Urology

For men with a primary relative with prostate cancer (a brother or a father), the risk is two-fold higher. Men with familial prostate cancer may develop the disease at an earlier age, so screening should be considered as early as age 35-40. Read More

In general, the earlier the cancer is found, the more likely it is for the patient to remain disease-free. Because approximately 90% of all prostate cancers are detected in the local and regional stages, the cure rate for prostate cancer is very high-nearly 100% of men diagnosed at this stage will be disease-free after five […] Read More

Prostate cancer affects 1 in 6 men. About 241,740 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2012-on par with breast cancer. It is estimated that there are more than 2 million American men currently living with prostate cancer. Read More

Radiation therapy uses radiation to treat prostate cancer. The advantage of radiation therapy is that it is less invasive than surgery. Hazards associated with treatment include urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, which may happen less frequently with radiation when compared with radical prostatectomy. Other hazards include radiation damage to the bowel and bladder. Fortunately, current […] Read More

Radical prostatectomy describes the operation to remove the prostate. Surgery is carried out under a general anesthetic. Patients are in the hospital for one to three days postoperatively and are sent home with a catheter (urinary drainage tube in the bladder) which is removed after one to two weeks. The main benefit of this operation […] Read More

The three most common treatments for localized prostate cancer are expectant management, which includes active surveillance and watchful waiting, radiation therapy, and surgery. Active surveillance or watchful waiting is based on the recognition that some prostate cancers follow a non-aggressive course, and tend not to spread outside the prostate nor become life-threatening. PSA and a […] Read More

The tumor stage refers to the size and the extent of cancer (how much is present). A staging system exists that quantifies the extent or volume of disease. When the cancer is low volume and confined to a small area of the prostate, treatment outcomes are improved compared to those situations where prostate cancer involves […] Read More

The grade is a term used to describe the microscopic appearance of prostate cancer and can help predict the potential aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Grade can be used as a measure to assess how likely prostate cancer is to grow and spread. The grading system most commonly used is called the Gleason score, which ranges […] Read More

If there is a concern that prostate cancer may be present, for example, if there is an abnormal digital rectal exam or an elevated PSA, then further evaluation is carried out with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and prostate biopsy. For this procedure, an ultrasound probe is placed in the rectum to visualize the prostate. Needle (core) […] Read More

Current patterns of practice include two tests to screen for prostate cancer, the digital rectal exam, and PSA. The digital rectal exam is a physical exam performed by a medical practitioner to feel the surface of the prostate (a lubricated, gloved finger is placed in the rectum to feel the prostate). The prostate can be […] Read More