Men's Health Archive

In the journals

Only a biopsy can determine for certain whether prostate cancer is present, but a new study suggests that using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help to better identify patients who are more likely to need a biopsy versus those who aren't.

The study, published online Feb. 22, 2018, by JAMA Oncology included 651 men screened for prostate cancer with blood tests and digital rectal exams. Everyone underwent three procedures: an MRI scan, a biopsy guided by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), and a biopsy guided by both MRI and TRUS.

Combining multiple forms of radiation therapy with hormone treatments lengthens survival in men with aggressive prostate cancer.

For men diagnosed with aggressive cancer that’s confined to the prostate and nearby tissues, the overarching goal of treatment is to keep the disease from spreading (or metastasizing) in the body. Doctors can treat these men with localized therapies, such as surgery and different types of radiation that target the prostate directly. And they can […]

Men whose PSA levels continue rising even after surgery or radiation therapy may have a new treatment option with the approval of the drug apalutamide.

In the journals

Men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer may benefit more from a shorter duration of hypofractionated radiation therapy (HRT) than from standard radiation therapy. With both types of radiation therapy, the total amount of radiation is given in multiple sessions over a set period. Compared with standard radiation therapy, HRT uses larger doses over a shorter period of time.

A study in the Nov. 4, 2017, European Urology Focus analyzed data of 3,553 men with prostate cancer, 65% of whom had intermediate-risk prostate cancer. The men were randomized to get either a one-month program of HRT or the standard radiation treatment regimen given over two months. After an average of five to six years, the intermediate-risk men who had HRT were less likely than men who got standard radiation therapy to have their prostate cancer return.

A newly approved drug called apalutamide is giving hope to thousands of men confronting a tenacious problem after being treated for prostate cancer. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels should plummet to zero after surgery, and to near zero after radiation therapy, but in some men, they continue rising even when there’s no other evidence of cancer […]

Men with prostate cancer that has spread outside the gland now have several newer drug options available for treatment, and research has found that taking any of them is likely to improve survival duration.

Depending on how you define the term, prostatitis affects 9% to 16% of men at some point in their lives. The term prostatitis, which means inflammation of the prostate, refers to a group of syndromes characterized by urinary problems such as burning or painful urination, urgency, and trouble voiding; difficult or painful ejaculation; and pain in the perineum or lower back. Although it causes some of the same symptoms as BPH and can occur at the same time, prostatitis is a separate condition.

Treating chronic prostatitis

If you have chronic prostatitis, treatment is highly individual and will depend on the type of symptoms that you have. Fortunately, there are many options, and with some trial and error, you may find one that works for you.

Urinary incontinence is more common in women, but men experience it too, particularly as they get older. Whether it’s urge incontinence or stress incontinence, there are strategies and treatments that can help.