor site is treated, but the other lobe and surrounding structures are spared, improving the odds that sexual potency and urinary continence will be preserved…

Why are many doctors still lukewarm about active surveillance? Here are some thoughts…

Patients in Sky are still frequently advised to have treatment. It behooves them, therefore, to learn about treatment-related side effects. Unlike the other Stages of Blue, men in Sky have a choice—the option of postponing treatment by pursuing active surveillance. Therefore…

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a risk with every type of treatment for prostate cancer, but the exact risk is very specific to each patient. The better a man’s erections are before prostate cancer treatment, the better chance he has of preserving function…

Loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence) after surgery can be a devastating complication with a very negative impact on quality of life. Bladder control problems for the first few months following radical prostatectomy are to be expected. A biofeedback program may be helpful during this period to help restore bladder control. The problem is…

Radiation for prostate cancer may cause short- or long-term side effects. Even though radiation targets the cancer cells, normal body tissues near the tumor can be affected. Specifically…

The post-treatment surveillance policy for men who have undergone an attempt at curative surgery or radiation is to check PSA quarterly for the first two years, biannually for the next three, and annually thereafter. For radiation patients, a yearly digital rectal examination is also recommended. After treatment …

Ideally, food intake should be from whole food sources (unprocessed, unadulterated, natural), with only a small percentage of food products (processed, refined, boxed, bottled, canned, packaged, and powdered). Whole foods provide…

The risk of a sedentary lifestyle is about the same as a pack-a-day smoking habit. “Sitting is the new smoking.” After age 60, just through the normal aging process, men lose 1% of their muscle every year…

When it comes to dietary supplements, less is more. Mega-doses lead to a worse outcome in patients with cancer…

This article will discuss an alternative type of imaging, called color Doppler ultrasound (CDU). Unfortunately, CDU followed by targeted biopsy is available in only a few centers around the United States. Even so, this article will expound the many advantages of CDU for the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer...