Category Archives: urology

Screening recommendations change for prostate cancer — here’s why

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

BY JIM HOWE Whether to screen a man for prostate cancer should involve a discussion with his doctor and, possibly, a simple blood test, a federal advisory panel says. Draft guidelines released this spring from the influential U.S. Preventive Services … Continue reading →

Posted in aging/geriatrics, cancer, health care, men's health, research, sexuality, urology | Tagged , , , ,

Removing a hidden cancer: Surgeon avoided nerves when he removed prostate; patient – and wife – are thankful

Posted on March 20, 2017 by

BY AMBER SMITH Prostate cancer usually grows slowly. Unfortunately, Patrick Young’s cancer was aggressive, and furtive. It hid itself around the top side of his prostate, in the back, where a biopsy needle would be unlikely to reach. Fortunately, Patrick … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, men's health, patient story, sexuality, surgery, technology, urology | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Revealing research: Kidney tumor analysis helps decipher proteins’ role in cancer development

Posted on March 9, 2017 by

BY AMBER SMITH Some of the tumors Gennady Bratslavsky, MD, removes from patients’ kidneys are no bigger than olives. Some are the size of watermelons. Since July 2014, many have ended up in the laboratory of Bratslavsky’s research partner, Mehdi … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, genetics, kidney/renal/nephrology, research, urology | Tagged ,

What might $50,000 help discover?

Posted on December 7, 2016 by

  BY AMBER SMITH Scientists think big, and long term. They measure progress incrementally, knowing that solutions are often years, decades, centuries in the making. Such dedication can bring society closer to finding cures for cancer, ways to prevent the … Continue reading →

Posted in bones/joints/orthopedics, cancer, drugs/medications/pharmacy, genetics, health care, illness, medical imaging/radiology, research, surgery, technology, urology, women's health/gynecology | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Why a kidney biopsy may be unnecessary

Posted on August 31, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH For decades, kidney experts believed that biopsies of the organ were not helpful in determining how to treat a small kidney tumor. Today, more doctors believe a biopsy helps guide treatment. It can – sometimes, says Gennady … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, illness, kidney/renal/nephrology, prevention/preventive medicine, research, urology

Have you seen the summer issue of Cancer Care magazine?

Posted on August 12, 2016 by

Welcome to Cancer Care magazine’s summer 2016 issue. Medical student Ogochukwu Ezeoke, smiling from our cover, aspires to a career in cancer research, and like many scientists she’s intrigued with the idea of using a patient’s immune system to fight … Continue reading →

Posted in bioethics & humanities, bones/joints/orthopedics, brain/spine/neurosurgery, cancer, dermatology/skin care, genetics, health care, history, kidney/renal/nephrology, research, surgery, urology, women's health/gynecology

Breast cancer gene also increases risk of prostate cancer

Posted on August 11, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the United States, the disease kills fewer than 3 percent of those diagnosed. It typically grows slowly, becoming deadly after it metastasizes, or spreads beyond … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, genetics, health care, HealthLink on Air, illness, men's health, prevention/preventive medicine, public health, research, urology, women's health/gynecology

It’s complicated: Gender reassignment operations sometimes require repairs

Posted on July 6, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH A surgeon skilled in reconstructive urology for men and women has developed a specialization in caring for transgender patients at Upstate. Dmitriy Nikolavsky, MD, does not perform initial gender reassignment surgeries. Rather, he handles occasional complications that … Continue reading →

Posted in health care, HealthLink on Air, patient story, sexuality, surgery, urology

Cancer’s accomplice: Targeting a protein to treat kidney cancer

Posted on June 10, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH A protein called Hsp90 chaperones cancer cells, allowing them to grow and thrive. Scientists around the world have been working with measured enthusiasm on how to disrupt Hsp90. This involves figuring out the mechanics of Hsp90, how … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, drugs/medications/pharmacy, health care, illness, kidney/renal/nephrology, research, urology | Tagged , , , ,

Can she outsmart a gene? Young scientist strives to influence prostate cancer cells

Posted on June 2, 2016 by

Once prostate cancer spreads, treatment usually includes hormones known as androgen deprivation therapy. “This shuts down testosterone production, which is effective for a while but associated with big quality-of-life costs,” explains Rebecca Sager, a fourth-year MD/PhD student at Upstate who … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, genetics, illness, men's health, research, sexuality, urology