Amanda Mangan:
Welcome into hour number two of the program. I am your host today, very grateful to have on the line with me, Dr. Matt Allaway. Thank you so much for joining me. I truly appreciate the time. You are a local urologist who is with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s, Urology Associates in Cumberland. And again, thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it. I actually remember when you unveiled this new procedure several years ago, and it is amazing what has happened since then for you and this procedure. Right?

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Boy, it was a long, it seems like a long time ago. But it went very rapidly because you’re so immersed in it and trying to evangelicize the whole process and teach and train and get data behind the procedure. And yes, now we’re at a really good place right now, and we’re excited that the world is listening and the patients are very, very pleased and happy.

Amanda Mangan:
So tell me how this all came about.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Well, it was about seven years ago and I’ve been practicing urology at that point for about 13 years here in Cumberland. And there were a couple of important changes in the treatment of prostate cancer. One important change was this idea of active surveillance about 30 to 35% of patients, we diagnosed today have a slow growing form of prostate cancer. And so instead of treating these patients, we enroll them in active surveillance because, unfortunately a third or half of those patients over time will be reclassified to a form of prostate cancer that does need to be treated, but instead of exposing them to treatment with risks, we carefully watch them. And that was one important change. The second was that a lot of complications were occurring giving the whole process of diagnosing men, a really bad name. These were complications, mainly infection and sepsis.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
So infection and sepsis means we’re introducing bacteria into the patient’s body from their own fecal material with the traditional approach. So we would pump them full of antibiotics. And unfortunately with society’s overuse of antibiotics, they’re not working as they did before. So men were suffering the risk of sepsis anywhere from 1 to 6%, depending on where in the country you’re located. So we have active surveillance and we need to have a very, very accurate diagnosis to put people into that category. So if the biopsy technique misses a lot of important cancers or misclassifies them as being low risk, but in turn, they really have a more concerning type of prostate cancer because of the method where we had been using the biopsy over the last 40 years. And you combine that also with the risk of infection, sepsis, we just had two problems that I felt were unsustainable.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
So I thought to myself, I need to change this for my patients, so I could do the best job. And I knew that we had to get away from this transrectal approach. And the only logical approach was to go through the paradigm, which is this unique anatomical pathway, which is also referred to as the taint. I felt that was the perfect anatomical pathway because no bacteria and it could provide the proper trajectory into the prostate. So we could reach the entire gland and not miss the important cancers. So I knew this was the direction to go, but there had to be a method. And then I worked quite hard through the years to develop the method and the device, which couples with the method to create what we believe is currently the very best way to sample men and to avoid complications. That would be it in a nutshell.

Amanda Mangan:
And I spoke with one of your patients who said that his cancer might not have been found, had it not been for your procedure?

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Well, my ego is not front and center. And so when people make statements like that, I’m always like, is that really an accurate statement? And I would say it was a very accurate statement because, the patient had a very, very large prostate and a very large prostate is extremely challenging to completely sample with the old method and to improve the chance of knowing where the cancer was. We’re incorporating a specific type of MRI scan of the man before the decision to biopsy that scan actually did not show the cancer, but we had a high clinical suspicion based on his PSA trends and the fact that he had already undergone a couple of transrectal biopsies in the past. So we found the cancer very, very high up in the prostate, behind the pubic bone, behind the urethra, which is a location that quite honestly, I think there would have been no way other than this method, to diagnose. And it happened to be a cancer. That is one of the growing cancers that is the type that does lead to a morbidity metastatic disease. I do say his statements are accurate and there are many examples like that too, which has made this whole process so rewarding.

Amanda Mangan:
So what’s it been like for you being able to share this with folks throughout the world?

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Well, when I made the decision, I’m not being from this area, to practice in Cumberland, you’re a little bit isolated from the urban markets where typically the universities that are developing new methods and validating that occur. So I’m very humbled that I’ve been able to work with, absolutely the top university programs. I mean, we’re now in 14 of the top 15, a us news and world report, academic centers like Cleveland clinic, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and the list goes on and on, and work with the pioneers in urology. The individuals that I would’ve never really had the opportunity to even meet, let alone, actually work side by side and actually train them on something they’re not familiar with. So it’s been very humbling and really quite an honor. It’s a very exciting time now because the world has definitely paid attention to this movement.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
In fact, in Europe where our growth has been even stronger than even the us, has led to a movement called Trexit not to be mistaken with Brexit, the exit of the UK from the European union, but shrugs it being the exit from the rectum to the perineum has been a movement where essentially they’re replacing their guidelines to replace the old method. And one of the main reasons that this has actually occurred is because of the work that we’ve done right here in Cumberland. So it’s really an honor. And I think it’s really just been based on the fact that we had a very clear mission. It was to solve a problem, a real problem for patients. And we actually came up with a great solution.

Amanda Mangan:
And as you said to have that happen right here in Cumberland is pretty incredible.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
You know, Cumberland has been great for me and my wife. We love the community and we have such fantastic patients that are so willing and so interested and supporting what I was doing. I mean, they were more than willing in my earlier stages. I mean, we were developing the method and the patients were really willing to say, I believe, and I trust that you’re doing the right thing. It turned out to be the right thing, but that’s not something, that was found in all markets, but I think it’s unique to the people of this region. So I really give credit to my patients and the staff in my office that have been so supportive of what we’re doing. I’ve really met a lot that the community, took note of it. And, you know, the newspaper did a couple of press releases. So I really wouldn’t have been able to achieve it without the support of my wife and the community.

Amanda Mangan:
So what’s next for you?

