Urologic Oncology (Cancer)

Dr. Christopher Barbieri was interviewed as a co-senior author on new prostate cancer research from Weill Cornell Medicine & colleagues, regarding the interpretation of PSA levels in patients with the SPOP prostate cancer subtype.

"These findings are counterintuitive," said co-senior author Dr. Christopher Barbieri, an assistant professor of urology at Weill Cornell Medicine. "In general, if your PSA is higher, the cancer is more dangerous. However, this study found that tumors associated with a high PSA and SPOP mutations were less dangerous."

Richard Hayden is a quick-witted 80-year-old living in Manhattan. He enjoys being healthy and active; taking advantage of all that New York City has to offer during his retired years.

Earlier this year, during a routine visit with his primary care physician, he was told that his prostate-specific antigen (referred to as "PSA") levels were abnormally high. Richard was then referred to Dr. Loo, a urologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. After several more blood tests, Dr. Loo became concerned about the potential of prostate cancer.

If you've been diagnosed with prostate cancer, determining your treatment plan can be stressful and overwhelming. There is no single "best" course of action; it depends on you, your lifestyle goals, and your specific type of cancer.

Prostate cancer can be treated with active surveillance, radiation therapy, medical & hormone therapies, surgery, and various ablation procedures such as cryotherapy. Prostate cancer specialists, such as the Urologic Oncologists at Weill Cornell Medicine, will help you customize the right treatment plan for you.

Christopher Barbieri, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Urology and in Cell & Developmental Biology at Weill Cornell Medicine, was interviewed by the Prostate Cancer Foundation on active surveillance for prostate cancer patients. He addresses many of the common questions that patients and providers ask regarding eligibility for active surveillance and treatment protocol.

In January 2018, the Prostate Cancer Foundation recognized the developments of PSMA radionuclide therapy as one of the top 5 research stories of 2017, highlighting the recent work from Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Urology as a driving force behind this effort.