The Prostate Health Podcast

There is a new treatment option available now that can precisely target prostate lesions with electrical pulses, while helping preserve sexual function and urinary control. Whether you or a loved one has prostate disease, or you are a urologist considering this technology for your practice, you will not want to miss today's discussion on this innovative new option.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, so we have a special episode today to kick it off. We are excited to welcome the distinguished urologist, Dr. Spencer Krane, to the Prostate Health Podcast. Dr. Krane is the Chief of Urology at the US Department of Veterans Affairs in New Orleans, Louisiana. He specializes in personalized medicine for patients with urologic malignancies, aiming to use new biomarkers, genomic classifications, epigenetic signatures, and advanced imaging modalities, including MRI-guided prostate biopsies, to offer his patients individualized care that improves cancer outcomes while minimizing therapy side effects.

Dr. Krane has published extensively in urologic journals, and his work was selected to provide guidelines for urologic care. He has 50 peer-reviewed articles in national and international journals and has presented his work internationally, from Chile and Rome to Taiwan, as well as across the United States. We are excited to welcome him today to share his experience with the innovative new NanoKnife system as a treatment option for men with prostate tumors.

It is exciting to see ongoing innovation in the technology we have available for men with prostate tumors. For the appropriate candidates, this minimally invasive option offers precise targeting of the lesion while helping preserve both sexual function and urinary control.

Pertinent disclosure for today's episode – Dr. Krane is a paid consultant for AngioDynamics, Inc., which manufactures and sells the NanoKnife System. The views, information, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of Dr. Krane, and does not necessarily represent those of AngioDynamics, Inc., its affiliates, or subsidiaries.

Show Highlights:

• Dr. Krane reviews the concept of targeted focal therapy and explains what the NanoKnife system is

• Who is an ideal candidate for irreversible electroporation with the NanoKnife system?

• The advantages and features of the NanoKnife system

• Does prostate size or shape limit the candidacy for IRE with the NanoKnife system?

• Would prostate anatomies on the MRI or biopsy exclude a patient from NanoKnife therapy?

• Dr. Krane explains how long it takes to resolve the initial decrease in sexual ability after NanoKnife therapy.

• Why many patients experience improved urinary function in the long term after having NanoKnife therapy

• Dr. Krane clarifies the time it takes to resolve the initial decrease in sexual ability after being treated with NanoKnife therapy.

Links:

Follow Dr. Pohlman on Twitter and Instagram - @gpohlmanmd.

Today, our guest is Tom, a 67-year-old retired senior executive who found it challenging to get an accurate diagnosis and find effective treatment for his enlarged prostate. Frustrated by his limited options and with a growing sense of mistrust, he consulted with several providers before realizing he needed the guidance of a prostate health coach.

Tom retired as a senior IT executive with over 40 years of experience leading transformative technology strategies to drive business growth for global organizations. He led global IT initiatives for Fortune 500 companies across various industries, including financial services, retail, media, manufacturing, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.

It is hardly surprising that Tom struggled with an enlarged prostate, since 70% of men over the age of 60 suffer from BPH. We are excited to have him on the podcast today to discuss his BPH experience and share how the Prostate Health Academy gave him the tools and confidence he needed to navigate his treatment process.

Stay tuned for more!

Disclaimer: The Prostate Health Podcast is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be construed as medical advice. By listening to the podcast, no physician-patient relationship has been formed. For more information and counseling, you must contact your personal physician or urologist with questions about your unique situation.

Show Highlights:

• The symptoms Tom had been dealing with

• How his symptoms disrupted his day-to-day life

• Why the symptoms of BPH are abnormal, and you should not accept them as a part of aging

• Why BPH treatment options must be individualized to fit the anatomy and symptoms of each patient

• How the Prostate Health Academy empowered Tom by providing valuable resources and a community of like-minded individuals

• How the Prostate Health Academy helped Tom make an informed decision about his treatment options and find a urologist offering a range of non-invasive BPH treatments

• Tom shares his experience with the financial burden of having unnecessary tests.

• How a prostate health coach helps you navigate the results of your tests and make sense of the findings

• Why Tom opted for Aquablation therapy after finding a doctor who met his needs

Links:

Follow Dr. Pohlman on Twitter and Instagram - @gpohlmanmd.

We are delighted to partner with Western Radiation Oncology today, with two of their distinguished radiation oncologists joining us on the Prostate Health Podcast.

LDR (Low Dose Rate) prostate brachytherapy has recently been an underutilized treatment for prostate cancer. However, advancements in modern techniques have demonstrated that LDR brachytherapy, a procedure that can be performed quite easily in an ambulatory surgery center, offers high cure rates with minimal long-term complications, making it a convenient, non-invasive option for men with prostate cancer.

Today, we chat with Dr. Steven Kurtzman and Dr. Ankit Agarwal, two distinguished radiation oncologists working to expand access to LDR brachytherapy by partnering with urologists to establish new programs across the United States.

