Prostate cancer program

Among men in the U.S., prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer (excluding skin cancers). Approximately 221,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year. 1 man in 6 will get prostate cancer.

Early detection offers the best chance for a cure. Our team of experts works closely with primary care physicians, offering advanced treatment options.

Diagnostics

Our physicians use the latest, most accurate diagnostic tools available to assess and treat cancer of the prostate:

Physical examination/PSA. Beginning at age 50, the American Cancer Society recommends annual screening for early prostate cancer detection. Screening includes a digital rectal examination and prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. Men at high risk, including African Americans and those with a family history of the disease, should begin screenings at age 45. In situations such as a strong family history, a man may begin screening at age 40.

Ultrasound Guided Prostate Biopsy. A core needle biopsy is the primary method for diagnosing prostate cancer. Physicians use transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) to guide and insert a narrow needle through the rectal wall and into several areas of the prostate, from which tissue samples are removed. These samples are then examined in a laboratory.

Staging

Prostate cancer can spread to other parts of the body via the lymphatic system. Once cancer of the prostate is confirmed, it is vitally important for our physicians to perform detailed staging to determine if the cancer has spread. Treatment decisions hinge on the findings of thorough staging.

Staging procedures used at Aurora BayCare Medical Center include:

Radionuclide bone scan. This study is used to determine if prostate cancer has spread to the bones. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the blood stream. The radioactive material settles into diseased bone tissue. A special camera is used to detect the concentrations of radioactive material, essentially creating a map of the areas where cancer may be present. The amount of radiation received is minimal. It causes no harmful side effects for the patient.

Spiral computed tomography. Spiral computed tomography provides all the diagnostic advantages of conventional CT (ability to obtain cross-sectional images of body tissues and organs) with greater speed and more precise detail within the images. Often used with contrast agents, spiral CT yields clinically useful information on prostate cancer and possible metastases throughout the body. CT is also used to show bone, soft tissue and blood vessels in the same image for accurate tumor landmarking.

Lymph node biopsy. Physicians may take a sample of lymph node tissue to determine if cancer has spread further into the pelvic area. These biopsies are performed several ways:

  • Surgically, where the physician removes nodal tissue via an incision into the abdomen
  • Though needle aspiration, where a fine needle is CT-guided to the lymph node in question and a small amount of tissue is taken
  • Laparoscopically, where a small video camera is inserted through an abdominal incision and guided to the lymph nodes around the prostate, which the physician removes and sends to a lab for analysis

Genetic counseling and high-risk services

Cancer can be passed from generation to generation. Our Genetics Counseling Program helps identify individuals who may be at high risk. Armed with this information, individuals and their physicians can plan preventive measures, or a cancer can be identified early when it is most curable.

The Cancer Genetics Counseling Program provides:

  • Confidential hereditary cancer risk assessment
  • Access to on-going local and national cancer research studies
  • Education for patients, health care professionals and the community
  • Genetic testing and DNA banking when appropriate

About 5% - 10% of all cancers can be attributed to a hereditary factor. Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer "yes" to any of them, ask your doctor for a referral for a cancer genetics assessment.

  1. Have several of your relatives had cancer … especially skin, breast, ovarian, colon, endometrial (uterine cancer), or thyroid cancer?
  2. Have you or any of your relatives with cancer been diagnosed before the age of 50?
  3. Do you or a relative have more than one primary cancer (such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer)?
  4. Do you or a family member have an unusual type of cancer, such as male breast cancer?

Risk assessment is an important part of diagnosing and treating prostate cancer early in its development, when treatment procedures can be most effective. Our specialists can help you determine if you have a high risk of developing prostate cancer. The major risk factor for developing this disease is age. Prostate cancer afflicts primarily men over 60 years of age.

Race is another risk factor for prostate cancer. African-American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world, 30% higher than Caucasian men.

Advanced treatment and technologies

Aurora BayCare Medical Center participates in national clinical trials of new drugs and treatments that promise to significantly advance the fight against cancer. Our experts can often suggest treatment options that no other hospitals may be able to provide. Among methods used to treat prostate cancer are:

Surgery. Surgery to remove the prostate is performed if the cancer has not spread to other areas of the body. Prostate cancers that have spread are treated with a combination of therapies. Several different types of surgery are available. Which one is used depends on the nature of the cancer itself, the patient’s preference, medical status and physician recommendation:

  • Radical prostatectomy. This technique removes the prostate entirely, effectively curing the cancer. Radical prostatectomy is used only when the cancer is confined to the prostate gland.
  • Nerve-sparing prostatectomy. Identical in scope to a radical prostatectomy, this technique attempts to spare nerves in the area around the prostate gland, resulting in a lower risk of impotence.
  • Cryosurgery. For some localized prostate cancers, cryosurgery may be chosen over conventional surgery. Cryosurgery employs a metal probe, typically guided with ultrasound imaging, to freeze cancerous cells. This technique is less invasive than traditional surgery, there is less blood loss, and hospital stays and recovery times are shorter.
  • Robotic Prostatectomy. A less invasive surgical approach to remove the prostate. This procedure puts the surgeons hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. Robitic procedures are performed with the intent of having less blood loss, less scarring, shorter recovery time and faster return to normal activities.

External beam radiation oncology. A sophisticated and effective way to treat many kinds of cancer, radiation oncology uses highly advanced technology and innovative treatment techniques to destroy cancer cells or to prevent diseased cells from growing. Most radiation therapy targets tumors from outside the body.

Internal Radiation Therapy. At Aurora BayCare, we also employ internal radiation therapy, in which small radioactive “seeds” are placed into the prostate gland. These seeds then destroy the cancerous cells around them.

Immunotherapy. The ability of the immune system to identify and destroy tumor cells has led to its use in cancer treatment. By stimulating the body's immune system, cancer cells may be destroyed without damaging healthy tissue.

Closely related to immunotherapy, cancer vaccines use a patient’s cells to trigger the immune system to attack cancerous prostate cells. While traditional vaccines are used to prevent an illness from taking hold, cancer vaccines are used to prevent the existing prostate cancer from spreading, thereby reducing the risk of a recurrence of prostate cancer.

Chemotherapy/hormone therapy. Also called androgen deprivation therapy, hormone therapy is used to decrease the production of male hormones that would normally promote the growth of prostate cancer. Since testosterone is a major component of prostate cancer growth, hormone therapy seeks to reduce testosterone levels in the blood.

Personalized treatment plans are developed for patients and include the most effective treatment options and latest innovations available.

For more information, call the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic Hotline at 800-252-2990.

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