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Advanced Treatment To Attack Your Prostate Cancer.

Prostate Cancer

Dedicated specialists for prevention, detection and treatment.

While prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer diagnoses for men, your condition is unique to you. Your treatment plan will be too. The prostate cancer specialists at Novant Health Cancer Institute will help you understand evidence-based approaches to prostate cancer detection, staging and treatment and work with you to create an individualized plan.

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Fight back with advanced procedures.

When it comes to fighting prostate cancer, Novant Health Cancer Institute stays on the leading edge with clinical trials, new treatments, and advanced equipment.

Monitoring cancer progression can be lifesaving. That’s why we use the most advanced technology available to detect and monitor your prostate cancer. Advanced imaging tools, like CT/PET scans using injection agents can provide more precise data. This enables your team to better diagnose and stage your cancer to develop the best plan of attack.

Our prostate cancer treatments include Image Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) to precisely target your prostate. We stay on top of the latest FDA-approved treatments, such as the radiopharmaceutical therapies, for tumors that are not responding to hormone therapy or chemotherapy.

If surgery is recommended, our urologists have access to the latest robotic platforms to perform minimally invasive surgery, which shortens your hospital stay and recovery time.

What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is a type of adenocarcinoma, malignant cancer found in glands such as the prostate. The prostate is part of the male reproductive system and produces seminal fluid released during ejaculation.

Prostate cancer risk factors

The risk of developing prostate cancer increases as men get older. Most prostate cancer cases occur at age 65 and up.

Other risk factors for prostate cancer include:

Family history of prostate cancer (father, brothers or sons)
Obesity (while it does not appear to affect your overall risk, obese men may be more likely to develop aggressive treatment-resistant cancer)
Race (Black men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer; however, the social determinants of health may also play a significant role)
Smoking or significant exposure to secondhand smoke
Environmental factors (Agent Orange, agricultural chemicals, contaminated water)

Prostate cancer symptoms

You may not have any noticeable symptoms of early-stage prostate cancer. As the disease progresses, urological issues may include:

Blood in your urine
Difficulty urinating
Frequent nighttime urination (nocturia)
Pain during urination
Weak urine flow

You may also experience:

Blood in your semen
Erectile dysfunction
Pain during ejaculation
Numbness in your extremities, especially the legs and feet
Pain in your chest, lower back or hips
Unexplained weight loss

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

Observation and Active Surveillance

If your prostate cancer is in the very early stages and growing slowly without symptoms, your care team may recommend one of two approaches. Observation involves regular-scheduled testing and exams and reports on any changes in symptoms. Active surveillance means you'll undergo more frequent tests and exams to monitor for progression.

Radiation Therapy

There are three primary types of radiation therapy: brachytherapy, external beam and systemic radiopharmaceuticals.

Brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy where a radioactive element is inserted into your prostate to destroy cancer cells while limiting the effects on nearby tissues and organs. This process may be done as a low-dose-rate (LDR) procedure with permanent implantation of radioactive "seeds" or as a high-dose-rate (HDR) procedure using a temporary implant. Brachytherapy may be used as your only treatment or combined with external beam photon radiation therapy. Our urologists and radiation oncologists work together to provide this type of treatment.

External beam radiation therapy is delivered from outside of the body, using a machine called a Linear Accelerator. With our leading-edge technology and skilled team of physicians, physicists and dosimetrists, you’ll receive highly accurate and precise radiation where it needs to go, which minimizes the impact on your adjacent organs. Our experts use IG-IMRT (Image Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy), VMAT (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy) and SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy).

You may be a candidate for targeted therapy that uses radiopharmaceuticals. These drugs are injected into your blood, where they seek out specific types of cancer cells and deliver radiation where needed in your body. We currently offer Radium 223 (Xofigo) and Lu-177 (Pluvicto) as prostate specific treatment options.

