Urological Institute of NENY Introduces New High Tech Prostate Imaging and Biopsy to Upstate, NY

ALBANY, NY (09/04/2014)(readMedia)-- A new test now available at the Urological Institute of Northeastern New York, a practice of Community Care Physicians, PC, can better pinpoint trouble spots in the prostate resulting in a more precise biopsy and accurate prostate cancer diagnosis. The DynaCAD for Prostate software with the UroNav image fusion system is a powerful new technology that uses a combination of MRI and ultrasound for analysis, planning and targeted biopsy of the prostate. Unlike traditional biopsies that take multiple blind samples, UroNav allows the Urological Institute's uro-oncologists to specifically target the suspicious areas identified on the MRI.

The new UroNav biopsy is a three step process. First, an especially powerful MRI (3-Tesla) is performed at the Community Care Physicians' Image Care Medical Imaging facility. It provides the best possible delineation of prostate anatomy and the suspicious areas are analyzed by computer-assisted diagnostic software and outlined as "targets". Then, the prostate ultrasound images are "fused or merged" with the MRI images with the help of UroNav machine to produce a real-time 3-D rendering of the prostate and the suspicious areas or "targets" within the prostate. Finally, prostate biopsy is performed under the guidance of a GPS satellite-like tracker which hovers over the patient's body and detects the position, angle and depth of the biopsy needle used to perform the biopsy. The system provides active navigation of the biopsy needle to the targets of interest and guarantees more precise tissue sampling.

"The traditional biopsy technique relies only on the ultrasound for 'random sampling' of the prostate, a technique now referred to by some as 'blinded' biopsy," explains Dr. Badar Mian, Uro-oncologist at the Urological Institute of Northeastern New York. "Because prostate cancer is most often not visible on the ultrasound, it can be a hit or miss proposition. Further, the traditional imaging and detection cannot differentiate between slow-moving and aggressive prostate cancers," says Dr. Mian.

The Urological Institute's combination of cutting edge technologies has a number of benefits including fewer needle samples, better rate of cancer detection, fewer repeat biopsies, avoidance of unnecessary treatment, and less aggressive treatment with fewer side effects.

Dr. Mian explains, "the biggest controversy in the field of prostate cancer is that our traditional approach can results in detection and (over-) treatment of many slow- moving, non-lethal prostate cancers in order to save the lives of those with deadly cancers. The MRI-guided, UroNav targeted biopsy improves the detection of lethal form of prostate cancers while avoiding detection of slow-moving, relatively harmless cancers. This is the most significant technological advance in the field of prostate cancer in over a decade, and it's poised to become the new standard for prostate cancer detection."

The Urological Institute of Northeastern New York is the only center in the Capital District and one of the very few centers in the world to provide these cutting edge diagnostic procedures to patients. The combination of computerized diagnostics and UroNav targeting, gives Community Care Physicians' uro-oncologists and radiologists the ability to offer unprecedented precision and accuracy of diagnostic procedures to its patients.

"Community Care Physicians' introduction of MR/ultrasound fusion biopsy could not have come at a more opportune time," says Dr. Mian.

Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer has become the most common form of cancer in American men and the second-leading cause of cancer death in this population. As 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.* Patients can call The Urological Institute of Northeastern New York for more information about UroNav and MR/ultrasound fusion at 518-262-0178.

About Community Care Physicians, P.C.

Community Care Physicians, P.C. is the largest independent multi-specialty medical group with over 40 practices spanning Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties of the Capital Region. Community Care Physicians offers over 20 different specialty services, including Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatric Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, ImageCare Medical Imaging, Image Guided Radiation Therapy, Interventional Radiology, General Surgery, Urology, Physical Therapy, Urgent Care, Podiatry, Laboratory, Audiology, Dermatology and MOHS Surgery, Diabetes Education and Nutrition, Sports Medicine, Occupational Medicine, Bariatric Medicine, and Plastic Surgery. For more information visit www.communitycare.com.

* American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), 2013

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Contact Alexis Musto, Marketing Manager at Community Care Physicians, PC, for more information or interviews by email at amusto@communitycare.com or by phone at 518-213-0322.