Most Progressive Treatment Options
New technologies such as robotic-assisted, laparoscopic prostatectomy and brachytherapy have created new treatments available for prostate cancer. The number one goal of all of prostate treatments is to preserve function and fertility. Sperm harvesting can be completed prior to surgery.
Northridge Hospital Medical Center's team of prostate cancer specialists consists of urologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists and nurses. They work together to create an individualized treatment plan for each patient.
It’s our belief that cancer treatment is not simply a matter of giving the right medicine for the right illness. We understand it’s the entire person who is going through this difficult time and we strive to help you physically, psychologically and spiritually. Every patient is unique, every family's history is diverse and every cancer is different.
Our specialized cancer team addresses this by customizing a treatment plan that meets your needs and goals. Your treatment plan may involve surgery, chemotherapy and radiation either alone or in combination with additional treatment methods.
After undergoing surgery, many patients receive radiation therapy to stop the growth of undetected cancer cells. Radiation reduces the chance of recurrence. This combination of surgery and radiation therapy has long been considered a safe and effective alternative to complete removal of an organ. Hormone therapy stops the cancer growth hormone supply thus slowing or halting the growth of prostate cancer.
Surgical Options
Our surgical team is dedicated to providing our patients with a complete range of options best suited to their individual needs. After undergoing surgery many patients receive radiation therapy to stop the growth of undetected cancer cells.
-
Nerve-sparing Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy
This is a minimally invasive alternative to open radical prostatectomy. During laparoscopic surgery, surgeons perform the entire procedure through five small incisions in the abdomen. The surgeon visualizes the interior of the abdomen with a laparoscope, and the removal of the prostate is accomplished without the surgeon’s hands ever entering the body.
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomies typically last between three and four hours, depending on the size and body mass of the patient. Patients typically have less need for pain medication, shorter hospital stays, quicker return to regular diet and activities, earlier removal of urethral catheters, and a quicker recovery.
-
Nerve-sparing Open Radical Prostatectomy
Radical prostatectomy surgery is primarily utilized for patients in the early, local stage of prostate cancer. In this surgical procedure, physicians use one of two incision site -- either at the belly button or the perineum -- to gain access to the prostate. The prostate is then removed from the patient, along with some surrounding tissue. The belly button is the most common type of radical prostatectomy procedure.
Both procedures last from one and a half to four hours and have an average three day hospital stay.
da Vinci robotic-assisted
laparoscopic surgery
offers the latest surgical advance for prostatectomy (removal of the prostate). Through tiny, 1-2 cm incisions, surgeons using the da Vinci System can operate with greater precision and control, minimizing the pain and risk associated with large incisions, while increasing the likelihood of a fast recovery and excellent clinical outcomes.
This approach to prostatectomy provides access to the internal anatomy through five small incisions. The da Vinci procedure has been credited with reduced blood loss, infection risk and need for pain medication, shorter hospital stays and a decrease in incontinence for patients versus the traditional prostatectomy. By integrating computer-enhanced technology with surgeons' technical skills, the system enables surgeons to perform better surgery in a manner never before experienced.
The da Vinci Surgical System seamlessly and directly translates the surgeon's natural hand, wrist and finger movements on instrument controls at the surgeon's console outside the patient's body. Through magnification 15 times that of the human eye and seven degrees of motion that go beyond the limits of the human hand, these micro-movements then correspond to the instrument tips positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports.
Sural Nerve Graft
This surgery is generally performed on patients who are not eligible for nerve-sparing, but had normal erections before surgery.
Advanced Radiation
The Harold and Carole Pump Department of Radiation Oncology offers some of the latest treatments available:
Brachytherapy or Prostate Seed
Brachytherapy is the surgical implantation of radiation seeds into the prostate. Two methods are commonly used: permanent implantation and high dose rate (HDR). The permanent implantation method consists of the permanent implantation of radioactive seeds in the prostate through the skin of the perineum via thin needles. The pellets give off low doses of radiation to treat the cancer and are left in the patient permanently.
HDR brachytherapy is a newer technique in which seeds are also placed in the prostate through the skin of the perineum. However, the seeds remain in the prostate for a period of five to 15 minutes. Treatment usually consists of three brief sessions spread over two or three days.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
Delivers a beam of high-dose radiation, which can take on the precise size and shape of the cancerous growth and preserve as much healthy, non-cancerous tissue as possible.
IGRT/Trilogy© Linear Accelerator Stereotactic System for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the world's premier image-guided system that is capable of delivering all forms of external beam radiation, including IMRT. This state-of-the-art technology can treat cancer anywhere in the body by precisely targeting tumors and safely delivering a higher dose of radiation, resulting in fewer treatment sessions.
External Beam Radiation (EBRT)
The 25 MV High penetrating photons yield the highest penetrating energy available in the Valley, and results in the lowest side-effects. IGRT/Trilogy or IMRT is an excellent non-invasive alternative to radical prostatectomy.
Early Detection Leads to Promising Outcomes
Beginning at age 50, unless you are at high risk at age 45, men are encouraged to have a screening for prostate cancer called a digital rectal exam (DRE). The best way to fight prostate cancer is to detect it early.
Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in males in the United States. Sixteen percent of American men will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime. In fact, men are 33 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer over their lifetimes than women are to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
It is more prevalent in African Americans with Asian Americans being at the lowest risk. Today, with the advent of blood PSA testing, over 70 percent of patients are diagnosed at an early stage therefore transforming prostate cancer treatment and survival.
The following are prostate cancer detection procedures available at Northridge Hospital:
- Digital rectal exam (DRE)
- Core Needle biopsy
- ProstaScint scan
- Prostate specific antigen (PSA)
- Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)
Dedicated to boosting cancer awareness, the Leavey Cancer Center hosts cancer education classes and outreach including offering a free PSA exam for the under-and-uninsured of our community twice a year. For more information please call 818-885-8500, ext. 5688.
Integrative Medicine
The Northridge Hospital Integrative Medicine program provides the highest quality medical care by combining state-of-the-art Western medicine with science-based alternative and complementary therapies under the direction of a Board-certified physician who specializes in Integrative Medicine and treatment.
Clinical Research
Groundbreaking medical advances are the result of new ideas and approaches developed through clinical research. Northridge Hospital Medical Center remains on the forefront of the latest research developments by offering participation in clinical research. For information on cancer trials we are currently conducting, please call our Cancer Research Department at (818) 885-5458.
