Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
If your diagnosis is prostate cancer, we’ll work closely with you to develop an individualized treatment plan. We take a precision medicine approach designed for the biology of your specific type and stage of prostate cancer. This highly targeted approach aims to reduce side effects and preserve your function while successfully treating your prostate cancer.
Active Surveillance
We know that not all prostate cancers act the same. Some types are not as aggressive or likely to spread. Thanks to advanced diagnostics available at Hackensack Meridian Health, we can identify if your cancer is lower risk. If that is the case, you may be recommended for active surveillance.
Our urology team is highly experienced in managing patients with active surveillance. We continue to track patient outcomes for as long as 20 years through an ongoing study.
Surgery
Based on your MRI images and biopsy results, your care team may recommend surgery for your prostate cancer. Surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health is tailored to each individual patient. The size, location, type and grade of cancer help determine the best surgical approach. Surgery involves removing the entire prostate gland, seminal vesicles and, in some cases, the nearby lymph nodes. Our surgeons are pioneers in minimally invasive robotic surgery and focal therapy."Having cancer is a very scary thing, and the way the people treat you here made me feel at ease"
— Mark Saczawa, Wantage, N.J.
Robotic Prostate Surgery
Based on your MRI images and biopsy results, your care team may recommend surgery for your prostate cancer. Surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health is tailored to each individual patient. The size, location, type and grade of cancer help determine the best surgical approach. Surgery involves removing the entire prostate gland, seminal vesicles and, in some cases, the nearby lymph nodes. Our surgeons are experts in many different surgical approaches, including open surgery and minimally invasive surgery. However, for certain patients, minimally invasive robotic surgery may be the best option.
"We are one of the first 10 programs in the world to bring in the single-port robot...over the last 2 years we have performed over 600 surgeries."
Dr. Michael Stifelman, M.D. Chair of Urology HUMC
Why Choose Hackensack Meridian Health for Robotic Prostate Surgery?
- Performed nearly 2,000 robotic prostate cancer surgeries in the last six years — more than any other center in New Jersey.
- Six dedicated robotic urological systems, including New Jersey’s first da Vinci SP® single-port robot.
- Hackensack University Medical Center was among the first hospitals in the world to use the da Vinci SP® single-port robotic surgery system for urologic surgeries.
- More than 775 robotic procedures a year, and more than 5,000 in the past decade performed at Hackensack University Medical Center.
- More than 90 percent of major urology surgeries at Hackensack University Medical Center use robotic technology.
- Our urologists publish robotic surgery studies in academic journals and present at international conferences.
Single Port Robotic Surgery
Our surgeons have taken robotic prostate cancer surgery one step further by developing a single-port approach, which means all surgical tools and camera are inserted through a single incision.Hackensack University Medical Center was among the first hospitals in the world — and the first in New Jersey — to use the da Vinci SP® single-port robotic surgery system for urologic surgeries.
Compared to traditional surgery, prostate removal with the da Vinci SP® single-port robotic surgery system offers:
- One incision, and less tissue damage
- Increased precision and flexibility for complex surgeries
- Decreased blood loss, reduced need for transfusions, and less risk of infection
- Less pain after surgery
- Smaller external and internal scars
- Shorter hospital stay
- Faster recovery and return to normal activities
Additional Treatment Options
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) uses an ultrasound probe to deliver high-intensity sound waves at a precise point. The magnitude of ultrasound energy delivered rapidly raises the temperature at the focal point, causing coagulation necrosis without damaging healthy tissue and structures outside the targeted area.
Cryoablation is a innovative and minimally invasive treatment approach for prostate cancer. This technique involves the use of extremely cold temperatures to freeze and destroy cancerous cells within the prostate gland. During the procedure, a probe is inserted into the prostate, and the targeted freezing of cancer cells disrupts their ability to grow and divide. Cryoablation offers several advantages, including reduced damage to surrounding healthy tissues, shorter recovery times, and the potential for outpatient treatment. While it may not be suitable for all prostate cancer cases, cryoablation represents a promising alternative to traditional treatments, providing patients with a viable option that combines effectiveness with fewer side effects.
Radiation therapy for prostate cancer delivers high-dose energy beams or radioactive seeds to your prostate. Which radiation therapy is right for you is determined by our radiation oncology team based on your type of cancer. Radiation therapy is offered for all stages of cancer and can be administered in conjunction with hormone treatment.
External Beam Radiation (EBRT): This form of therapy delivers radiation on its own or in combination with brachytherapy. There are three main types of EBRT for prostate cancer:
- Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): IMRT uses computer programs to treat a tumor from multiple angles while minimizing risk of high-dose radiation to adjacent healthy tissue.
- Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT): SBRT provides high doses per treatment that are precisely targeted. Treatment can be delivered in as few as five sessions.
- Proton Therapy: Unlike the EBRT techniques described above, which use x-rays, protons are different because they deposit most of their energy over a shorter distance. This decreases radiation dose to nearby tissue while effectively targeting the tumor.
Brachytherapy: This involves implanting tiny radioactive seeds or wire into tumor tissue.
Depending on your type and stage of prostate cancer, systemic therapy may be the first course of treatment or used in addition to other treatments. These anti-cancer medications include anti-androgen therapy, IV chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Our team of doctors works with medical oncology and radiation oncology colleagues at the John Theurer Cancer Center to determine if systemic therapy is appropriate for your individualized treatment plan.
If you have been treated for localized prostate cancer and have had your cancer return, the experts at the Hackensack Meridian Health specialize in treating recurrent prostate cancer.
We may recommend additional tests such axumin PET scan, 3-Tesla MRI, MRI-targeted fusion biopsy or genetic tumor profiling to enhance your diagnosis. Our multidisciplinary team meets to discuss your case and identify any new systemic therapies or clinical trials of novel agents.
