In American men, prostate cancer is only behind skin cancer as the most common form of cancer. Statistics showed  in the U.S. there were  about 164,690 new diagnoses of prostate cancer and about 29,430 death from prostate cancer in 2018. In their lifetime 1-9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 1 in 41 of those diagnosed will succumb to complications related to the disease. The five-year survival rate for prostate cancer patients falls to 29% when prostate cancer metastasizes and spreads through the body. This staggering decline in survival rate highlights the serious disadvantages the NCCN recommended treatments have when trying to treat prostate cancer that has spread, become treatment-resistant, and recurrent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twgMwlg-f-M

Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is a protein produced by normal, as well as malignant, cells of the prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in a man’s blood. For this test, a blood sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Until about 2008, some doctors and professional organizations encouraged yearly PSA screening for men beginning at age 50. Some organizations recommended that men who are at higher risk of prostate cancer, including African American men and men whose father or brother had prostate cancer, begin screening at age 40 or 45. However, as more was learned about both the benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening, a number of organizations began to caution against routine population screening. Most organizations recommend that men who are considering PSA screening first discuss the risks and benefits with their doctors.

PROSTATE IMAGING: a new horizon in early prostate cancer detection and treatment

Recent advances in MRI, including Mp-MRI (“Multi-parametric” testing using a 3T scanner)imaging, have changed everything. The latest generation of MRI machines called 3 Tesla, or 3T machines, scan at a much higher resolution than the earlier machines. They enable radiologists to see all but the tiniest tumors. The tumors that they can’t see almost certainly don’t matter. MRI scanning for prostate cancer could also help a quarter of a million men, maybe up to half a million men a year, to avoid an unnecessary biopsy if the MRI is negative.

Scanning the prostate in men with PSA elevation is a brand new approach that is more reliable than the old-fashioned method of using 12 random needle sticks. However, this claim is only accurate when using the very latest state-of-the-art MRI technology at approved centers. This technology is so new that finding doctors willing to abandon the old random needle biopsy approach is still a major challenge.

The majority of men will be reassured they don’t have prostate cancer and importantly they may be able to avoid the harms of a biopsy, plus healthcare systems will be able to avoid the costs. MRI is the perfect tool because it’s relatively cheap, widely available and reliable Raul Parra, MD Director of Urologic Oncology

Specializes in:

• Oncology

• Surgical Oncology

• Urologic Oncology

• Urology

Office Location:

718 Teaneck Road

Teaneck, NJ 07666

Phone:

201-541-5960

Fax:

201-541-5988

Website:

www.holyname.org/westnewyork

Raul O. Parra, MD, is a board-certified urologic oncologist specializing in cancers of the bladder, kidney, and prostate. Dr. Parra, who came to Holy Name Medical Partners from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is one of the pioneers of minimally invasive surgery for urologic malignancies and performed the first laparoscopic removal for bladder cancer. He has been at the forefront of innovative laparoscopic and robotic procedures for prostate and kidney cancer used throughout the world today.

Dr. Parra has been named a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly. At Holy Name, he is the Director of Urologic Oncology, as well as Medical Director of the Regional Cancer Center.