Dr. Bert Vorstman will be offering a free seminar on October 6th in his office in Coral Springs,Florida on the treatment of localized prostate cancer with high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).
HIFU is non surgical,non radiation,most precise and done as an outpatient.
It is an ideal treatment for localized prostate cancer affording both cure and quality of life.
Prostate needle biopsies and needle tracking marks DO NOT spread cancer cells. Furthermore,the inflammation that brings about healing of the needle track DOES NOT cause cancer.
There are purveyors of pseudo science even in the world of urology who repeatedly offer false science that is peppered with irrelevant references and non sequitur arguments to present their case.
The sole purpose for perpetuating these untruths is to confound a vulnerable target (men who have or are at risk of having prostate cancer) and steering them towards evaluations that are self serving. Invariably,this disordered rhetoric is generated and encouraged by those physicians and organizations that have most to gain. In this regard,in-house imaging equipment such as MRI’s are well known to be potential instruments for financial abuse. Therefore, at risk patients are easily encouraged to undergo needless and expensive in-house MRI studies. This convenient arrangement and investment by owner physicians, represents a huge potential conflict of interest in managing prostate cancer patients.
There simply is NO reliable evidence to support the notion that MRI with or without spectroscopy will ever dispense with needle biopsies of the prostate.
Imaging studies are unable to definitively diagnose a prostate cancer let alone make determinations on a Gleason grade and score.
No man should ever consider treatment of his alleged prostate cancer based solely on the dubious images generated by an MRI.
Even benign lesions may mimic a prostate cancer and the only reliable method for detecting a prostate cancer is based upon a needle biopsy.
Similarly,there is no evidence that “scientific” targeted biopsies of suspicious areas provides any benefits over the standard needle biopsy without the expensive MRI. In fact,using the targeted MRI approach to the prostate may detect very early low grade,low volume cancers that are usually clinically insignificant and can be managed by active surveillance.
In addition,the questionable practice of recommending routine post HIFU MRI studies on the pretext of early recognition of incompletely treated men simply represents a further shameless and unadulterated assault on the wallets of patients and insurance companies.
Only a well designed and executed trans rectal ultrasound and needle biopsy of the prostate by an experienced urologist can answer all of the questions as to the true nature of a man’s prostate cancer.
The unabashed, pseudo intellectual and illogical recycling of these myths about prostate needle biopsies spreading cancer cells
by physicians is unfounded,unconscionable and malicious.
Certainly,those urologists that are board certified are required to practice by an ethical and scientific standard. Others,however,appear to practice the peddling of half truths and this non Hippocratic behavior taints all physicians and may be considered malpractice.
Adequate levels of vitamin D may reduce a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer as well as suppressing the growth and spread of a prostate cancer in men that already have the disease.
Vitamin D is found in two main forms:
vitamin D2,through diet
vitamin D3,through sun exposure
Vitamin D 2 and 3 are converted in the liver to it’s biologically active form,1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D and is required for several important bodily functions.
Because of sun exposure making it more likely to have adequate vitamin D levels,men in the sun belt may be less likely to develop prostate cancer.
Of men who developed prostate cancer,the more aggressive forms have been found in those men with low serum levels of vitamin D,especially in those men over 65 years of age.
Men over 50 years of age should have their vitamin D levels checked along with their PSA’s as well as being counselled on the benefits of regular exercise and a healthy diet. Preventative measures such as these may help minimize the risk of developing a prostate cancer while early detection of a cancer when still localized to the prostate may improve the chances of cure by minimally invasive treatment options such as HIFU.
For more information on HIFU please visit our main site, http://www.hifurx.com
The PSA is a protein produced by epithelial cells of the prostate and can be measured in the blood and used as a tumor marker.
The total PSA (tPSA) is considered normal if less than 4ng/ml but it is not a reliable indicator of presence or absence of prostate cancer.
An abnormal tPSA should always be confirmed to exclude spurious laboratory results before embarking upon a possible prostate biopsy.
About 30% of men who have a tPSA between 4-10 ng/ml will have a prostate cancer but about 70% will not.
Also,about 15% or more of men with a tPSA less than 4ng/ml will have a clinically significant but localized prostate cancer. About 2% of these men will have a very aggressive prostate cancer.
The use of the %free PSA (calculated from the tPSA and the free PSA) may improve the accuracy of this blood test in prostate cancer screening. The PCa3 test may also prove to be a useful marker.
The level of the tPSA in the blood can be lowered by various medicines such as Statins,NSAIDS,Thiazides and 5 alpha reductase inhibitors such as proscar and avodart. This lowering of the tPSA by these medicines does not necessarily lower the risk for prostate cancer.
In contrast,the tPSA can be elevated in men with a large prostate,by inflammation in the prostate, a urine infection, after a digital rectal examination, a prostate biopsy or after ejaculation, without the presence of an underlying prostate cancer.
Despite the limitations of the tPSA as a reliable test for prostate cancer screening the test is still useful especially when the
%free component is also measured. The more prostate cancers are detected when still localized,the greater the likelihood that treatment options such as HIFU can afford a cure. After total treatment of the prostate cancer, follow up monitoring of his PSA is very reliable.
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