Advanced Options for Prostate Care
Virtua Health offers a range of diagnostic procedures, advanced treatment options like robot-assisted surgery, and personalized support services for men diagnosed with prostate problems, including enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH) and prostate cancer. Individualized treatment plans based on your age, overall health, and other factors aim to get you back to the activities you enjoy.
You may have a prostate problem if you have:
- A frequent urge to urinate
- A need to get up many times during the night to urinate
- Blood in urine or semen
- Pain or burning urination
- Painful ejaculation
- Frequent pain or stiffness in lower back, hips, pelvic or rectal area, or upper thighs
- Dribbling of urine
Screening for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer in American men. Screening for prostate cancer includes a digital rectal exam, which feels for lumps or suspicious areas on the prostate, and a blood test called a prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The American Cancer Society recommends prostate screening for men:
- Age 50 who are at average risk and are expected to live at least 10 more years
- Age 45 who are at high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65)
- Age 40 who are at even higher risk of developing prostate cancer (those with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age)
Prostate Cancer Treatment Options at Virtua Health
Our team of highly experienced cancer specialists offers the latest treatment options, including:
- Minimally invasive prostatectomy, including robot-assisted surgery using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical Ststem, and cryosurgery
- Hormone therapy, including luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists and LHRH antagonists to block the use and production of male sex hormones called androgens
- Radiation therapy through the Penn Medicine | Virtua Cancer Program. Using the latest technology, we precisely target the prostate tumor while reducing the dose to normal tissue, resulting in less treatment related side effects.
Virtua Health also offers professionally facilitated support and education programs for cancer survivors, including a prostate cancer support group.
