http://www.roboticoncology.com: Prostate Cancer Treatment Expert Dr. David Samadi, MD Discusses American Cancer Society Report On Cancer Rates Falling

News provided by

Jul 12, 2010, 01:29 ET

NEW YORK, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cancer Society (ACS) recently announced that the number of deaths due to cancer is continuously falling in the nation, due to early detection, advanced treatment and prevention. Dr. David Samadi, Chief of the Division of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City applauds the nation's commitment to prevention of prostate cancer death. A longtime advocate of frequent screening and early detection, Dr. Samadi feels a proactive approach is best, especially with prostate cancer.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100712/NY33615LOGO )

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100712/NY33615LOGO )

According to the ACS, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. The goal of the ACS is to "increase access to cancer prevention, early detection and treatment services," a goal that Dr. Samadi shares and implements in his prostate cancer treatment practice. He has always encouraged regular prostate cancer screenings for men over the age of 50, or over the age of 40 for those men with a family history of prostate cancer.

The ACS reported that the downfall began in the early 1990's and has reduced the cancer death rate by 767,000 in the past 20 years. The death rate dropped two percent a year from 2001 to 2006 for men. "These improvements are largely due to awareness, advances in technology and surgical experience," said Dr. Samadi. With minimally invasive robotic prostatectomies, Samadi claims a cure rate of over 95 percent, along with reduced complications such as impotence and incontinence.

This report from the ACS conflicts with previous ACS statements whereby screening guidelines might have been exaggerated. The ACS subsequently stated that screening should continue to be done, but patients need to understand that current screening methods are not certain. Dr. Samadi acknowledges that there is no perfect screening method for prostate cancer. However, he continues to advocate prostate cancer screening, particularly in men with known risk factors.

In his practice, Dr. Samadi takes a patient's prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and combines it with digital rectal exams and Gleason scores test to conducts an individualized analysis of his patients in order to diagnose cancer and prescribe the optimal treatment. "I believe in prostate cancer screening and treatment because it's effective," said Samadi. "And when it comes to a disease known as a "silent killer" a proactive approach is always best."

www.RoboticOncology.com