Holland Hospital - Healthy Life Winter 08

ABOUT THE DOCTORS

What Every Man Should Know
About Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States (after skin cancer). There's good news, however: the American Cancer Society says that early detection is on the rise, which is helping to lower the death rate.

Knowledge is power. Men (and the women in their lives) who are aware of prostate cancer can help reduce its risk by knowing when to get screened and seek treatment.

A growing problem
The prostate is a gland exclusive to men, about the size of a walnut and located under the bladder. It aids in the creation of cells that produce some of the seminal fluid, which protects sperm cells. The prostate grows as a man reaches his adult years and is maintained at adult size for as long as male hormones are being produced. Some older men have problems with the prostate continuing to grow around the urethra, the tube that carries urine. This causes extra pressure on the bladder, disrupting normal urinary habits. This can simply be the result of an overactive prostate or it could be a sign of cancer.

The cancer
Most prostate cancers develop slowly. As with most other forms of cancer, early detection may be the key to successful treatment and survival. Doctors recommend men over age 50 have their prostate checked annually.

The American Cancer Society advocates that men at high risk –
African-Americans and men with a close relative who had prostate cancer before age 65 – should begin testing at age 45. Those with several close relatives stricken with the disease should consider starting screenings at age 40.

When cancer is detected in the early stages, some men do not have symptoms. Others, however, may experience some of the following warning signs:

A need to urinate frequently, especially at night.
Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine.
Painful burning or irritation during urination.
Blood in the urine or semen.
Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips or upper thighs.

Prohibit prostate problems
All men over age 50 should have a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and a digital rectal exam (DRE) annually. During a DRE, the doctor assesses the size and shape of the prostate. PSA is a protein the prostate creates and releases into the bloodstream. If there is a problem with the gland, it will release unusually high amounts of PSA that can be easily detected in the bloodstream. PSA levels under 4 ng/mL are considered "normal" and results exceeding 10 ng/mL are considered "high." Anything in between is considered "intermediate."

A high PSA might not be a sign of cancer. Instead, it may be an indication of another prostate ailment, which is why both the PSA screen and DRE are recommended.

As with many cancers, there are a variety of treatment options. Successful treatment most likely will depend on a combination of procedures and medical factors. That's another reason why it's crucial for men over 50 to have their prostate examined regularly.

For more information on prostate cancer or to schedule a PSA screening and DRE, contact your doctor.

Dr. Brad Willoughby prepares to perform surgery.

Da Vinci^® Brings Robot-Assisted Surgery
to the Lakeshore

Patients requiring surgery for prostate cancer now have a new, less invasive surgical option at Holland Hospital with the introduction this fall of the da Vinci^® Surgical System.

The state-of-the-art surgical technique combines the expertise of an experienced surgeon with the micro-precision of robotic technology. Several prostate cancer patients have undergone the robot-assisted surgery for radical prostatectomy, or removal of the prostate gland, and more are scheduled, says Brad Willoughby, MD, of Western Michigan Urological Associates, who performs the surgery along with a specially trained surgical team at Holland Hospital.

"The da Vinci surgery is something that patients in our community have requested and sought out," says Dr. Willoughby. Now the surgery is available to them close to home.

The main components of the da Vinci system are a console at which the surgeon sits and controls the surgery, and a patient area that includes a high-resolution camera and micro-instruments used for the surgery. While the camera provides the surgeon with a clear, 3-D view inside the patient's body, the computer-enhanced system scales the surgeon's hand movements at the console down to micro-movements of the surgical instruments. Because the instruments are so tiny and precise, small "keyhole" incisions are made rather than the 8- to 10-inch incisions usually required.

Benefits to the patient include less pain, less blood loss, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. "We're also seeing improvement in urinary continence rates and quicker return to continence, and we anticipate improvement in potency rates," notes Dr. Willoughby.

Candidates for radical prostatectomy are reasonably healthy patients who have been recently diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, says Dr. Willoughby.

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