|
|||
   |
|||
News Article
Suggested Links:
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Activities Offered
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
JOHN MUIR/MT. DIABLO HEALTH SYSTEM OFFERS SCREENING AND ADVANCED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR PROSTATE CANCER
CONCORD, CA — In observance of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System is offering free prostate cancer screenings.
The health system is also introducing two revolutionary treatment options for prostate cancer. One treatment uses robotic surgery and the other, tiny radioactive seeds.
October 1 and 2 - 5 to 9 p.m.
Free Prostate Screenings
Free prostate screenings (DRE and PSA) will be offered. This offers men the
opportunity for an early prostate cancer diagnosis.
Mt. Diablo Regional Cancer Center
2540 East Street, Concord
For more information, or to make an appointment for this free screening, call (925) 674-2190.
STATE-OF-THE-ART TREATMENT
Advances in radiation oncology are rapidly improving treatment of prostate and other cancers. John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System offers the latest treatments for prostate cancer, including:
Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy
With the help of a state-of-the-art surgical robot recently installed at Mt. Diablo Medical Center, surgeons can operate in an entirely new way. The new Intuitive da Vinci™ Robotic Surgical System is being used for minimally invasive robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. A tiny camera becomes the surgeon's eyes. When the surgeon moves his or her hands, the robot moves, too.
According to Stephen Taylor, M.D., a urologist on staff at Mt. Diablo and John Muir Medical Centers, traditional surgery patients have a seven-inch incision. Now, they get five tiny ones. "In additional to less pain and scarring, patients lose less blood, spend less time in the hospital and feel better overall," he says. "Research shows that this procedure may even lessen or avert the side effects that really concern men, such as impotence and incontinence."
"This quantum leap in technology offers patients the finest surgical techniques available," adds Horacio Asbun, M.D., FACS, medical director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at Mt. Diablo and John Muir Medical Center.
"The advantage of robotic surgery vs. tradition techniques is that the robot controls the surgical instruments, replicating the surgeon's hand movements with a precision that cannot be achieved with conventional instruments," Dr. Asbun says. "The system allows the surgeon to use tiny computer-enhanced mechanical wrists that he or she controls from a console in the operating room."
Dr. Asbun notes that the system enhances the surgeon's skills by providing "motion scaling," allowing the movement of the surgeon's hands to be translated into smaller, finer movements. The system also magnifies the view and provides a high-resolution 3-D color image of the surgical field — a vast improvement over the two-dimensional view provided with traditional laparoscopic procedures.
In addition to radical prostatectomy, robot-assisted surgery is currently in use for chest and abdominal surgery. Approval for cardiac surgery is expected soon.
Permanent Seed Implant Brachytherapy
An exciting new radiation treatment for prostate cancer is now available at the John Muir and Mt. Diablo Medical Centers. Working together, radiation oncologists and urologists have treated the first group of prostate cancer patients using permanent seed implant (PSI) brachytherapy.
According to Vincent Massullo, M.D., a radiation oncologist for the John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System's Oncology Services, clinical studies show that early to intermediate stage prostate cancer can be successfully treated with a PSI containing Iodine-125 and Palladium-103.
"Under general anesthesia, the tiny radioactive seeds are permanently inserted into the prostate with a fine needle," Dr. Massullo explains. "These seeds deliver radiotherapy in a localized fashion over several months and then become inactive."
Sophisticated ultrasound and computerized treatment planning is used to determine the ideal seed distribution to deliver the precise radiation dose to the prostate cancer. In this way, the cure rate is optimized while minimizing radiation to the surrounding normal tissues and organs.
Unlike conventional surgical techniques, no incisions are made. Only minor discomfort is associated with the outpatient procedure, and patients usually return to normal activities in two or three days.
"PSI brachytherapy provides an elegant multidisciplinary treatment for prostate cancer," Dr. Massullo says. "By combining minimally invasive surgical expertise with state-of-the-art radiation treatment, a powerful new tool to cure prostate cancer is now available locally."
PROSTATE CANCER FACTS
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 191,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2002 and will contribute to 31,000 deaths.
According to Dr. Taylor, the cause of prostate cancer is still unknown. However, research has shown that a man's chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer depend on his health, age and family history.
"Prostate cancer is found most often in men over 50," Dr. Taylor says. "The incidence increases with age. African American men develop prostate cancer at a higher rate than men in any other racial or ethnic group. A family history of the disease also increases the risk."
Scientists don't know what causes prostate cancer, but some studies suggest that diet may play a role in prevention. The American Cancer Society recommends a diet low in animal fat and high in fruits, vegetables and grains.
Early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms. "That's why screening — the digital rectal exam and PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test — are so important," says Daniel Chinn, M.D., a radiation oncologist for John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System's Oncology Services. "Men should have regular physicals and ask their doctor when screening is recommended." (Note: The American Cancer Society recommends that, beginning at the age of 50, men should be offered an annual PSA blood test and a digital rectal exam. Men at high risk should begin testing at age 45.)
(Posted September 12, 2002)