BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a unique test that can more clearly help doctors identify and pinpoint prostate cancer.
Dr. Anurag Agarwal, a radiation oncologist with GenesisCare in Boca Raton, is one of the first in the southeast to utilize a new imaging agent called Pylarify, which he said dramatically improves the use of CT-PET scans for prostate cancer.
“This test for the appropriately selected patient can help identify men who might be at higher risk than normal so we can tailor a therapy to them,” he said.
Agarwal said the diagnostic test can also be done on men with metastatic prostate cancer to see exactly where the disease has spread.
While IV contrast agents are generally considered safe, they are not recommended for people with certain medical conditions.
New COVID drug
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a potential new antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19.
Using animal models, scientists have found that the experimental oral medication called Tempol can prevent the virus from replicating in cells.
Based on previous studies of Tempol in other diseases, the drug has been shown to be safe and therapeutic.
Researchers said clinical studies are needed to determine if the drug is effective in patients, especially in the early stages of infection when the virus begins to replicate.