Patients with kidney tumors sometimes have treatment options:

- Complete nephrectomy, which removes the cancerous kidney fully, or partial nephrectomy, which removes a section of kidney.

- Just the tumors can be surgically removed.

- The tumors can be destroyed through a method called ablation, which uses a probe guided by CT scan to either burn or freeze the tumor off.

At UCSF, an outcome-focused commitment across departments will often result in a combination of these approaches.

“We may practice in different fields, but when it comes to treating our patients, we have a unique means of sharing insights across disciplines,” said Dr. Kirsten Greene, a UCSF urologist who has been work...

Dr. Brett M. Elicker was awarded the 2010 Hideyo Minagi Outstanding Teaching Award for his work with UCSF diagnostic radiology residents, but his broader goal is to teach the public about the value of early screening for lung cancer.

Nearly one hundred sixty thousand people die every year in the U. S. from lung cancer — a higher number than deaths from breast, prostate, colon, and ovarian cancers combined. But regular screening with low-dose radiation CT scans can catch lung cancer early. Early detection gives patients more time to consider treatments, offers more time for those treatments to work, and leads to a much greater chance of surviving ten years or more. CT lung screening has...

Completing a 3-month yoga and meditation course may reduce older adults’ risk of mild cognitive impairment – considered a precursor for development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The study was led by researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), including senior author Dr. Helen Lavretsky, of the Department of Psychiatry.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is characterized by noticeable changes in cognitive function, such as the development of memory and thinking problems.

Though these changes are not severe enough to interfere with a person’...

It started with a small but persistent noise in her right ear.

The noise seemed in rhythm with Alla’s heartbeat. Within a month, it seemed more related to her heart than ever—the noise transformed into a clamorous “whoosh” with every beat. Far beyond annoying, the noise was disturbing, even debilitating. Activities like reading and watching TV were suddenly difficult, at times impossible. The noise often prevented her from falling asleep, and broke her sleep when it didn’t.

Born and raised in Moscow, Alla arrived in the Bay Area in 1992 for a career in civil engineering. She quickly made new friendships, enjoyed hobbies like traveling, skiing, and pottery, married...

If not appropriately managed, type 2 diabetes can cause significant damage to the kidneys. Now, a new study suggests eating too much junk food or a diet high in fat can cause just as much harm.

Published in the journal Experimental Psychology, the study indicates that a high-fat diet or junk food may result in an increase in blood sugar levels comparable to that which occurs with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for around 90-95 percent of all cases.

The condition arises when the body is unable to effectively use insulin – a hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. This may lead to a build-up of sugar, or glucose, in the blood....