Conditions & Treatments
Urologic Oncology
At Einstein Healthcare Network, we take a personal, multidisciplinary approach to urologic cancer treatment. Our team of renowned specialists - led by Phillip Abbosh, MD, PhD; Serge Ginzburg, MD, FACS; and Steven Sterious, MD, FACS - includes medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and therapists who treat each patient with comfort and compassion, and work closely with you and your primary care physician to coordinate every aspect of your care.
Using advanced diagnostic and screening tools and minimally invasive procedures, we offer comprehensive treatment options for all types of cancer that may affect a person’s urinary system, including:
- Prostate Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Urethral and ureteral cancer
- Adrenal gland cancer
- Penile cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Other rare genitourinary cancers, as well as non-urologic cancers that involve the urinary organs
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men. Our team at Einstein includes some of the region's best oncologic prostate experts to treat conditions ranging from benign tumors and enlarged prostates to aggressive prostate cancer.
Using the most advanced detection and treatment methods, we apply a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to diagnosing and developing a personalized treatment plan for each individual. For cancers that are growing slowly, we may recommend a more conservative approach, such as simply monitoring the cancer. In more aggressive cases, a variety of treatment options may be recommended, including surgery, radiation therapy, or both.
Prostate Cancer Symptoms & Early Detection
Early signs of prostate cancer are not always detectable, because even benign prostate enlargement can be associated with common urinary symptoms, incontinence, or erectile dysfunction. Other symptoms of prostate cancer may include difficulty urinating or decreased urine stream, blood in urine or semen, swelling in the legs, discomfort in the pelvic area and new bone pain.
If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor about getting screened using a blood test that can help detect prostate cancer early.
Kidney Cancer
Cancer of the kidney, or renal cancer, may cause symptoms such as blood in the urine, a painful lump forming on your side, loss of appetite, weight loss, persistent fever and prolonged fatigue. Most patients don't know they have kidney cancer because it is found 'by accident.' If you have any of these symptoms, it is important to see a doctor who can determine if you have kidney cancer and work with a multidisciplinary team to develop a personalized treatment plan.
Bladder and Other Urinary Cancers
Bladder cancer can often be found early because it causes blood in the urine, which can cause the color of urine to change tobrown, pink orred. Other symptoms, such as having to urinate more often than usual, pain or burning during urination, having trouble urinating or having a weak urine stream, are more often signs of a urinary tract infection (UTI), enlarged prostate or other urologic condition, but can be signs of bladder cancer as well. Visible blood in the urine is in fact often mistaken for UTI, causing delay in bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment. These symptoms should not be ignored.
In more advanced cases, symptoms can include being unable to urinate, lower back pain on one side, loss of appetite, weight loss, feeling tired or weak, swelling in the legs or feet, and bone pain. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to see a a doctor right away.
Urinary Cancer Treatments
At Einstein, our team of urologic oncology specialists, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and therapists all work together to develop a personalized treatment plan for each individual. We offer a full range of the most advanced surgical and nonsurgical cancer therapies, including:
In cases where the cancer is limited to a small area and growing very slowly, the best option may be to monitor the cancer to make sure it does not spread. If the cancer becomes more aggressive or other symptoms appear, your oncology team may decide it is time to treat your cancer using radiation therapy, surgery or other methods.
Many forms of cancer can be treated with radiation therapy, which can shrink or completely destroy cancerous tumors using highly targeted radiation. Our radiologists specialize in several types of radiation therapy, including external beam and intensity-modulated radiation therapies, as well as interstitial prostate brachytherapy, which delivers radiation through small radioactive implants rather than an external radiation beam.
Surgical Removal of Cancers
In many cases, your oncology team may recommend surgical removal of cancerous tumors, sometimes combined with other types of cancer therapy such as radiation or chemotherapy. At Einstein, we specialize in many advanced surgical procedures for cancer, and use the least invasive procedures possible to help speed up recovery. These surgical procedures include:
- Da Vinci® robotic-assisted surgery
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Endoscopic surgery
- Laser surgery
- Open surgery
In these minimally invasive procedures, high-energy waves that produce heat are used to target and destroy cancer cells.
Some urologic cancers can be treated with cryotherapy, which freezes cancer cells to kill them.
Depending on the type of cancer and how advanced it is, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy to target cancer cells both in the primary affected area, as well as any that may have migrated to other places in your body.
Immunotherapy helps boost your body's natural ability to fight cancer. This may include taking T-cells from your tumor, producing more of them in a lab and then injecting them back into your body, or other types of biological therapy that help your immune system kill cancer cells.
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Reach out to a board-certified urologist at our convenient Philadelphia and Montgomery County Urology offices today.
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