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Well, at this point, the word on the street is that this will become the new standard of care. And so my life is consumed with educating and training. The company has grown, we’re about to add another 12 employees to our structure. I mean, it started out as three people and then it built with a corporate team, a sales team, a marketing team, and now we’re adding another up to 12 employees and that will grow even more, because there’s so many radiologists that need to be trained, so many centers, and we were replicating the same process in Europe and Asia also. So really what’s next is really to make this the standard of care. And then beyond that, what we’ve also done is the name of the company indicates perineologic. The idea here is that it’s not just about doing a biopsy. We also have many other concepts in treating other pathology, not just the prostate, but other urologic conditions with our knowledge of the perineum and our device and technology. So it’s really going to be more than just the biopsy and more about treating other disorders

Amanda Mangan:
And to be able to create that level of care is pretty incredible,

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
If you want to pick up from the very early stages, if you look at how many concepts actually become commercialized, you know, it’s like one in a hundred, if you look at how many products that are submitted to the FDA for clearance, you know, maybe 5% get through that process. And then a small percent of that actually reach on a widespread use. So it’s really like, you know, one in a thousand medical concepts and devices. I never really imagined that it was going to become this. My whole goal really at the beginning was I was just going to develop a technique that I would use in my own practice and hopefully, maybe share it with my partners and maybe they would jump on board, but I never really imagined it being a global solution. I just really wanted something better to use right here in Cumberland. That was the initial idea. So it’s pretty, that’s a pretty dramatic shift now and where it’s going.

Amanda Mangan:
It’s incredible. It really is amazing.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Well, the key at this point is really for the public to understand. Men, don’t typically like to talk about their prostates. They don’t like to talk about the whole process of diagnosing prostate cancer there, if they have prostate cancer and they’re often not willing to publicly discuss it. And that’s a problem compared to breast cancer where women are typically much more open to discuss what they’ve gone through. If women were exposed to the type of technique that men have been exposed to now, for simple breast biopsy, for example, they would never tolerate the risks of the old method. They would definitely be demanding a new and safer approach, but with prostate, it’s very different with men. So we really need the public to understand what’s happening and to really demand the better approaches because without that kind of advocacy movement it just takes a lot longer for the techniques used and typical practices to change.

Amanda Mangan:
And again, like you said, it is so important for folks to be able to talk more openly about it and, and, and take more control over their own care.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Exactly. And that’s why I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you because we’re working with many centers that are publishing their data and making it convincing to the academic world and the urologists in general, that this is the way we need to go forward. But it’s equally important that there’s a dialogue with patients and the patient’s family about the most important step in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, which is the actual diagnosis, which actually is the biopsy because there’s no other way to make the diagnosis without having tissue. And as long as we still need tissue to make the diagnosis, we just need to understand what our options are and choose them then, and ask that our practitioners actually aware of this and using these types of methods.

Amanda Mangan:
So folks want to find out more, where can they go?

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Well, we have a website, perineologic.com. On the website, you can contact us through email, also on the website, there’s a lot of information to educate the patients and also share our technology. And we’re very, very receptive to contacts from patients and usually I’ll get involved immediately. I like to be right on the front lines of communicating with patients or families just to help educate them or typically to connect them. One of our roles now has been to connect the interest in patients to urologists and hospital centers that are offering this approach.

Amanda Mangan:
Anything else that you want to get out there for folks,

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
We need to be involved in our healthcare as patients, we need to understand what’s being done. Having trust in our healthcare providers is very important, but we need to know ourselves the steps that are involved and be engaged and involved in that decision making process. You’re going to have a better outcome that way. You’re going to be a better informed patient. And I think your outcomes are always going to be better. And that doesn’t go just for prostate biopsies. This goes for just about everything in medicine.

Amanda Mangan:
It’s so important for us to focus on our health, differently than we have in the past.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
I think with COVID, this is probably the first time that like a vaccine, for example, has been so carefully scrutinized and people are now becoming familiar with, what does it take for something to go from an idea to FDA approval? And then be in my body, for example, a vaccine. So I think patients during this COVID has really kind of taken note of understanding what’s happening and how it will affect them. And so there’s always a positive, even in the midst of such a terrible pandemic.

Amanda Mangan:
And again, just being your own advocate and speaking out for yourself and trying to find out more in the light of whatever you may be facing, because it can be very daunting. It can be very confusing and frustrating.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Yes. And don’t be afraid to ask questions. I mean, you know, I think in the past we used to say, well, we trust our doctor. So they just tell us what to do. I always end my conversations by saying, this is what we can do. What do you want to do? And a third of the patients will just say, listen, I trust you. You tell me what to do and I’ll do it. I’m not always very happy with that approach, but I think many more patients are, are beginning to say, let me ask some questions. The health care providers should not be offended when you ask questions, when you try to probe into other options. And that’s really, really important. And I think healthcare providers will respect you for this. And you’ll again, have much better outcomes as a result.

Amanda Mangan:
You need to have those open dialogues and those open conversations. Exactly. And have family members do that as well.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
Yes. I mean, thanks to social media. I mean, there are definitely pros and cons to social media. One thing that has occurred with social media is some general awareness, and I think people can throw their worries and concerns out there into the universe and get feedback. I mean, we didn’t have that ability in the past. That was just a little bit word of mouth and the people closest to us that would, we could share information, but now we can access opinions from all over the world. It’s a good time to be a patient.

Amanda Mangan:
Anything else that you want to get out there for folks?

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
I think I’ve really summarized my niche, my feelings about general statements and also specifically, relating to prostate cancer diagnosis.

Amanda Mangan:
I thank you so much for the time.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
No, thank you.

Amanda Mangan:
Thank you again, have a great day and thank you for all that you do.

Dr. Matthew Allaway:
You’re very welcome. Thank you

Amanda Mangan:
Again. That’s Dr. Matt Allaway urologist with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s, Urology Associates in Cumberland who created the PrecisionPoint™ transperineal Access System.