Surgery

Depending on your situation, your care team may recommend a radical prostatectomy. For this procedure, your surgeon removes the cancerous prostate completely along with the seminal vesicles, while sparing most of the nerves and blood vessels that contribute to erectile function and urinary control. This is often done using minimally invasive robotic techniques that decrease blood loss, post-operative pain, and shorten overall recovery times without compromising cancer control.

Hormone Therapy

Prostate cancer is a hormonally regulated cancer and many of our drug-based treatments are designed to decrease the impact of the hormone testosterone on your prostate cancer growth. Hormonal therapy is delivered through injection into a muscle or as oral medications. You'll likely receive this therapy along with other forms of therapy, such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy

Why Choose Novant Health?

Accredited by multiple national organizations, including the Commission on Cancer and the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®), your Novant Health physician is committed to providing excellence in cancer care. You can feel confident that you will be supported throughout your cancer journey by a specialized team of experts focused on your specific needs. We work in state-of-the-art cancer care centers that are among the best in the country.

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Your cancer journey is unique. That’s why our nationally recognized cancer teams work with you to develop a personalized care plan. At Novant Health, you’ll have access to the most current treatment options available only at leading cancer institutes. Your treatment may include clinical research trials or robotics, microsurgeries, new radiation technologies, or cellular and immune therapies. Together, we can treat your cancer, manage your symptoms, and provide you with support at all stages.

Learn About Treatments

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You're not alone on your cancer journey. At Novant Health, rest assured you’ll have all the resources you need to tackle your life-changing diagnosis. Our multidisciplinary, collaborative approach brings together experts with knowledge from different specialties to support you every step of the way. In addition to oncologists, radiologists, and surgeons, your team may include nurse navigators, nutritionists, integrative medicine specialists, genetic counselors, social workers, symptom management and palliative care specialists, and more.

Explore Cancer Resources

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Nationally Recognized Care

National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)
Commission on Cancer (CoC)
Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI)
Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation (ROPA-ACR)
APEx Accreditation (ASTRO)
Magnet Recognition-American Nursing Credentialing Center
American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Southeast Clinical Oncology Research Consortium (SCOR)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program
Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT)
National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC)

Your prostate cancer team

Urologists

Urologists are surgeons that specialize in management of the urinary system and have a vital role in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of localized prostate cancer. They collaborate with other cancer specialists, performing prostate biopsies and helping manage delivery of brachytherapy, external beam radiation therapy and hormonal treatments. Our surgeons perform both open and minimally invasive procedures using the most up-to-date surgical techniques and advanced robotic surgery systems.

Radiation oncologists

Radiation oncologists are physicians that have specialized training in the safe and effective use of ionizing radiation therapy to treat many diverse types of cancers. Your radiation oncologist works closely with you and your urologist to determine the best treatment approach for your unique diagnosis.

Medical oncologists

Medical oncologists are doctors that specialize in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Their role is limited in the early stages of prostate cancer. They play a significant and vital role when prostate cancer is suspected of having spread outside of the prostate or in patients who have high-risk localized prostate cancer.

Radiologists

Radiologists can locate and diagnose your cancer using imaging scans, including CTs, bone scans, MRIs and PSMA PET/CTs. Radiologists may also perform or assist with minimally invasive surgical procedures (interventional radiology) to help biopsy different areas of the body.

Support specialists

At Novant Health Cancer Institute, we take a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to your care and treatment. You may work with a variety of highly trained specialists including geneticists, nutritionists, pathologists, and pain and alternative care experts.

You’re Entitled to a Second Opinion.

Are you concerned or confused about a cancer diagnosis or treatment recommendation you've received?

Another perspective on your case and options can give you some peace of mind. Reach out for a virtual session or in-person consultation.

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Experience the Future of Cancer Care, Today.

Together, we can beat cancer. Clinical research studies drive breakthroughs in the prevention, detection and treatment of many cancer conditions.

If eligible to join a clinical trial, you could access new cancer treatments before they’re available to the general public. Explore clinical trials and speak with your cancer team to see if any are right for you.

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