There is hope now for some men with prostate cancer that has spread outside of the prostate. A new consideration for therapy is emerging. In this episode, we introduce Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer, a clinical distinction that will be new to many podcast listeners. Dr. Leslie Ballas from USC is a radiation oncologist and prostate cancer expert, and she will walk you through it today. She will talk about targeting those lesions with radiation therapy, who may be potential candidates, and if there is any benefit to treating the prostate in those men, additionally. Be sure to listen in today to learn about Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer from Dr. Ballas.

Dr. Leslie Ballas is an Associate Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology at the University of Southern California Norris Cancer Hospital. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in New York and her Medical Doctorate from the University of Michigan. She completed her internship in General Surgery at Weill-Cornell Medical Center and her residency in Radiation Oncology at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York.

After residency, Dr. Ballas spent time on the faculty at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research has focused on improving the quality of life for men with prostate cancer. She is involved in developing cancer treatment clinical trials for genitourinary cancers. She has brought multiple genitourinary cooperative studies to USC. Her clinical interests include advanced technology integration into cancer therapeutics, including image-guided radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy, and intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Dr. Ballas is also proficient at treating hematological malignancies, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. 

Disclaimer: The Prostate Health Podcast is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be construed as medical advice. By listening to the podcast, no physician-patient relationship has been formed. For more information and counseling, you must contact your personal physician or urologist with questions about your unique situation.

Show highlights:

• What led Dr. Ballas down the path she has taken in her research, and with her clinical efforts.
• What the term Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer means.
• Dr. Ballas talks about a recent driver for better discovering Oligometastatic lesions.
• What the consideration is for appropriate candidates in the development of more therapeutic strategies for men with Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer.
• The rationale behind using therapy directed towards metastatic lesions.
• Dr. Ballas describes the technology that typically gets used for targeting the lesions.
• The safety aspect and potential side-effects of the technology used to target the lesions. 
• The people considered appropriate candidates for targeted therapy for metastatic lesions.
• Dr. Ballas discusses the benefits of additional treatment of the prostate for the candidates for targeted therapy.

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