Prostate Cancer Care

Open nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy is a procedure to remove the prostate gland, surrounding tissues and seminal vesicles while protecting the nerves in the region.

Laparoscopic nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy is a procedure to remove the prostate gland, surrounding tissues and seminal vesicles through a laparoscope, while protecting the nerves in the region. The surgeon uses a small video camera to assist this surgery.

Robotic nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy is a robotic-assisted procedure to remove the prostate gland, surrounding tissues and seminal vesicles while protecting the nerves in the region.

Robotic-assisted surgery allows for better and more controlled access, giving the surgeon a clear and magnified view of the surgical area. It allows them to use smaller instruments and move with greater precision in a minimally invasive fashion, all of which results in a less traumatic experience and quicker recovery for the patient.

This advanced procedure requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Open pelvic lymphadenectomy can be used to prevent the accumulation of lymphatic fluid (lymphedema) that leads to swelling. Two such procedures are reverse lymphatic mapping, which allows surgeons to identify lymph nodes that can be preserved during surgery, and lymphovenous bypass surgery, which enables surgeons to reestablish lymphatic drainage.

Robotic pelvic lymphadenectomy involves the surgical removal of groups of lymph nodes in the pelvic area and near the aorta. The surgeon uses a control panel to guide a small robotic arm. The tissue is then tested to determine whether cancer cells are present.

Robotic-assisted surgery allows for better and more controlled access, giving the surgeon a clear and magnified view of the surgical area. It allows them to use smaller instruments and move with greater precision in a minimally invasive fashion, all of which results in a less traumatic experience and quicker recovery for the patient.

This advanced procedure requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Brachytherapy is an approach to delivering radiation treatment from a source implanted inside the body. These sources may be placed either permanently or temporarily at the tumor site.

By delivering radiation directly into a tumor, this technique spares the surrounding normal tissue any exposure to radiation and the side effects that it may bring.

This advanced procedure requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians and support. It is available at some Providence locations.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) are advanced types of radiation therapies. IMRT uses advanced technology to manipulate the radiation beams to conform to the shape of a tumor. VMAT is a subtype of IMRT in which the machine actively delivers radiation beams while moving in an arc around the patient.

This method of radiation delivery offers next-generation capabilities. The arc-based therapy provided via VMAT delivers high doses of radiation to more focused areas, reducing side effects and the overall treatment time for the patient. This treatment is particularly effective at treating several types of cancer while at the same time reducing toxicity and harm to vital organs.

This procedure is one of several new ways to deliver radiation therapy. It requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Radiopharmaceuticals (Lu-177) is a radioisotope that is combined with a delivery molecule to specifically target a type of cancer cell in some neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancers. This radiopharmaceutical compound simulates the action of a naturally occurring substance and binds to cancer cells. This interaction slows the growth of cancer cells, while at the same time working to destroy them using a radioactive particle inside the cell to damage the cancer cells’ DNA.

The elegance of this therapy lies in its ability to bind the medication directly to cancer cells and to apply radiation from inside the cancer cell – thus delivering a potent dose that does not penetrate very far, thereby sparing normal adjacent healthy cells.

This procedure is one of several new ways to deliver radiation therapy intravenously. It requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized and licensed physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Radiopharmaceuticals (Radium-223) is a bone-seeking radioactive isotope that concentrates in the bones of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. It kills the cancer cells in the bone by delivering radiation right to the cancer cell. A commonly used agent is Xofigo.

This allows normal bone and bone marrow to grow again and fill in the areas treated. This treatment reduces pain and improves outcomes by destroying cancer cells.

This procedure is one of several new ways to deliver radiation therapy intravenously. It requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized and licensed physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Stereotactic radiation (SABR/SBRT) is a group of treatments that includes stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and stereotactic ablative radiation (SABR) – both of which are adaptations of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) – for the treatment of targets in the body, but outside the brain. Similar to SRS, these techniques deliver very high doses of radiation using sophisticated motion management and patient immobilization techniques.

The number of radiation treatments is minimal and may range from one to five treatments delivered over one to two weeks.

This procedure is one of several new ways to deliver radiation therapy. It requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Cryoablation is a procedure that involves directly freezing and killing cancer cells.

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a minimally invasive treatment that uses ultrasound waves to destroy tumors. The technology allows the beams to directly target a specific area, leaving surrounding tissues unharmed.