New online model identifies which men can have fewer biopsies on active surveillance

This study underscores the important research that is ongoing to help minimize invasive procedures for clinically localized prostate cancer in men who opt for active surveillance,” said Dr. Marc Garnick, the Gorman Brothers Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and editor in chief of HarvardProstateKnowledge.org. Garnick added that in his practice, patients who have completely stable repeat biopsies for several years, as well as stable prostate MRI studies, are followed with a combination of “PSA values, physical exam, presence or absence of urinary symptoms, and periodic MRI studies.” Under these conditions, additional biopsies are considered if findings from these other tests suggest an increase in cancer activity. The new predictive model, Garnick added, “should provide data that can help inform this decision, with the hope and anticipation that longer-term research will continue to justify less frequent biopsies.” The post New online model identifies which men can have fewer biopsies on active surveillance appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Living With Prostate Cancer Prostate Knowledge HPK Source Type: blogs