Prostate Health Archive

A 2023 study confirms prior research showing that men with low testosterone levels who use testosterone replacement therapy for 14 months are not at a higher risk for prostate cancer over the following several years.

Minimally invasive surgery to remove the prostate gland is generally very well tolerated, but there can be complications, as in the case of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this year. A Harvard-affiliated urologist answers questions about the possibility of such complications.

Infections after a prostate biopsy are rare, but they do occur. There are two ways to perform such a biopsy, with the one at higher risk of infection more common in the US. Researchers conducted a trial designed to compare the safety of the two methods.

Men with advanced prostate cancer are typically treated with hormonal treatments followed by chemotherapy, but a recent study evaluated the potential of a treatment that uses radioactive particles injected into the body.

When prostate cancer recurs after initial treatment, doctors typically treat it with hormonal therapies. But results from a large clinical trial show that a different medication (or combination of two medications) is a better approach.

Many men diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer follow active surveillance, in which they regularly follow up with a doctor for routine PSA tests, prostate biopsies, and possibly MRI scans. If there is evidence their cancer has progressed, then they can consider treatment (radiation or surgery). While there is little men can do to slow the growth of known low-grade prostate cancer, losing excess weight and keeping it off may help keep undetected high- or medium-grade cancer from becoming more aggressive.

A transurethral resection of the prostate is considered the gold-standard treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. But newer, less invasive procedures offer faster recovery times and fewer risks of complications. Earlier this year another new procedure won the FDA's approval.

A new technique for prostate cancer treatment can limit side effects from radiation therapy. It relies on specialized types of medical imaging scans that allow doctors to visualize the cancer during treatment.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening can help identify early prostate cancer, but it also can lead men to have biopsies and invasive treatments they may not need. This complexity has caused the medical community to re-evaluate how best to use PSA testing. More doctors are using PSA screening in ways that minimize the use of biopsies, such as by following a worrisome test result with MRI of the prostate. If a man does have a biopsy and a cancer is found, PSA testing can help the man follow active surveillance.

In some men with localized prostate cancer, focal therapy is an alternative to radical prostatectomy. This procedure removes only the cancerous part of the gland, and growing evidence shows it can be an effective strategy.