Advances in Treating Prostate Cancer at St. Luke’s
St. Luke's Cancer Center's comprehensive approach to prostate cancer begins with a thorough evaluation and diagnostic work-up, so that a personalized care plan can be developed with leading edge treatments.
At St. Luke's, highly skilled physicians specialize in treating urologic cancers with minimally-invasive, robotically assisted and laparoscopic surgical techniques. Patients also benefit from highly precise radiation therapy treatments that target tumors while preserving surrounding healthy tissue.
Surgical Expertise
Drs. Eric Mayer, Jarrod Rosenthal and Frank Tamarkin of St. Luke's Center for Urology specialize in treating urologic cancers (kidney, bladder, prostate) with minimally-invasive, robotically-assisted and laparoscopic surgical techniques.
Diagnosis and Treatment Options
TRUS Prostate Biopsy – This ultrasound-guided biopsy can be used to diagnose prostate cancer in patients with an abnormal digital rectal exam or elevated PSA. This office-based procedure performed under local anesthetic in about 10 minutes is very well tolerated.
Robotic Prostatectomy – This minimally invasive surgery is the most advanced, minimally invasive surgical option for qualified prostate cancer patients. It results in small incisions, decreased pain, significant reduction in blood loss and faster recovery. While this technique provides excellent cancer control, it simultaneously improves quality of life by sparing nerves for erectile function and preserving the bladder control mechanism, further decreasing the risk of urinary incontinence.
Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) – St. Luke's was the first treatment center in Pennsylvania to install and utilize Varian's new On-Board Imager™ device, a fully robotic Dynamic Targeting™ IGRT system for tracking tumor locations and positioning patients. IGRT enables doctors to minimize the volume of healthy tissue exposed to the treatment beam. With IGRT, the radiation beam is shaped so that it closely matches the shape of the tumor.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) – Using this technology, more tightly focused radiation beams can be delivered to cancerous tumors than is possible with conventional radiation therapy. In the case of prostate cancer, exposure or the nearby bladder or rectum can be minimized.
VariSourceTM 200 HDR Afterloader – This sophisticated brachytherapy system is capable of numerous applications. It offers ultra-precise irradiation treatments for prostate and other cancers. The radioactive source is placed directly and precisely into the tumor for irradiation from the inside out. High-intensity radiation is delivered directly into tumors through super fine needles deployed from computer-controlled afterloaders. This particular HDR system has the thinnest source wire available for high-dose rate procedures, allowing for treatment options that would not be possible with other systems.
Nucletron Fully Integrated Real-Time Seed Treatment (FIRST) – a state-of-the-art system of brachytherapy, or prostate seed implantation. St. Luke's was the fifth hospital in the country (the first in Pennsylvania) to offer the FIRST system, which targets prostate cancer by precisely placing radioactive seeds directly into the tumor with real-time 3D imaging. The seeds, each smaller than a grain of rice, work to kill cancer cells by safely emitting continuous low energy radiation to the prostate tumor.
Clinical Trials
Promising therapies in medical oncology and access to the latest clinical trials.
Glossary of Clinical Trial Terms
Prostate Cancer Counselor Program
610-954-4932
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. It is diagnosed in 200,000 men each year. From the moment you learn you have prostate cancer, a counselor is available to help during diagnosis and treatment. St. Luke's Prostate Cancer Counselor provides the following services:
- Serves as an advocate for patients
- Support through diagnosis and treatment
- Supports patients and family members
- Makes referrals and links to services and community agencies, including transportation as available
- Helps with the completion of disability and other insurance forms
- Co-facilitates St. Luke's Prostate Cancer Support Group
For more information on St. Luke's Prostate Cancer Counselor program, please call Stacie Anton, RN, CURN, OCN of St. Luke's Center for Urology at 610-882-2598 or contact John Flenner, MEd at 610-954-4932.
Prostate Cancer Support Group
The focus of the Prostate Cancer Support group is to educate and support men whose lives have been impacted by prostate, bladder, testicular or penile cancers. The group meets the first Tuesday of every month from 7 - 8:30 pm in the Radiation Oncology Waiting Room on the first floor of the St. Luke's Cancer Center at 801 Ostrum Street. Call 610-954-4932 for more information.
Contact: John Flenner, M.Ed.
Prostate Cancer - Facts & Screening Information for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. The good news - aggressive screening and early treatment have increased survival rates in recent years.
- The screening involves a rectal exam and a simple blood test for a protein called prostate specific antigen, or PSA. PSA is produced by the normal prostate, but can be produced at higher levels and at a more rapid rate by a prostate with cancer.
- Annual screening is recommended for all men once they reach age 50. Men at higher risk, including those with a family history of prostate cancer or men of African-American descent, are recommended to begin screening at age 45.
- Based on the results of the two screenings, a decision is made regarding the degree of risk for harboring prostate cancer. A TRUS prostate biopsy – done in the doctor’s office with local anesthetic—may be recommended. There can be significant anxiety about this procedure, but it is very well tolerated and takes only 10 minutes to perform.
- If cancer is diagnosed, the next step is to establish the “stage.” Staging includes the PSA level, result of the rectal exam, and grade or aggressiveness of the cancer determined by the biopsy. Staging may also include the results of radiographic imaging to help determine if there is any spread of the cancer to other organs.
- Treatment is tailored to each patient. Options may include observation or “watchful waiting” for older men with low-grade and slow-growing tumors, medical therapies, radiation and surgery. The treatment decision should be made with a urologist, but may also include consultation with a family doctor and radiation oncologist. St. Luke's offers advanced options for prostate cancer, including robotic prostatectomy.