Are there new methods to diagnose prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is one of the most important medical problems facing the male population. In addition to its high incidence, the increase in life expectancy in men aggravates the problem, so early diagnosis is very important. Digital rectal examination and PSA can raise suspicion of the presence of cancer, but the definitive diagnosis is made with a prostate biopsy. Many of the biopsies performed are negative, so it is important that there are markers that help urology specialists to identify those patients with a higher risk of cancer, in order to minimize unnecessary biopsies that may cause complications, bleeding or infections. In 2009 we introduced in our institute the PCA3, which allowed us to improve diagnosis, and recently we have incorporated 4Kscore, a new test that has allowed us to increase diagnostic efficiency.
4Kscore Test: what is it?
4Kscore Test is a blood test that allows us to evaluate the individual risk of the patient having an aggressive prostate cancer, which is the one that most worries both urologists and patients. The 4Kscore Test combines data from the determination of four substances in the blood (total PSA, free PSA, intact PSA and Human Kallikrein 2) together with the patient’s personal data: age, digital rectal examination result (not essential) and previous prostate biopsy (if available). These data, in comparison with those of more than 21,000 patients evaluated in previous studies, allow us to inform the patient of his individual risk of prostate cancer, guiding him and helping him to make the best decisions during diagnosis.
Is 4KScore Test scientifically proven?
4KScore Test has been studied in multiple clinical trials. The biomarkers used in the 4Kscore Test are based on more than 10 years of research conducted by scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the USA and leading centers in Europe. The results obtained have recently been confirmed in a study carried out in 26 Urology centers in the USA on 1,012 patients. They have shown that the test helps to identify a patient’s individual risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
Who can use the 4Kscore Test?
This test could help any man with a suspicion of prostate cancer, to know exactly the risk he has and thus weigh the need or not to perform a prostate biopsy. It is important to emphasize that the test does not replace the biopsy, since if the result suggests it, it should be performed to confirm or rule out the presence of cancer.
Are there any new therapeutic units?
We have recently created the Sexual Medicine Unit, replacing the Andrology Unit, which only treated male sexual dysfunctions. In this new unit we have not only incorporated professionals with a great deal of experience in the treatment of female sexual dysfunctions, but also professionals from other specialties, such as physiotherapists and clinical psychologists, who make it possible to address and treat all aspects of the different sexual dysfunctions, both male and female.
Adapting to the needs of patients we have added new treatments, such as genital beautification. In males we can offer improvements in penile length and girth, or correct incurvations. Female genital beautification techniques are based on the rejuvenation of the labia majora and minora, vaginal reduction and reconstruction of the hymen. In sexual impotence or erectile dysfunction we are validating the results of a new treatment based on shock waves that were originally used to treat stones.
We have also incorporated a Smoking Unit that helps patients (especially those who have had cancer) to quit smoking. As has been widely demonstrated, smoking causes a high percentage of tumors in many organs.
Finally, the Nutrition Unit not only treats obesity. In addition, we advise and control the diet of cancer patients, to help them to abandon bad eating habits that, as it has been demonstrated, worsen the evolution and growth of the tumor. Likewise, all patients with chronic renal insufficiency should be monitored periodically by a specialist in nutrition, since high protein intake has been shown to worsen the disease and accelerate the need for dialysis.