Prostate Cancer Treatment and Care on Long Island

Advanced Care for Prostate Cancer

Catholic Health Cancer Institutes across Long Island deliver excellence in prostate cancer services—from early detection screenings to diagnosis and the most advanced treatment options. Our compassionate cancer experts support you at every step, including follow-up and survivorship care.

Find a Catholic Health Cancer Institute Near You

About Prostate Cancer

The prostate is a small gland in the male reproductive system located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It produces seminal fluid and typically grows as a man ages.

Prostate cancer develops when abnormal cells form and grow in the prostate gland. It often grows slowly, and many tumors are diagnosed before the cancer has spread beyond the prostate. Prostate cancer is highly treatable when found at this stage.

Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Risk varies based on age, race and ethnicity, family history, and other factors.

Early Detection and Screening for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer often causes no symptoms in its early stages. Screening can identify signs of prostate cancer that may require additional testing.

General screening guidelines recommend beginning at age 50. Men with a family history or other risk factors may benefit from screening as early as age 40. Talk with your health care provider about your personal risk and when prostate cancer screening may be appropriate for you.

Screening and Diagnostic Tests

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Blood Test

The prostate gland makes a protein called prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. This test measures PSA levels in the blood. Elevated PSA levels may indicate cancer, but levels can also rise because of benign conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostatitis

Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)

During this physical exam, a physician feels the prostate for changes such as an abnormal shape, consistency, thickness or nodules.

Imaging Tests

An MRI or transrectal ultrasound can provide images of the prostate, including suspicious areas that may be cancerous.

Biopsy

A physician removes a small tissue sample to look for cancer cells. A biopsy may be recommended when screening or imaging indicates a possible concern.

Learn more about prostate cancer screenings and PSA testing

Causes and Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer

The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown. However, certain factors may increase a man's risk of developing the disease.

Age. Risk increases with age. Prostate cancer is more commonly diagnosed after age 50, and about 60% of cases occur in men older than 65.
Race and ethnicity. African American men and men of Caribbean descent have a higher risk. The reasons for these differences are not clear.
Family history. Men are more likely to develop prostate cancer if they have a family member with the disease. Having a father or brother with prostate cancer more than doubles a man's risk.

Other potential risk factors may include smoking, prostatitis, obesity, sexually transmitted infections and certain chemical exposures. Talk with your physician about your personal risk factors and the right time to begin screening.

Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer frequently causes no symptoms in its early stages. As it progresses, symptoms may include:

Frequent urination, especially at night
Difficulty starting or stopping the flow of urine
Inability to urinate
Pain or burning during urination
Blood in the urine
Painful ejaculation
Weak urine flow
Pain in the lower back, hips or upper thighs

These symptoms can also be caused by less serious conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infections or prostatitis. If you experience any of these symptoms, consult your primary care physician or a urologist for an evaluation.

Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer treatment depends on the stage and grade of the cancer, whether it has spread, your overall health and other individual factors. In the early stages of prostate cancer, active surveillance is often used to monitor the cancer closely, with a plan to treat it if tests show it is starting to grow more quickly. Patients receive regular screenings to track cancer growth.

Your care team will work with you to determine the most appropriate treatment plan; advanced treatments may include:

Robotic Surgery with the da Vinci Robot

Treatment of prostate cancer may require surgery to remove your prostate gland and the nearby lymph nodes. Catholic Health offers minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery using the da Vinci robot system.

The procedure requires small incisions in your abdomen. The da Vinci robot provides a high-definition 3D view of the surgical area. Your physician uses tiny instruments that move like a human hand but more smoothly and with a better range of motion.

The precision allowed by robotic surgery means your physician can avoid damaging healthy tissues and nerves.

Additional benefits of robotic surgery include:

Faster recovery and return to normal activities
Less blood loss
Less pain after surgery
Return to total continence sooner
Shorter hospital stay

The da Vinci robot system is offered at Good Samaritan Hospital (West Islip, NY), St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center (Roslyn, NY), St. Catherine of Siena Hospital (Smithtown, NY) and Good Samaritan University Hospital, St. Charles Campus (Port Jefferson, NY).

Varian Edge® Radiosurgery

Catholic Health offers radiosurgery using Varian Edge®. Radiosurgery uses focused beams of radiation to shrink and kill cancer cells. Although it is called surgery, the procedure does not require an incision. It typically takes one to five sessions over the course of one week.

Varian Edge® technology allows your physician to deliver precise doses of radiation exactly where it’s needed. This process is faster than more traditional treatment and does less damage to healthy tissues.

When compared to traditional radiation treatments, Varian Edge® radiosurgery provides the following benefits:

Better visibility allows more precise placement of radiation
Faster process takes less time to complete
Highly targeted placement of radiation reduces damage to healthy tissues surrounding cancer cells
No incisions and no hospital stay are required
Quicker recovery with a lower chance of side effects
Rapid return to regular activity
Real-time tracking capabilities improve the efficiency and precision of your treatments

Varian Edge® is offered at Good Samaritan Hospital (West Islip, NY).

Varian TrueBeam® Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a procedure that delivers high doses of radiation to cancer cells. Catholic Health offers Varian TrueBeam® for stereotactic radiosurgery. Varian TrueBeam® is an advanced technology that allows your physician to focus the radiation on cancerous tumors with accuracy and precision.

During treatment, the TrueBeam rotates around your body to deliver a prescribed radiation dose from nearly any angle. The radiation beam can be shaped to match your tumor. This reduces the damage to any nearby healthy tissue. The process is effective using 25% less radiation than other radiation treatments and is faster to complete.

Varian TrueBeam® provides the following benefits over Cyberknife®:

High resolution real-time imaging provides precise targeting of cancer cells.
Treatment can be performed in as few as five sessions and each session takes 15 minutes. Cyberknife® takes 45 minutes.
Varian TrueBeam® detects cancer cells without metallic markers or trackers inserted into the treatment area. Cyberknife® cannot “see” the prostate and metallic markers must be implanted into the prostate transrectally prior to the procedure.

Varian TrueBeam® is offered at Good Samaritan Hospital (West Islip, NY) and St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center (Roslyn, NY).

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy may be used on its own or in combination with other prostate cancer treatments. External beam radiation therapy directs strong X-rays at the tumor. Advanced approaches, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy, can target cancer cells while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. Brachytherapy places radioactive seeds inside the prostate to kill cancer cells while preserving surrounding tissue.

Systemic and Other Treatments

If prostate cancer has spread beyond the prostate, systemic treatments may be recommended. These treatments travel through the body to destroy cancer cells or stop them from growing. Options may include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy. Other localized treatment options can include high-intensity focused ultrasound, cryotherapy, laser ablation or photodynamic therapy.

View cancer treatments available at Catholic Health

Recovery and Follow-Up

Recovery differs for each person and depends on the treatment received. Temporary limits on physical activity may be necessary. Routine follow-up visits and additional PSA blood tests may be recommended to monitor recovery and check for signs that cancer has returned.

Our Team and Approach

Catholic Health's prostate cancer specialists work closely with you to create customized treatment plans upon diagnosis. Our multidisciplinary approach gives you access to a team of expert specialists, including board-certified oncologists, urologists and surgeons, registered nurse navigators, and infusion/chemotherapy nurses.

If you need diagnostic imaging, our board-certified radiologists use the latest technology for accurate results. Our cancer team also includes social workers and spiritual care staff who are available if you or your loved ones need comfort and support.