reading & research

Landmark clinical study shows MRgFUS effective for bone mets pain.

A Landmark Study on Palliation of Bone Mets PainWhen a primary cancer such as cancer of the breast, prostate or lung spreads to the bone (bone mets), treatment strategies become complex. In today’s world of oncology, better systemic chemotherapies can add months and even years to a patient’s life; in addition, local cancer control of […] KEEP READING

Understanding cartilage increases awareness of its importance.

What You Should Know About CartilageOne of the most fascinating components of the human body is cartilage, an incredibly versatile material. Trying to describe cartilage is like the six blind men who try to figure out what an elephant is: “The elephant is like a pillar,” said the man who touched his leg. “Oh no! […] KEEP READING

Essential tremor gets worse in stressful situations.

How Stress Makes Essential Tremor WorseEssential tremor (ET) is the most common form of uncontrollable rhythmic shaking, though it is sometimes misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. The involuntary trembling results from abnormal communication between certain areas of the brain (cerebellum, thalamus, and brain stem). It is estimated that 10 million Americans suffer from ET, though many […] KEEP READING

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Reducing False Positives on MRI

No one is perfect, including radiologists who read and interpret multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) prostate scans. However, some are better than others. Studies show that experienced readers are generally more accurate than less experienced readers. In fact, based on the number of MRIs reviewed over time as well as continuing education (conferences, training workshops, classes, etc.), […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence, Prostate imaging

AI Can Change Your Treatment Plan—and Maybe Your Life

What’s the secret to the perfect treatment plan for prostate cancer (PCa)? It’s YOU, it’s YOUR tumor and YOUR anatomy. No two patients have identical disease in identical bodies. Thus, the perfect treatment plan is the one tailor-made for YOUR PCa. Therefore, it’s essential that your doctor has as much accurate information as possible about […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence, Prostate imaging

Time to Integrate AI into MRI? Debate Continues

These days it seems like the pace of living is continually ramping up. As one blogger expresses, “We live in a culture of hurry, which assumes that doing something more quickly is always better than doing it more slowly. At the root of that is a veneration of productivity: the more quickly you can do […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence, Prostate imaging

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Increasing Uses of Artificial Intelligence in the Prostate Cancer World

Two academics teamed up to write an elegant review of four areas in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making increasing contributions to the world of prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis and treatment planning. One hails from the East Coast, the other from the West Coast. First, Dr. James B. Yu is a radiation oncologist in Hartford, […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence, Prostate imaging

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Can Artificial Medicine Have True Humanity?

When it comes to making decisions, do you consider yourself a head or heart person? According to a psychology article, “… a heart-based thinking style is intuitive (‘follow your heart’), whereas a head based thinking style is rational (‘use your head’).”[i] Both styles are among the many traits that are part of being a well-rounded […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Predicting Which Patients Benefit from ADT

Advanced prostate cancer (PCa) threatens to shorten a man’s life. Advanced means PCa is no longer contained in the gland but is still within the prostate bed and groin lymph nodes. In such cases, prostatectomy is generally not done. The rationale is to avoid putting a patient through surgery with no hope of cure, yet […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence, Prostate imaging

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: AI Confounded by Contaminated Prostate Cancer Tissue

I’ve posted numerous blogs on the promising applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the medical world. Early research and development of Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) show results that offer accuracy rivaling that of humans, and speed/efficiency no human can begin to approach. This all sounds glorious! However, as AI tools have become […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence, Prostate imaging

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: How One Doctor Uses AI For Prostate Cancer

Starting over a decade ago, I collaborated on research into MRI imaging features that lend themselves to Artificial Intelligence training sets for the detection/diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). As an early AI contributor, I’m always happy to learn how other PCa physicians integrate AI into their practice. I was delighted when CancerNetwork (home of the […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence, Prostate imaging

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: AI Advances in Diagnosing Prostate Cancer

“Artificial intelligence systems can be trained to detect and grade cancer in prostate needle biopsy samples at a level comparable to experts.” So says a Urology Today report on the uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa). An overview of progress in AI applications was presented by Dr. Peter Humphrey (Professor of […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Machine Learning Helps with PI-RADS Literature Review

At the Sperling Prostate Center we strive to stay abreast of published studies in our field of prostate MRI. There are so many areas to stay on top of. To name just a few: Advances in MRI parameters like Diffusion Weighted Imaging or Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Comparing in-bore MRI guidance vs. fusion guidance for prostate […] CONTINUE

CATEGORY:: Artificial Intelligence