Cancer Treatment Services

Kidney Cancer

• Radical Nephrectomy - Surgeons remove the entire affected kidney as well as the adrenal gland, some surrounding tissue and possibly some lymph nodes.
• Partial Nephrectomy - Surgeons remove the tumor with part or none of the kidney.

Prostate Cancer

• Radical Prostatectomy (Open) - In this operation, the surgeon accesses the prostate gland through an incision (between 4 – 10 inches long). Depending on the case, the incision is made either in the lower belly or in the groin between the anus and the penis. The recovery from this surgery is lengthy because of the duration of the operation, the amount of blood loss and the trauma of the procedure.
• Radical Prostatectomy (Laparoscopic) - The laparoscope is a rigid tube with a light and camera on the end. This surgery involves making a few small incisions (each less than 1/2 inch in length) rather than the one large cut made during the open approach. The laparoscope is inserted through one of the incisions and long-handled surgical instruments are inserted through other incisions. While looking through the eyepiece at the end of the laparoscope, the surgeon manipulates the instruments and removes the prostate. Smaller incisions mean less trauma, lower blood loss, lower risk of infection, and reduced recovery time.

Testicular Cancer

• Radical Inguinal Orchiectomy - A procedure to remove the entire testicle through an incision in the groin. The testicle is then viewed under a microscope to check for cancer cells. (The surgeon does not cut through the scrotum into the testicle to remove a sample of tissue for biopsy because, if cancer is present, this procedure could cause it to spread into the scrotum and lymph nodes.) If cancer is found, the cell type (seminoma or nonseminoma) is determined in order to help plan treatment. Some of the lymph nodes located deep in the abdomen may be removed during an orchiectomy in a procedure called a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.

Penile Cancer

• Mohs Surgery - A surgical procedure to remove a visible lesion on the skin in several steps. First, a thin layer of cancerous tissue is removed. A second thin layer of tissue is removed and viewed under a microscope to check for cancer cells. More layers are removed one at a time until the tissue viewed under a microscope shows no remaining cancer. This type of surgery is used to remove as little normal tissue as possible. This approach is only used for early stage cancers confined to the penile skin with little or no invasion into the deeper tissue.
• Laser Surgery - A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a surface lesion such as a tumor. This approach is only used for early stage cancers confined to the penile skin with little or no invasion into the deeper tissue.
• Circumcision - Surgery to remove part or the entire foreskin of the penis. This approach is used with early stage penile cancers occurring in the penile foreskin.
• Wide Local Excision - Surgery to remove only the cancer and some normal tissue around it. This approach is only used for early stage cancers confined to the penile skin with little or no invasion into the deeper tissue.
• Partial Penectomy - Surgery to remove the part of the penis where cancer has spread. Plastic surgery may be done to rebuild the penis.
• Radical Penectomy - Surgery to remove the entire penis. Plastic surgery may be done to rebuild the penis.
• Lymph Node Dissection - Removal of the nodes in the groin to determine the cancer’s potential to spread.
• Reconstructive Surgery - If the penis or part of the penis is removed during surgery, reconstruction of the penis may be a possibility. Talk to your physician about the options available to you.

Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Radiation therapy - Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Adjuvant Therapy (chemotherapy and radiation therapy after gastrointestinal surgery) - Chemoradiation therapy combines chemotherapy and radiation therapy to increase the effects of both. Chemoradiation given after surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called Adjuvant Therapy.

Neoadjuvant Therapy (chemotherapy and radiation therapy prior to gastrointestinal surgery) – encourages significant reductions in tumor volume, allowing initially unresectable cancers to become resectable, and providing improvements in survival and cancer control. Chemoradiation given before surgery, to shrink the tumor is called Neoadjuvant Therapy.

Targeted therapy - Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells.