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Prostate Cancer
Are you a man between the age of 40 - 75yo, who is concerned about your health / wellbeing?
Does your wife or partner nag you to get a "mens check-up"?
Have you had a friend diagnosed or worse, pass away from prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer affects 1 in 5 men throughout their lifetime and 1 in 5 of those will die from the disease.
Many men avoid check ups through fear, embarrassment or worries about loss of manhood.
With the latest Urology Robotic techniques and penile rehabilitation therapies, Dr Elmes and his team at Gold Coast Urologist are able to maximise cancer treatment and minimise sexual side effects.
PSA TESTING POLICY SUMMARISED
- 50-70 y.o men
- Prostate blood test (PSA) + Prostate exam (DRE) annually
- 40-50 y.o men
- Prostate blood test (PSA) + Prostate exam (DRE) single test
- If positive family history (prostate or breast) OR
- If PSA > 0.6 (median)
Then annual testing should continue otherwise commence at 50yo.
Fortunately with the advent of the Prostate Specific Antigen or PSA blood test, these days 9 out of 10 men diagnosed with prostate cancer will have it confined to their prostate gland. Prostate cancer contained within the prostate gland only, is curable.
PSA testing should begin at age 40 to allow men to be stratified into a high risk or low risk group. The risk of prostate cancer increases as the PSA result increases:
PSA value Risk of Cancer
<2.0 12%
2.1-4.0 24%
4.1-10.0 40%
However there are many things which can be done to increase the chance of finding prostate cancer in an individual if it is present.
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Prostate examination
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Should be performed on all patients with 'normal' PSA as up to 25% of Prostate cancers will occur with a 'normal' PSA
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Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI)
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Most precise imaging modality of prostate gland and will identify 80% of clinically significant prostate cancers. It is most beneficial to detect those cancers that hide in difficult to feel regions of the prostate that maybe missed on prostate examination. Gold Coast Urologist Dr Elmes offers this advanced imaging to all of his patients.
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MRI targeted biopsies alone
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Solely targeting a lesion found on mpMRI will miss up to 20% of clinically significant prostate cancer which aren't found on mpMRI. This method will often result in multiple biopsies and may falsely reassure patients and delay their diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
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MRI targeted plus systematic template biopsies
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This is the best method of enhancing a patient's chance of finding prostate cancer if it is present. Dr Elmes and his team here at Gold Coast Urologist perform these routinely as well as further biopsies for larger prostates. This increases the chance of finding clinically significant prostate cancer to 98%.
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Transperineal Prostate biopsy
Dr Elmes performs almost all biopsies this way because:
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of the better chance of finding cancer in the first biopsy thus avoiding subsequent biopsies and unnecessary delay
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lower risk of infection or blood poisoning
Don't wait around until it is too late...
A simple blood test (PSA) & a prostate exam may prevent you this suffering!
Please contact us now for your prostate treatment and care (07) 5575 7922.
You can also visit our www.prostatesurgeon.com.au sit for more information about prostate cancer diagnosis and treate