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Real Men Wear Gowns: The benefits of clinical trials

Finding new methods and medications to treat diseases are pivotal in medical success when it comes to beating illnesses. One of those ways is through clinical trials.

Finding new methods and medications to treat diseases are pivotal in medical success when it comes to beating illnesses. One way the medical community can accomplish that is through clinical trials.

"Sometimes our research studies can be strict. Sometimes we can come off of it, but a lot of it is dietary awareness," said Dr. Michael Liss, an assistant professor of urology at UT Health-San Antonio and director of medical research at University Hospital.

Dr. Liss says that many clinical studies can help give patients more control over their illness.

"We are trying to give something people can do about it," Dr. Liss explained. "What if there is a dietary intervention that could keep them off medications longer?"

"I had to monitor my diet and change some food I would normally eat," said prostate cancer patient Dennie Richards, who took part in one of those studies about folates.

Richards said that it helped lower his PSA.

"The hardest part was giving up flour tortillas and pizza," he said.

"We try to have a study every step of the way. That's part of being at an academic research center and having affiliations with the VA, University Hospital, and UT," Dr. Liss said.

University Health System is currently enrolling for several prostate cancer and urology clinical trials. One of them is called PASS, for men on active surveillance for prostate cancer. Another, called "Upgrading," is for men with low-grade cancer who have elected to have a radical prostatectomy. There's also a yoga study focusing on intervention for prostate cancer.

For more information on those and other studies call 210-567-0214.

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