Minimally Invasive Surgery to Treat BPH

Serving the University of Central Florida as an assistant professor of surgery and Health Orlando Inc. as a physician, urologist Dr. Sarat Sabharwal has been treating patients with urologic conditions for more than 20 years. As a seasoned urologist, Dr. Sarat Sabharwal has a special interest in minimally invasive surgery.

Minimally invasive surgery is one of the many options for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, which occurs in men. It is the enlargement of the prostate, during which time the prostate presses against the urethra. In response, the walls of the bladder become thicker. This weakens the bladder and makes it unable to fully empty the urine. A severe case of BPH may cause the inability to urinate, thereby requiring emergency treatment.

As a medical therapy to treat BPH, minimally invasive surgery is done outpatient and requires minimal anesthesia. There are five different types of minimally invasive surgeries to choose from, and with the guidance of a physician, a patient may choose from any of these procedures depending on the size of the prostate and present health condition.

One of the most notable benefits of minimally invasive surgery in treating BPH is symptom relief. Most men who have undergone the procedure reported fewer problems with urination.

Minimally invasive surgery is recommended for patients with moderate to severe symptoms of BPH, including those who have taken oral medicines to treat BPH but did not respond.

Urine Analysis Technique Identifies Aggressive Childhood Kidney Cancer

Childhood Kidney Cancer
Image: webmd.com

Based in Kissimmee, Florida, Dr. Sarat Sabharwal provides patient-centered care for kidney, prostate, and urinary tract conditions at Health Orlando. Dr. Sarat Sabharwal has a strong foundational knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of kidney tumors and stays informed on developments in the field.

Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recently found a biomarker that, when present in the urine of children with Wilms’ tumor at elevated levels, indicates the need for more aggressive treatment approaches.

Wilms’ tumor is the most prevalent kidney cancer type among young patients, and nearly 90 percent of children can be cured through a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Unfortunately, in the cases where the cancer returns following therapy, treatment can be much more challenging.

The newly discovered biomarker, discovered through proteomics molecular analysis, is important in that it can help ensure that those children who require more than standard treatment are singled out and effectively treated. It also provides vital information on the role of prohibitin in treatment resistance, which may enable new drugs to be developed that block this Wilms’ tumor effect.

Research Points to Kinase Blocking Approach for Prostate Cancer

Practicing at Health Orlando in Florida, Sarat Sabharwal, MD, emphasizes quality care for patients requiring treatment for conditions such as kidney and prostate tumors. Dr. Sarat Sabharwal has extensive knowledge of the symptoms and causes of prostate cancer, and stays informed on new trials studying potential treatments of the disease.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center recently conducted a mice model study that involved blocking a specific kinase and initiating a chain reaction that eliminates prostate cancer cells that have spread and are resistant to standard therapies.

With androgen deprivation therapy a standard approach to fighting prostate cancer, patients typically become resistant to the drug used, which allows the cancer to spread. A driver of this cancer growth is androgen receptor (AR), which works in tandem with Med-1.

Through targeting the kinase CDK7, which is described as Med-1’s “on/off switch,” researchers make AR incapable of generating tumor growth. This positive trial result has been described as providing a rationale for further kinase inhibitor research in humans for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.