Although early detection is key, prostate cancer symptoms do not show up in all men. Often signs of prostate cancer are first revealed during a routine doctor’s visit. That being said some may experience sexual function issues or urinary-related problems which could indicate prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer Symptoms Sarasota
Prostate Cancer Symptoms may include:
- Frequent urination
- Difficulty starting or holding back urine
- Weak or interrupted urine flow
- Burning or painful urination
- Difficulty in having an erection
- Ejaculations that are painful
- Blood present in semen or urine
- Frequent lower back pain, pain in hips or upper thighs
- Prostate Cancer: A Changing World
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
However, the prostate cancer world is undergoing a revolution. There is a newfound understanding that the disease has been over-treated in many men. The “gold standard” for treating prostate cancer has always been radical or robotic surgery. Studies have now documented the long-term functional side effects (erectile dysfunction and incontinence) associated with traditional treatments like surgery and radiation. The survival advantages of traditional treatments have been shown to be small or non-existent. In fact, The US Health Preventive Task Force panel has declared that PSA screening for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer has no net benefit and that the “harms outweigh the benefits. It’s clear that a new approach is necessary that helps to identify men that will benefit from treatment as well as prescribe treatments that are less invasive and cause fewer side effects.
Our approach at the Scionti Prostate Center recognizes this changing prostate cancer landscape and employs new biomarkers, advanced MRI imaging, Artemis MRI guided fusion mapped biopsy and genomic tumor testing to better characterize and classify prostate cancer to determine which men will benefit from treatment. Our treatment approaches emphasize targeted MRI guided techniques such as focal robotic HIFU using information learned from our advanced diagnostic evaluation. Our goal is to find a better balance between prostate cancer treatment and quality of life related side effects such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence.
Using new advanced biomarkers like PHI (prostate health index), PCA3, and the new OPKO 4Kscore, we’re finding significant or dangerous prostate cancer earlier. Our diagnostic techniques have been revolutionized by advanced MRI imaging. Powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we can actually visualize, or see, the tumor. This technology is driving the ability to create 3-dimensional models that pinpoint the danger zone. With better ways to define the cancer, we have much better ways to treat it. In many cases, it is possible to target just the cancer while preserving sexual and urinary function.
The Scionti Prostate Center Leads The Way
The real difficulty with prostate cancer is that traditional diagnostic methods defined every patient’s disease the same way. However, every single patient is unique. Many patients have a small, slow-growing cancer with favorable genomic properties. I think of this as a “lamb” because it requires either monitoring (Active Surveillance) or minimal therapy and is unlikely to progress to life threatening disease. On the other hand, if a man is diagnosed with a disease characterized by a higher Gleason score and a poor genomic profile indicating that it is faster growing and more aggressive, or what I call a “tiger”, a more aggressive total gland treatment is required. We accurately identify the disease, and we develop the most effective treatment with the least impact possible on quality of life. The Scionti Prostate Center provides your personalized pathway to prostate cancer care.
Therefore, the key is advanced and accurate diagnostics. Proper characterization of that cancer is what’s important to define the optimal way to treat this disease. Learn more about our Advanced Diagnostics.
Approach
We do not have a “cookie cutter” approach to treatment. Prostate cancer treatment should be matched to an individual’s disease, lifestyle, and future expectations. Learn about our Advanced Diagnostics and A Personalized Pathway to Prostate Cancer Care.
Dr. Scionti’s Prostate Cancer Navigator lays out a spectrum of treatments that progress from noninvasive to minimally invasive to radical, whole gland treatments:
- Active Surveillance
- Focal ablative therapy
- HIFU
- Cryoablation
- Radiation
- Radical Prostatectomy (Open or Robotic-assisted laparoscopic)
Dr. Scionti is an expert in ablation, or destruction of the tumor within the body using thermal energy (extreme heat or cold). He offers focal (targeted) treatments to patients whose disease is focal (involving one region). He also provides whole-gland ablation to those with multifocal prostate cancer. Having made the study of prostate cancer his life’s work, he is familiar with all treatment options, including radiation therapies and methods of prostatectomy (surgical removal). Thus, he is able to guide patients to the treatment that will best meet their needs. Learn more about How We Treat Prostate Cancer.