Drs. Kurtzman and Agarwal are national leaders in targeted real-time intraoperative planned brachytherapy. With over 7,000 implants performed in the past two decades and more than 700 procedures conducted annually, they have managed to preserve this specialized technique despite its limited expansion in recent years. Based primarily in the Bay Area, California, they provide exceptional cancer care while collaborating with urologists, medical oncologists, and prostate cancer specialists across the United States to assist in establishing LDR programs in ambulatory surgery centers nationwide to provide high-quality prostate cancer care.

Tune in to learn more about this promising treatment option!

Disclaimer: The Prostate Health Podcast is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be construed as medical advice. By listening to the podcast, no physician-patient relationship has been formed. For more information and counseling, you must contact your personal physician or urologist with questions about your unique situation.

Show Highlights:

• Who are the most viable candidates for LDR brachytherapy?

• How the treatments for low, intermediate, and high-risk prostate cancer patients differ

• The benefits of a combination of brachytherapy and external beam radiation for high-risk prostate cancer patients

• How factors like urinary function, bowel function, and prostate size can influence men's eligibility for LDR brachytherapy

• Why prostate size is no longer a limitation for brachytherapy treatment

• How is the LDR brachytherapy procedure performed?

• What can patients expect in terms of recovery and side effects following brachytherapy?

• Post-therapy safety precautions

Links:

Follow Dr. Pohlman on Twitter and Instagram - @gpohlmanmd

Prostate cancer screening is an essential aspect of men's health, and current advancements in testing are making early detection more precise than ever before.

While the PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test has long been the standard, it has limitations and may lead to unnecessary biopsies. The new EpiSwitch PSE test helps differentiate between high and low prostate cancer risks. With an impressive 94% accuracy rate, the EpiSwitch PSE test empowers patients and physicians to make informed decisions.

In this episode, Dr. Garrett Pohlman explores the latest innovations in prostate cancer screening, focusing on the EpiSwitch PSE blood test.

Stay tuned to discover the benefits of the new EpiSwitch PSE test and learn how precision medicine is reshaping prostate cancer management for men.

Disclaimer: The Prostate Health Podcast is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be construed as medical advice. By listening to the podcast, no physician-patient relationship has been formed. For more information and counseling, you must contact your personal physician or urologist with questions about your unique situation.

Show Highlights:

• What are the limitations of the PSA test?

• How the EpiSwitch PSE test can predict the risk of prostate cancer with 94% accuracy

• How prostate cancer biomarkers help to identify the likelihood of prostate cancer

• How the EpiSwitch PSE test can provide a more accurate assessment of prostate cancer risk

• How the EpiSwitch PSE test can help men avoid unnecessary biopsies

• The clinical applications of the EpiSwitch PSE test and how it can be used alongside a standard PSA test to improve accuracy

• How the EpiSwitch PSE test requires just two milliliters of blood

• How even patients who have undergone recent BPH procedures or are on 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can use the EpiSwitch PSE test

• Why the EpiSwitch PSE test is more accurate than PSA testing

• Why men need to be aware of their PSA numbers and consider additional testing if they have an elevated PSA

Pertinent disclosures for this episode:

Dr. Garrett Pohlman is a Consultant for Oxford BioDynamics

Links:

Follow Dr. Pohlman on Twitter and Instagram - @gpohlmanmd

We are thrilled to partner with Laborie to bring you this episode of the Prostate Health Podcast.

In Episode 91, we introduced the Optilume® procedure, a cutting-edge new solution for an enlarged prostate, or BPH, that requires no heating, cutting, or permanent implantation. Today, we bring you the story of how Dr. Sijo Parekattil, a leading urologist specializing in cutting-edge treatments for men with BPH, was approached by Vinit, his closest friend, who was struggling with the effects of an enlarged prostate.

Dr. Sijo Parekattil is the Director of Avant Concierge Urology in Winter Garden, Florida, and an Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Central Florida. He was an electrical engineer before undergoing his medical training, and he was fascinated by surgical techniques incorporating technology, robotics, and microsurgery.

Dr. Parekattil completed his urology residency training at Albany Medical Center and dual fellowship training in laparoscopy, robotic surgery, microsurgery, and male infertility at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland. He is among the elite urologists in the United States still positioned at the forefront of new technology, particularly for managing benign prostate enlargement.

We are delighted to have Dr. Parekattil and his close friend, Vinit, joining us on the podcast today and have Vinit share his prostate journey with our listeners. Stay tuned to learn about his experience undergoing the innovative new Optilume® BPH procedure.

Disclaimer: The Prostate Health Podcast is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be construed as medical advice. By listening to the podcast, no physician-patient relationship has been formed. For more information and counseling, you must contact your personal physician or urologist with questions about your unique situation.

Show Highlights:

• Vinit explains the symptoms he experienced that began to affect his quality of life

• Dr. Parekattil discusses the tests he performed to obtain more information about Vinit 's condition

• Vinit shares his experience of the initial testing

• How they selected a treatment option for Vinit

• What is Optilume® BPH, and how does it work?

• How Vinit ended up becoming Dr. Parekattil's first Optilume®BPH patient

• Vinit shares his experience with the Optilume® BPH procedure

• Vinit describes his recovery after the Optilume® BPH procedure

• Vinit explains how his prostate journey began

Links:

Follow Dr. Pohlman on Twitter and Instagram - @gpohlmanmd