Prostate Cancer
Care for all stages of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. But not every man who learns he has prostate cancer needs treatment. At the Weill Cornell Medicine Meyer Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, we have refined our methods to determine whether you need diagnostic testing, treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, or a combination of these treatments), or "active surveillance" with periodic monitoring of early-stage cancer to see if your tumor grows. This comprehensive approach ensures you receive appropriate care for your prostate cancer that meets your individual needs.
Determining the need for treatment
One of the biggest challenges today is distinguishing slow-growing prostate cancers that may never need treatment from cancers that are more aggressive and require therapy. Our specialists carefully assess your prostate cancer and use tools such as MRI scanning and molecular testing to make an informed decision about whether you need treatment or active surveillance.
Minimally invasive robotic prostate cancer surgery
If you need surgery for prostate cancer, you may be able to have it robotically, which gives the surgeon an enhanced view of the surgical field and allows for more precise surgery. Our urologic surgeons are highly experienced in performing the latest robotic prostate cancer procedures, including nerve-sparing prostatectomy. NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist is home to the most advanced robotic surgery systems.
Advanced radiation therapy
We offer image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer, which aims radiation beams of different intensities from many different angles to precisely treat your tumor while sparing nearby healthy tissues and reducing the risk of side effects. In addition, we use brachytherapy (the implantation of radioactive seeds in the prostate) and radiolabeled drugs to treat prostate cancer.
Medical treatments
Some patients with prostate cancer need hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapies. You can receive intravenous treatments in our comfortable infusion center. Your medical oncologist will work closely with you to choose the medications that are best suited for the biology and stage of your tumor.
Treatment of enlarged prostate
Half of men over 50 have an enlarged prostate — a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) — which can lead to symptoms such as an urgent need to urinate, multiple nighttime bathroom visits, and poor urine flow. The interventional radiologists at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital offer prostate artery embolization (PAE), a minimally invasive treatment performed through a pinhole with very little risk and few side effects. The doctor injects microscopic beads into the blood vessels to restrict blood flow to the prostate, which over time causes the prostate to shrink and relieves symptoms. Patients can usually go home the same day of the procedure and will start seeing results in the following days to weeks. For more information or to make an appointment, call 718-780-5825.