Prostate cancer is the most common solid organ cancer in men. Last year there were 164,690 new cases, and 29,430 deaths related to prostate cancer. While the incidence varies in different countries, genetic makeup, diet, and exposure to carcinogens contribute to the development of the disease. White males over fifty have a higher likelihood of developing the disease, and black males more frequently develop a more aggressive type of prostate cancer.
The good news is that there are new advances in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
There are a significant number of men with an elevated prostate-specific antigen blood test who undergo expensive and invasive testing looking for prostate cancer. Many of them don’t have the disease. Recently there have been breakthrough developments of new genetic markers and more efficient diagnostic testing that can help determine whether or not a biopsy is needed. These tests may involve the collection of blood and urine and even an MRI of the gland.
There are a wide variety of treatment options available for prostate cancer patients depending upon the aggressiveness and stage of the disease. These include, removing the prostate with a minimally invasive incision or a robotic procedure; radiation with or without seed implantation, cryosurgery (an outpatient technique that freezes the prostate gland); and HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound, which destroys the cancerous tissue with ultrasound waves). In some cases with a very slow growing tumor, the patient may elect to do active surveillance where he is monitored at regular intervals.
On Sunday, April 19th, Georgia Urology’s Dr. Lambda Msezane was featured on “The Weekly Check-Up” on News/Talk WSB Radio. Dr. Msezane and her husband, Dr. Joshua Lovelock with the CardioVascular Group, spoke with the host, Dr. Bruce Feinberg, on how the coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted them personally, their individual practices, approach to patient care, and […]
As the most recent holiday season fades into the past like a melting flake of snow, the spirit of giving sometimes goes with it. Tricia Newman of Loganville, a patient coordinator at Georgia Urology, allows her charitable light to shine throughout the entire year! For the past 10 years, Ms. Newman has been operating Food […]
On September 2nd, Georgia Urology’s Dr. Walter Falconer appeared on Jazz 91.9 WCLK for the monthly edition of Drive Time with Dr. Douglass. During the show, Dr. Douglass and Dr. Falconer discussed the effects of prostate cancer on African American men and ways to monitor your prostate health to minimize serious complications. Besides skin cancer, […]
