A New Year, A New Prostate Center in Boston

The year 2012 is a significant one for my clinical practice. I am truly excited to launch the Scionti Prostate Center of Boston, in affiliation with prestigious Mass Bay Urology.  In joining the Mass Bay Urology practice, I have the perfect opportunity to maintain my international work in state-of-the-art prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment as I pursue my vision of improving the field. For those who are familiar with my work at NYU's Joel E. Smilow Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Center, I am continuing my appointment there.

I am proud of the level of personal care I bring to my patients.

As I treat prostate cancer successfully with minimally invasive therapies, I also take into account the lifestyle considerations of each and every patient.  I understand that it is not enough to control the cancer. It is equally important to preserve urinary and sexual function.

Thus, I provide minimally invasive image-guided treatments using thermal ablation, or destruction of tumors within the body by extreme heat or cold. Because we are now able to identify very early cancers of the prostate, ablation has rapidly gained ground among lower risk patients who can't have or do not wish surgical prostate removal or any form of radiation (beam and seed implants), nor do they want the psychological uncertainty of Active Surveillance or Watchful Waiting. And of course, ablation has a track record with higher risk tumors comparable-and in some cases superior-to that of surgery.

What is the key to successful treatment? It is matching the appropriate therapy to the cancer, and choosing an experienced and proven clinician. Not only have I treated nearly 2000 men using ablation, I am also proud of the fact that I am a leader in a revolutionary approach to diagnosis that makes it possible to do just that.  I can literally tailor the treatment to the patient, thanks to the use of sophisticated MRI Ultrasound fusion imaging technology that enables me to target only the suspicious area for biopsy, instead of taking scattered biopsies throughout the gland. In other words, I can take fewer biopsy samples because I can "see" the precise area of suspicion even when it is too small to be seen by ultrasound alone.
In addition to identifying precise tumor location, I submit the tissue samples for deep analysis at the molecular level. Not only am I able to evaluate the stage and grade of the tumor, but I have laboratory information on the cell line itself. Literally, no two patients have exactly the same disease, so I do not take a "one size fits all" approach to treatment. Why take the chance of undertreating an aggressive tumor? Or overtreating a low-risk one?

Thus, I strive to apply a personal touch to my patients' bodies, minds and spirits.  I hope you will take time to review the patient stories on my website.  Meanwhile, I am grateful for the opportunity to bring my history with Cryotherapy and HIFU, my expertise with innovative diagnostic technology, and my forward-looking vision to the excellent team at Mass Bay Urology.