Types of Cancer
Uro-Oncology
Prostate Cancer
For men recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, fear and anxiety are common emotions, often prompting many to quickly seek treatment. Patients are advised to consider all of their medical and surgical treatment options carefully before deciding which therapy is best for their case to avoid overtreatment and risk potential negative sexual side effects. Dr. Soloway offers a variety of tests, procedures, surveillance methods and treatment options for men with a varying grades of prostate cancer, including:
- Active surveillance – This form of management often is used for patients with low-risk, low-volume Gleason 6 prostate cancer. These patients are closely monitored and treatment is only administered if changes in test results indicate their condition is getting worse. Active surveillance may be used to avoid or delay the need for treatments such as radiation therapy or surgery, which can cause side effects. Dr. Soloway has followed more than 350 men diagnosed with low–risk prostate cancer by regularly monitoring them with periodic prostate biopsies. Only one third have been treated. None have died of prostate cancer.
- Office-based prostate biopsies
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test - This test measures the blood level of PSA, a protein that is produced by the prostate gland. The higher a man’s PSA level, the greater probability he may have prostate cancer. Yet not all men with an elevate PSA actually have cancer. Our team can evaluate patients for their risk of prostate cancer as well as other benign conditions, including prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (enlargement of the prostate).
- Periprostatic nerve block - Dr. Soloway helped to develop this technique, which dramatically minimizes the pain associated with an ultrasound-guided biopsy. Similar to a dentist’s anesthetizing the mouth prior to treatment, the urologist can numb the area around the prostate, and by doing so, safely reduces the pain and discomfort for patients. Since 2000, most urologists in the U.S. now use this nerve block technique when performing prostate biopsies.
- Radical prostatectomies are performed to surgically remove the entire prostate gland. Dr. Soloway has performed more than 3,000 radical prostatectomies since 1992.
- Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) - surgery to remove the inside part of the prostate gland in order to treat an enlarged prostate. It is used for benign or malignant reasons.
