I see guys like you every day in my practice. You've just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and you don't know what to do. I know it's scary. It's overwhelming. It can be depressing. The first thing you need to do is just breathe. You will get through it. With help from me, your other doctors, [...]
My patients frequently ask if there is anything they can do to reduce their risk of prostate cancer. My answer is absolutely! 1 – Quit Smoking Several studies have demonstrated a strong association between smoking and prostate cancer mortality. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study published in JAMA in 2011 followed 5,366 men with prostate cancer [...]
Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic shift in prostate cancer detection and management. This can be attributed to a number of factors: Recognition that PSA screening SAVES LIVES Despite what the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) initially suggested, PSA screening DOES, in fact, save lives in men ages 55-69. We know [...]
With all of tests currently available for prostate cancer detection and management, many patients (and even their physicians) are confused and overwhelmed by it all. What are biomarkers? How are they useful? Which tests are appropriate, and when? How do they fit in with other tests such as PSA, prostate MRI and MRI-guided fusion biopsy? [...]
PSA screening for prostate cancer certainly has its limitations but should not be abandoned. Widespread use of PSA screening for prostate cancer began in the early 1990’s. From 1992-2001, there was a 47% decrease in prostate cancer mortality in the US (according the SEER data). Despite this fact, the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) [...]
Each year, approximately 220,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and those men and their families must decide what treatment option is best for their needs. For some, active surveillance is an ideal approach to handle slow-growing cancers that do not present an immediate risk. For others, more aggressive treatment is chosen first to limit [...]
For quite some time, Dr. Gapin at Sarasota Prostate Care has been a proponent of focal therapy in certain patients with localized prostate cancer. A recent prospective study out of Belgium demonstrates the merits of such an approach. Focal therapy involves treating just the part of the prostate that has cancer while preserving the normal, [...]
Not all prostate cancers are alike. Some are fairly indolent and do not require aggressive treatment. These cancers can often be managed with active surveillance, in which men are followed closely with treatment reserved for those with signs of disease progression. Others are more aggressive and require definitive treatment. Typically this distinction is fairly straightforward. [...]
I would like to take a moment share with you some exciting news regarding HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound), a non-invasive prostate cancer treatment that is finally available for men in the US. I am thrilled to announce that after 11 years of clinical trials, the FDA recently cleared the SonaCare Sonablate® device for HIFU [...]
Advancements in technology are changing the way prostate cancer is being treated. Men with prostate cancer now have more treatment options than the standard aggressive approaches of surgery or radiation. An elite 1% ofurologists are certified to treat patients with HIFU, a therapy that has similar oncologic outcomes as radiation and surgery but with significantly [...]
The FDA has cleared a nonsurgical, minimally invasive treatment for prostate tissue ablation. This is the first High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) device to receive FDA regulatory authorization for prostate tissue ablation. SonaCare Medical, a global leader in high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation devices, has received regulatory authorization through the FDA de novo process to market [...]
Cancer prevention is an important aspect of our daily lives. For men, the most prevalent cancer diagnosed is prostate cancer. While most men with prostate cancer do not die from it, many suffer from treatment related side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Finding ways to prevent or reduce one’s risk for developing [...]
Over the past 15 years, more than 7,000 U.S. men have travelled overseas to places like the Bahamas, Mexico, Canada and Grand Cayman. They have made the trip to undergo HIFU, a non-invasive prostate cancer treatment that is not yet available in the United States. HIFU is the treatment of choice for prostate cancer in [...]
Prostate cancer prevention has become a hot topic in mainstream media. There has been extensive research and literature published recently aimed at identifying any factors that may help reduce the incidence of prostate cancer. We have learned that there are many dietary choices, medications and behaviors that can have a potential impact on the development [...]
Low testosterone (Low T) is a common problem for men as they age. Testosterone levels peak in the early teen and adult years and then begin decreasing after age 30 at a rate of approximately 1% each year. The most common treatment for Low T is testosterone replacement therapy. Yet, recent media reports and publicized [...]
