DIAGNOSIS
There is no substitute for an accurate diagnosis! A real difficulty with prostate cancer is that many doctors treat all prostate cancers as if they were the same. One man’s cancer might be an area of slow-growing cancer in only 5% of the prostate. You might think of that as a “lamb” because it requires minimal therapy. On the other hand, another man might have cancer that involves most of his prostate, with a high Gleason score and a poor genetic profile behaving like “tiger,” a faster growing type of cancer requiring more aggressive treatment. At the Scionti Prostate Center, we use advanced technology to find and characterize each man’s cancer, assess the risk, and provide a personalized pathway to care for every man.
We are proud to offer advanced diagnostics that incorporate the four most important new technologies:
- Biomarkers
- 3T Multiparametric MR Imaging & 3D Prostate Mapping
- Artemis Fusion-Guided Targeted Biopsy
- Genomics
Biomarkers
Biomarkers—short for “biological markers”—are measurable biological substances that indicate the presence of a particular disease. Many people mistakenly believe that PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen, a protein produced by prostate cells that gets into the bloodstream) is a diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer. In fact, it’s more like a barometer indicating that there is a problem in the prostate. It is a “yellow warning light” that requires further investigation. When the prostate gland is stimulated or irritated, it releases more PSA chemical. For example, bike riding, having sex, a prostate infection, and prostate cancer can all cause more PSA in the bloodstream. Thus, PSA, by itself is not an accurate biomarker for prostate cancer.
At our center, we use more specific FDA-approved biomarkers to determine if further testing is indicated. These include PSA and Free PSA, PSA/volume = PSA density, and the new PHI (Prostate Health Index) which includes these as well as [-2] pro PSA. A new 4KScore® Test evaluates the risk of having a high-grade tumor (learn more at http://www.opkolab.com/4Kscore_Test.html)
Multiparametric MRI & 3D Prostate Mapping
Prostate ultrasound has many uses, but it cannot accurately identify all prostate cancer tumors within the gland. Prostate ultrasound can only detect about 40% of prostate cancers. Multiparametric MRI has been shown to have a sensitivity (detection rate) of over 90% for clinically important prostate cancer when the study is performed with modern equipment and interpreted by highly skilled radiology physicians who have advanced training in the interpretation of these images. Our imaging partners in Sarasota offer advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with modern MRI equipment, and multiparametric imaging software installed so that excellent quality prostate MRI studies are performed. Multiparametric MRI allows us to see the difference between healthy and cancerous prostate tissue with much higher accuracy than ultrasound. Multiparametric MRI at either 1.5 T or 3T gives us a 3-dimensional (3D) map of the prostate with the location, size and shape of suspected tumor(s). When we integrate the information from biomarkers with MRI imaging, a more precise assessment of the risk of prostate cancer can be made and better advice can be given about the need for a prostate biopsy.