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Prostate cancer is the number one cancer that afflicts men, so
it's a malignancy.
And while nobody really knows how it develops,
we know that certain populations are at an increased risk of it.
So it is thought to be a disease of aging men, although young men
can still get it and can have aggressive forms of it as well.
There are other populations like African-American men and
then men who have a first degree relative with prostate cancer.
So prostate cancer is usually diagnosed through a blood test
called the prostate specific antigen, commonly known as PSA.
It can also be diagnosed
through a digital rectal exam that's done by a physician.
Not everybody who has an elevated PSA
has prostate cancer.
And there's really not a very good cut off for
a PSA level that would alarm someone.
Sometimes it's just an overall elevation in the number.
Sometimes it's the rate of change of the PSA.
And different individuals can have different levels of PSA,
say, based on their age or based on the size of the prostate.
So it's really a nuanced discussion with your physician
when you do have a PSA test to then uncover the cancer, which
is ultimately diagnosed through a procedure called a biopsy.
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So there's a multitude
of treatment options of prostate cancer.
The standard treatment options would be active surveillance,
and this would be usually for an early cancer, usually for
a cancer that we believe is not likely to affect you during your
lifetime.
An active surveillance would mean that we would watch
the cancer closely, not forget about it.
And if there's any signs of progression,
we can then intervene.
And this way we balance the risk of the cancer,
which is hopefully minimal if we're watching it,
versus the risk of any complications from treatment.
The other two treatments that we would talk
about would be radiation therapy and surgery, which is
removal of the prostate, also known as radical prostatectomy.
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Radical prostatectomy can be performed using a robotic tool.
So it could be a robotic prostatectomy, or
it can be the conventional open prostatectomy.
Open prostatectomy is done via an open incision or
an incision that goes below the patients navel.
Whereas the robotic approach is performed through
multiple tiny incisions.
And the robotic instruments go through those incisions and
are still controlled by the surgeon to perform
the operation.
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There are many good reasons to come to Johns Hopkins for
your robotic prostatectomy procedure.
I think to step back.
You should come to Johns Hopkins for prostate cancer because we
are really a center of excellence for prostate cancer,
and we've been a center of excellence for many, many years.
Many of the seminal discoveries in the world of prostatectomy
happened here.
The first radical prostatectomy happened at Johns Hopkins in
1904.
And in the 1980s, Dr. Patrick Wallace was the Johns Hopkins
urologist and the director of urology at that time discover
the neuro-vascular bundles which are the nerve bundles and
everybody aims to spare during surgery to protect
erectile function after the procedure.
Beyond the history, however, we've been able to refine our
knowledge of prostatectomy and perfect it, and we have a well
versed and experienced team that has performed thousands of
radical prostatectomies that will take care of you here.
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So, the Care Team for our prostate cancer patient would
depend on the stage of the disease.
So, for somebody with more aggressive cancer,
we may include a Radiation Oncologist and
a Medical Oncologist.
But, for somebody with the average prostate cancer,
who is having erratical prostatectomy,
our carotene would include an anesthesiologist who is
experienced with robotic surgery.
There are some nuances to the anesthesia,
that needs to be taken into account.
We also have a dedicated nursing team that is
really very experienced in robotic surgery.
And has taught other teams, really,
how to be adept at the robotic surgery.
And of course, there is the surgeon, as well.
We also work with a nurse navigator who helps the patient
navigate through the system to get to the radical prostatectomy
and help optimize their recovery.
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So recovery after prostatectomy,
most patients are in the hospital for one night and
you will have a catheter that sits on the bladder that sits
there for about seven to ten days.
The catheter's there to bridge the new connection between
the urethra and the bladder where the prostate used to be.
That catheter comes out and
then you start on the way to recovery.
Some patients will go back to work immediately after
the catheter's removed, and some will wait anywhere between
one to two weeks after that to regain their full strength.
That sometimes depends on baseline health characteristics
and the type of disease that they had.
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Yes, my recommendations for anyone diagnosed with prostate
cancer is number one take a deep, deep breath.
Things are gonna be fine.
Luckily, we've come a long way in prostate cancer care.
And the first is to have a positive outlook.
I think that for most patients luckily today that is true.
Number two is to do your research and
go to a place to get care where the institution is renowned for
prostate cancer and
the individual doctors are also renowned for prostate cancer.
And ask a lot of questions.
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