Prostate Cancer
When you face prostate cancer—the most common cancer diagnosed in men—you want care that helps you achieve the best possible outcome with the fewest side effects. That’s what you’ll find at Cone Health Cancer Center.
Prostate Cancer Experience & Expertise
Each year, Cone Health helps more than 300 men fight prostate and other reproductive cancers, making it our third most-commonly diagnosed and treated cancer. See why your Triad-area friends and neighbors choose Cone Health for prostate cancer care.
Coordinated, Multidisciplinary Care
Stay close to home while receiving coordinated care from a team of specialists, including urologists and urologic oncology surgeons. You’ll appreciate the convenience of seeing multiple providers in a single day through our Multidisciplinary Prostate Care Clinic program. When you learn about all your treatment options in one visit, you’ll feel more confident making a well-informed decision about your care.
Count on your nurse navigator—including a navigator at Cone Health Cancer Center at Wesley Long who specializes in prostate cancer—to coordinate appointments, answer your questions, and provide general support and guidance.
Diagnosing & Staging Prostate Cancer
Your prostate cancer care plan begins with a comprehensive diagnosis, including how large the tumor is and how far the cancer has spread (clinical stage), as well as how quickly it’s expected to grow and how likely it is to spread further (Gleason score). Your doctor may use the following tests:
- Digital rectal exam – Physically detects abnormal masses
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test – Measures the amount of this protein in your blood; abnormal levels may indicate prostate cancer
- Prostate biopsy – Removes tissue samples for further examination; you’ll receive a local anesthetic before the procedure so you won’t feel any pain
- Imaging tests, such as a computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and molecular imaging bone scan – Show how far your cancer has spread
- Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) – Reveals whether cancer has spread to your lymph nodes, which are part of your immune system
Prostate Cancer Risk Groups
Using data from diagnostic tests, your doctor will categorize your condition as:
- Low risk – Cancer affects less than half of the prostate and is unlikely to grow or spread for many years
- Medium risk – Cancer affects more than half of the prostate and unlikely to grow or spread for a few years
- High risk – Cancer affects the entire prostate or has spread beyond the prostate, and may grow or spread within a few years
Your Prostate Cancer Treatment Plan
Partner with your care team to create a treatment plan that fits your age, general health, risk group and values. Because prostate cancer is typically slow-growing, you’ll have time to gather information and evaluate your treatment options. Trust us to answer your questions and help you create a plan to not only control your cancer, but also minimize side effects.
Depending on your specific situation, your choices may include:
- Active surveillance – Watches your condition closely; treatment doesn’t begin until your doctor detects changes
- Chemotherapy – Uses drugs to kill cancer cells; may be used when cancer has spread beyond the prostate
- Cryotherapy – Uses extreme cold to destroy cancer cells in the prostate
- Hormone therapy – Reduces or stops testosterone production to slow cancer growth
- Radiation therapy – Kills cells using high-energy particles or waves
- External beam therapy – Uses precisely targeted beams of high doses of radiation; usually administered five days per week for five to eight weeks
- Brachytherapy – Places a small radioactive seed in the prostate to deliver radiation continuously over a period of time
- Radiopharmaceutical (Radium-223) – Delivers radiation intravenously to improve survival and decrease pain after prostate cancer has spread to the bones
- Surgery, including minimally invasive robotic-assisted prostatectomy
- Vaccine therapy (sipuleucel-T) – Boosts your immune system to fight cancer cells; may be used to treat advanced prostate cancer that’s causing no or few symptoms
- Other treatments for prostate cancer
Learn more about cancer treatments at Cone Health Cancer Center.
Prostate Cancer Screenings
If you are concerned that you may be at risk for Prostate cancer, consult your primary care provider or have a prostate cancer screening. It is recommended that men have regular screenings beginning at age 45, or earlier if they fall into a higher-risk category. The Cone Health Cancer Center offers free prostate cancer screenings to qualified participants each year. Check our screenings page for any upcoming events.
Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials
If you choose to participate in a clinical trial, you may benefit from new treatments or tests not yet widely available. Explore our clinical trials for cancer or ask your doctor for more information about studies you may be eligible for.
Support & Survivorship
Whether you’re just been diagnosed, you’re undergoing treatment, or you’re a cancer survivor, lean on Cone Health for resources, education and support. Explore support and wellness services for patients and families.
Prostate Cancer Support Group
Team up with other men facing similar challenges related to prostate cancer treatment and survivorship. Gain support, information and new friends at our prostate cancer support group.
Prostate Cancer Resources
Explore the following resources to learn more about prostate cancer:
