Prostate Cancer
With the exception of skin cancers, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the country, affecting one in six men. A man who doesn’t smoke is more likely to develop prostate cancer than he is to develop colon, bladder, melanoma, lymphoma and kidney cancers combined. In fact, a man is 35% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than a woman is to be diagnosed with breast cancer...
In most cases, prostate cancer is a slow-growing cancer, which means that it can take several years before there are symptoms, and even longer before prostate cancer spreads beyond the prostate to other parts of the body. However, some men will develop a more aggressive form of prostate cancer. Even when the prostate cancer is of the more aggressive type, the cancer is highly curable if found before it spreads outside
the prostate.
Perhaps more than any other cancer type, prostate cancer requires choices and decisions regarding treatment that are highly personal and best made when the patient fully understands the differences in his treatment options and the potential risks associated with each direction.
This means that communication between a patient and his caregivers, especially his physician team, is critical to reaching the best treatment decision based on individual circumstances. The Cancer Team’s multidisciplinary approach, led by medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and surgeons who specialize in prostate cancer treatment, offers a rich source for guidance on the best treatment options.
Your Cancer Coach will ensure that your care is coordinated, seamless, convenient and that you understand every aspect of your prostate cancer care, every step of the way.
Successful prostate cancer treatment sometimes requires experts in prostate cancer surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and other disciplines such as hormone therapy, to work together. The Cancer Team is committed to giving you the best in all conventional therapies as well as making complementary therapies available to you that can help you maintain a strong and healthy body, mind and spirit during treatment.
Complementary or integrative prostate cancer therapies offered at The Cancer Team include such resources as nutritional support, emotional support, biofeedback and physical therapy to assist in optimizing your return to continence and sexual function.
Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
Because of better testing methods, prostate cancer is oftentimes found before there are symptoms. However, when symptoms do occur, they can sometimes be dismissed as other non-cancerous conditions.
These symptoms can include:
- Urinary flow problems and dribbling
- Pain with urination
- Pain with ejaculation
- Lower back pain
- Pain with bowel movement
Palliative Care/Pain Management
The Cancer Team includes physicians who specialize in helping you manage through your pain, stay strong in mind and body, and keep yourself as healthy as possible so that you can fight your best fight.
Your Team
Depending on many factors including your choice of prostate cancer treatment, the stage of your cancer (meaning how developed the cancer is), and the assessment of your individual needs as a prostate cancer patient, your cancer team could consist of many different experts. Rest assured that every member of your team will work together to give you comprehensive, patient-focused, supportive prostate cancer treatment.
- Surgeon
- Radiation Oncologist
- Medical Oncologist I
- Integrative Medicine physician
- Palliative Care physician (pain management)
- Cancer Coach
- Cancer Nurse Practitioner
- Specially trained technologists
- A highly skilled staff, focused on you