Select Page

2024

The When and How of Post-Ablation Surveillance

The When and How of Post-Ablation Surveillance

Posted by | Aug 2024

Soroush Rais-Bahrami, MD, provides a detailed examination of the timing and methodologies for post-ablation surveillance in prostate cancer care. His discussion emphasizes the critical importance of effective monitoring to ensure the success of ablative therapies and the early detection of any recurrence or progression of the disease.

Dr. Rais-Bahrami outlines the primary goals of post-ablation surveillance, including assessing treatment efficacy, identifying complications, and detecting residual or recurrent disease. He discusses various imaging modalities used in post-ablation surveillance, with multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) playing a central role. Dr. Rais-Bahrami also addresses the utility of PET-CT scans, particularly PSMA PET-CT. In addition to imaging, Dr. Rais-Bahrami highlights serum biomarkers, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA), in surveillance protocols. He also discusses the timing of surveillance to ensure the detection of any issues and allow for prompt intervention.

Read More
Early Continence Recovery After Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy: The Role of Prostatic Shape

Early Continence Recovery After Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy: The Role of Prostatic Shape

Posted by | Aug 2024

Pierluigi Bove, MD, explores the role of prostatic shape in continence preservation and recovery after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Dr. Bove begins with a review of the key preoperative anatomical landmarks and how they inform surgical strategy.

Dr. Bove presents data supporting the relationship between preoperative Membranous Urethral Length (MUL,) bladder neck preservation, prostatic shape, and continence recovery post-RARP. He notes that preserving as much of the MUL and bladder neck as possible led to significantly higher rates of continence. Additionally, he notes that prostates with no membranous urethral overlap, or “apple-shaped” prostates, had the best urinary continence recovery.

Dr. Bove concludes by presenting video examples of RARP surgical strategies which preserve/ promote continence recovery. He presents common complications during RARP and examples of how his institution has compensated for them.

Read More
The Prostate Cancer Proteome

The Prostate Cancer Proteome

Posted by | Aug 2024

Paul Boutros, PhD, MBA, gives a talk on the under-explored prostate cancer proteome. Dr. Boutros discusses proteomics by delving into five reasons why they are a useful tool. His talk focuses on these reasons and he goes into detail about each one. They include the fact that proteins are the actual function units of the central dogma, they are far more diverse than RNA, they have not been looked at in much detail yet, they are abundant in urine and they have immense dynamic range. His talk then goes on to cover what tissue proteomics look like, how the proteome relates to other things we care about such as MRI visibility and urinary proteomics. He ends the talk by going over some of the caveats and reasons that proteomics might not work. Overall proteomics are incredibly complex and few have the skills to properly analyze, but it remains a major opportunity to move forward in the field.

Read More
Assessing and Managing Metabolic Risk in Patients with Prostate Cancer

Assessing and Managing Metabolic Risk in Patients with Prostate Cancer

Posted by | Aug 2024

Robert H. Eckel, MD, FAHA, FACC, FNLA, presents a high-level overview of the assessment of metabolic risk in patients with prostate cancer. He begins with a summary of the known metabolic risks associated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) in prostate cancer management.

Dr. Eckel then presents data on the changes in patient body composition which result from 12 weeks of ADT. He notes that while weight does not significantly change in patients being treated with ADT, he reviews the impact of changes in insulin resistance, waist circumference, and other factors which contribute to metabolic syndrome.

He concludes by examining racial disparities in those who develop metabolic syndrome after being treated with ADT for prostate cancer. He presents a short questionnaire that urologists can use to assess ongoing risk during ADT.

Read More
Integration of Histology, Genomics and Proteomics with MRI

Integration of Histology, Genomics and Proteomics with MRI

Posted by | Aug 2024

Steven S. Raman, MD, explores how histology, genomics, and proteomics with MRI revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Histology provides critical insights into the pathological features of prostate cancer; genomics offers a deeper understanding of the genetic mutations and alterations that drive cancer progression; and proteomics sheds light on the protein expressions and interactions that occur within the tumor microenvironment. Raman asserts that each modality, while powerful on its own, gains significance when integrated with MRI prostate imaging.

He elaborates on the technological advancements and methodological innovations that facilitate this integration. Raman highlights how multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) can be augmented with molecular data from histology, genomics, and proteomics to create a more comprehensive and nuanced diagnostic picture. Recent studies show significant improvements in the detection, characterization, and monitoring of prostate cancer, leading to more personalized and effective treatment strategies.

Read More

Join the GRU Community

- Why Join? -