Department of Radiation Oncology
Prostate/Genito-Urinary Cancer
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Specialized Physicians: GU Cancer – Arthur J. Harvey, M.D – Adam Dicker, M.D., Ph.D. |
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer of men in the United States. It develops from abnormal growth of the cells of the prostate gland, which lies in the pelvis between the bladder and the rectum. Most often, prostate cancer is detected on screening prostate specific antigen (PSA) check of the blood or examination. These tumors may also cause obstruction of urinary flow and local pain or other symptoms due to invasion into the bladder or rectum. These cancers may also spread outside the pelvis to sites such as the bones, lungs or liver and cause pain and other symptoms.
The treatment of prostate tumors is highly individualized – depending on tumor grade, size, PSA level, as well as the overall health of the patient. Treatment may include surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy or a combination. At Jefferson we pride ourselves on a strong interdisciplinary clinic staffed by radiation oncologists, urologists and medical oncologists. Physicians have at their disposal the latest technologies to deliver conformal radiotherapy and interstitial brachytherapy. Our resources include intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to allow for high doses of radiation to the prostate while sparing local normal tissues. Image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) utilizes through conebeam CT or fiducial markers for optimal localization of the prostate before daily treatment. Selected patients also have the option of treatment with brachytherapy using radioactive I-125 seeds. Our department has a long standing prostate brachytherapy program with both Nucletron SPOTPRO and Varian Variseed planning systems for real-time planning in the OR. Our physicians are nationally renowned leaders of the field who have the experience and high treatment volume to deliver optimal care to our patients.
Furthermore Jefferson has an active clinical trials program. When appropriate, patients are given the opportunity to participate in national and institutional research studies that integrate new drugs and treatment approaches to continue to improve our success in treating brain tumors. Some trials are available only at Jefferson – please inquire to what trials are currently available!
For more information: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate
