The Prostate Cancer Program at CentraState Medical Center offers state-of-the-art services, expertise, and technology for detecting prostate cancer symptoms as well as diagnosing, treating and helping patients recover from prostate cancer. Because CentraState’s focus is on the whole patient, not simply the disease, we also offer guidance on maintaining prostate health and complementary therapies to support self-healing and emotional well being, while helping patients maximize the benefits of conventional prostate cancer treatment.

CentraState’sProstate Cancer Program provides the latest treatments on prostate cancer and assures patients and their families of continuity of care and the convenience of finding everything under one roof – in the friendly, attentive environment of a community-based medical center.

The Prostate Cancer Program is led by an outstanding group of board-certified physicians specializing in Urology/Urologic Surgery, Radiation Oncology, and Medical Oncology. Trained at leading academic medical centers – such as Yale, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins – these doctors combine their expertise to evaluate and treat all stages of prostate cancer. The team also includes Magnet-designated nurses credentialed in chemotherapy and certified in cancer care and other professionals focused on the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of prostate cancer patients.

A prostate biopsy is necessary to verify the existence of prostate cancer. This is generally a short, outpatient procedure to remove small tissue samples that can be performed in our Ambulatory Surgery Center.

Tissue samples are promptly analyzed on site in our Pathology Department. If cancer is found, further sample analysis will help predict how aggressively it may behave and how to direct therapies to stop it.

Additional imaging tests may be needed to determine the stage (extent) of the prostate cancer — i.e., whether it is confined to the prostate or has spread. All are performed on site in our Radiology Department.

Each CentraState patient receives an individualized treatment plan based on his unique age, life expectancy, health status, lifestyle and personal preferences; the severity of the prostate cancer and whether it is a recurrence of a pre-existing cancer; and potential complications or side effects of each therapeutic approach. When appropriate, physicians may recommend "active surveillance" in which no action is taken beyond regular screenings and an occasional biopsy.

The Prostate Cancer Program offers some of the latest treatments on prostate cancer including:

• Radiation Therapy — External beam radiotherapy, including 3D conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and image-guided radiation therapy; and brachytherapy via high dose rate or radioactive seed implantation.
• Surgery — The most common procedure is radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate and some surrounding tissue). With the addition of robotic surgery now available at CentraState Medical Center, prostate cancer surgery can be minimally invasive with faster recovery time.
• Chemotherapy — Medicines that kill or halt the growth of cancer cells. This approach generally is used to relieve symptoms and prolong survival when the cancer has spread beyond the prostate. Options for the latest treatment on prostate cancer may vary depending on a man’s age, stage of cancer and its severity, lifestyle and other factors. The latest treatment on prostate cancer should be discussed in detail with your CentraState prostate cancer specialist.
• Proton Therapy — In 2012, CentraState will be joining Procure to open the first and only Proton Therapy Center in the area. Proton therapy is an effective form of radiation therapy for many types of tumors. It destroys cancer cells by preventing them from dividing and growing, just like standard X-ray radiation. What makes proton therapy different from X-ray radiation is that less healthy tissue is damaged during treatment. This is because protons release more of their cancer destroying energy directly in the tumor and less in surrounding healthy tissue.

Some patients may be eligible to participate in a prostate cancer clinical trial in which they receive the latest treatments on prostate cancer before it becomes publicly available.

As a community service, CentraState offers free screenings throughout the year. Check our health screening calendar for any upcoming events.

CentraState is accredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer (CoC), which sets the standards for cancer care programs nationwide and has recognized CentraState with an Outstanding Achievement Award.

For more information about CentraState's Prostate Cancer Program, call (866) CENTRA7. (866-236-8727)