According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 men will be impacted by prostate cancer during his lifetime, with nearly 300,000 men in the U.S. projected to be diagnosed in 2024.
While anyone born with a prostate is at risk for developing prostate cancer, risk factors can also include:
- Race/ethnicity: African American men and Caribbean men of African ancestry tend to be more likely to develop the disease than men of other races.
- Age: About 6 in 10 cases are found in men older than 65
- Family History: Men with a first-degree relative, such as a father or brother with prostate cancer
- Genetic factors: Carriers of the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene, or those with Lynch syndrome
As is the case with many life-threatening diseases, early detection can be essential in effective treatment. For this reason, it is recommended that all men should discuss with their doctor screening for prostate cancer beginning at about age 50; those men at elevated risk should start earlier.
If one is diagnosed with prostate cancer, there are various treatment options. A patient can benefit from a multidisciplinary team approach, as well as the latest state-of-the-art technology and equipment, to maximize their chances of a successful outcome – both part of our approach at White Plains Hospital’s Center for Cancer Care.
Our team is an experienced, multidisciplinary group of urologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and geneticists who work collaboratively in the diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of men with prostate cancer. This team approach allows patients to become familiar with the range of available treatment options and to decide which might be best for them through a shared decision-making process.
As part of those discussions, we review not only the effectiveness of the treatment options but also the potential side effects and anticipated long-term impact of each treatment on the patient. We naturally treat each patient as an individual, as each one’s circumstances – including prostate cancer stage, age, medical comorbidities, and personal priorities – play a pivotal role going forward. Maintaining a certain level of quality of life is invariably a key component of those discussions.
White Plains Hospital is the only hospital in Westchester County to offer the Varian Edge technology. Designed to deliver full-body stereotactic radiosurgery, the Edge has the ability to precisely target tumors with precise accuracy, delivering localized ablative treatment without causing damage to the surrounding tissue. The technology allows us to treat many patients in only one to five treatments, each lasting merely 15 to 20 minutes. (In addition to the prostate, the Edge can treat tumors throughout the entire body, including the brain, spine, lungs, liver, pancreas, adrenal glands, and kidneys.)
We also employ the Varian TrueBeam, which uses radiation therapy to precisely target and destroy cancerous tumors by delivering a high dose of radiation from various angles, utilizing advanced imaging technology to track tumor movement and ensure accurate treatment delivery.
In addition, White Plains Hospital offers Pylarify-PSMA PET scanning, an advanced diagnostic imaging modality using a prostate cancer-specific imaging agent (PSMA) with a PET (positive emission tomography) scanner to identity whether prostate cancer has spread beyond the gland to lymph nodes, bones, and other organs – with a markedly higher accuracy than other types of imaging tests. We are the first and only hospital in New York, outside of New York City, to offer PET/MRI scans, which provide exceptional image quality, shorter test times, and lower radiation exposure for better accuracy and more safety.
While a diagnosis of prostate cancer can be overwhelming, patients at White Plains Hospital have access to a variety of personalized and highly effective diagnostic and treatment options, a team of renowned specialists, the latest technology and equipment and a suite of comprehensive services under one roof to support them at every step of their care.
Dr. Jeffrey M. Vainshtein is a radiation oncologist at the White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care. To make an appointment, call 914-681-2727.