Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in Louisiana, but if caught early, five-year survival is close to 100 percent. Talk to your doctor about when you should begin prostate cancer screenings.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center patients fighting prostate cancer are surrounded by a team of experts, providing comprehensive and individualized treatment plans. Learn more about prostate cancer below.
Men, starting at age 50, should be offered a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam (DRE) every year. To decide on testing, talk to your doctor about how you may or may not benefit from prostate cancer testing. Men with a close family member with prostate cancer before age 65 and African American men should be offered both tests and discuss pros and cons of testing beginning at age 45.
There are some common risk factors for prostate cancer. About 6 out of 10 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in men 65 years or older. Having a father or brother with prostate cancer more than doubles a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer. There is also some evidence that a diet high in saturated fat puts men at greater risk. In addition, African-American men are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage. And they are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as caucasian men.
Signs of prostate cancer may include difficulties with urination, including starting urination, weak or interrupted flow of urine, frequent urination (especially at night), difficulty emptying the bladder completely, or pain or burning during urination. Other symptoms may be blood in the urine or semen, pain in the back, hips, or pelvis that doesn’t go away, or painful ejaculation. If you are experiencing these symptoms, please talk with your doctor.
During prostate cancer treatments, patients traditionally have a balloon inserted in their rectum for each individual treatment – potentially dozens of time. The purpose of this is to protect vital organs during radiation and prevent sexual dysfunction after treatment.
SpaceOAR, a new gel that is inserted in the rectal area one time (instead of the balloon multiple times), functions in a similar way to the balloon, but is more effective at protecting organs. The one-time injection is active for the patient’s entire treatment period and then is absorbed and leaves the body in the patient’s urine months later.
This new technology is a game changer for prostate cancer patients and is now offered at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center facilities in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma and Gonzales. Dr. Charles Wood, the first radiation oncologist certified as an applier of SpaceOAR in Louisiana, led the initiative to bring this innovative technology to the Cancer Center. Dr. Andrew Elson and Dr. Daniel Bourgeois have joined Dr. Wood in making this device available to more patients across South Louisiana.
The gel is less toxic for the patient and the benefits of this painless procedure increases their overall quality of life. For more information, call (225) 767-0847 or visit www.spaceoar.com.
For urology referrals, physicians can contact the patient referral specialist.
Phone: (833) 215-1222
Fax: (225) 215-1656
Email: referrals@marybird.com
