Role of Pathology Part 2 with Dr. Michael Misialek: Dr. David Samadi

Dr. David Samadi talks with pathologist Dr. Michael Misialek on the similarities between breast cancer and prostate cancer. Did you know that each year, almost 230k new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year? That is the same amount of men diagnosed with prostate cancer. It’s estimated that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, whilst the odds are slightly less favorable for men: 1 in 7.

Breast cancer is diagnosed at an average age of 61, while cancer of the prostate at 66. We now know that the genetic component is similar: the two genes that indicate a high probability of breast cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2, also appear in prostate cancer. Even at the microscopical level, the two cancers develop in similar ways. Although they have many points in common, people have a much higher awareness of breast cancer issues.

Dr. Misialek shares with dr. Samadi why he thinks that prostate surgery should be the first line of treatment for prostate cancer. The truth is that biopsies are randomly performed and there are chances of missing the affected tissue. There are cases where, after removal of the prostate, the pathology report will show a higher Gleason score than the initial biopsy. Listen to the entire video to hear dr. Misialek’s opinions on why prostate surgery is the correct line of treatment for an accurate pathology report of prostate cancer.