From the Desk of the Editor

Welcome to the new Imaging Center of Excellence (Imaging CoE) on UroToday.com.  As a practicing radiologist and nuclear medicine physician, the content on this website has been extremely useful as a tool to learn about clinical urology and urologic oncology.  By gaining a deeper understanding of the daily challenges and advancements in the urologic sciences, I have been able to tailor my practice to better meet the needs of my urology and oncology colleagues.  With the creation of a new dedicated section on imaging and nuclear medicine therapies, we hope to expand the scope of this resource and build a multi-disciplinary, content driven destination for all topics related to GU radiology and nuclear medicine.  

Specialization and sub-specialization continue to drive us into more isolated silos in medicine, and we would all agree that enhancing communication across specialties would result in better patient care.  Radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians have much to add to these discussions, and we also have a great deal to learn especially as we all navigate the shift to value based care. With that in mind, this new portal will provide updates on the latest advancements in GU imaging and nuclear medicine therapies.  GU imaging and nuclear medicine therapy are rapidly changing.  MRI continues to develop and with standardization, has become a more powerful tool in the management of patients with prostate cancer.    New diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are detecting sites of primary and metastatic disease with greater sensitivity and specificity.   New therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals are safer and more effective, and have led to improvements in overall survival.  Theranostics is also burgeoning and will eventually combine diagnostic tests with therapies to allow us to individualize care with the most appropriate therapies at the most appropriate times.   However, these new developments raise numerous new questions with regards to clinical practice.  We will attempt to answer some of these questions by presenting the best data when available and expert opinion.  Through the process, we can hopefully spark thought provoking and meaningful discussions amongst our colleagues at a local level which will create disruptive and productive changes on the frontline that will transform patient care. 

I look forward to working with the entire UroToday community to create a comprehensive urologic resource for all healthcare providers and patients.  Please sign up on UroToday.com to receive the latest news and updates.  If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to email me at .

Written by: Philip Koo, MD, FACS, Division Chief of Diagnostic Imaging, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Arizona, Gilbert, Arizona

Published Date: March 14th, 2017