Cleveland Clinic Recognized as a Clinical Center of Excellence in Prostate Cancer

Medical Economics magazine recently recognized the Cleveland Clinic as a "Clinical Center of Excellence in Prostate Cancer," making it one of only 13 hospitals in the country to receive this distinction.  The magazine selected "the prostate cancer programs that are among the finest in the country" to be noted as Centers of Excellence based on information received from key opinion leaders in various specialties, through physician surveys and self-reported data from each hospital.

Physicians at the Cleveland Clinic treat more than 1,000 prostate cancer patients each year and have a long history of innovation and leadership in urology and medical oncology.  A multidisciplinary team of urologists and medical oncologists delivers personalized treatment options for every patient, including open and laparoscopic prostatectomy, radiation, brachytherapy, cryotherapy, hormone therapy and chemotherapy.  In fact, Cleveland Clinic has the one of the world’s largest brachytherapy programs.

Additionally, many prostate treatment methods were pioneered at Cleveland Clinic, providing patients with one of the world’s largest experiences in treating localized cancer using surgical and non-surgical methods.

Treatment Options for Early Stage Disease

RADIATION THERAPY: EXTERNAL BEAM AND BRACHYTHERAPY

External beam radiation therapy is the most common form of radiation therapy.  The benefits of this focused-beam therapy are that it minimizes damage to nearby tissue and structures, and that treatment is not painful and is less debilitating than surgery.  Cleveland Clinic pioneered the intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), which has shortened the duration of prostate cancer by several weeks.

The newest form of external beam radiation therapy, the Calypso™ 4D Localization System, uses radiofrequency waves that allow very accurate alignment of the prostate before each treatment session.  It determines the exact position and movement of the prostate during radiation therapy treatment – optimizing radiation targeting and minimizing side effects.  Cleveland Clinic participated in pivotal clinical trials that led to FDA approval of this Calypso and was the first Ohio cancer program to offer the 4D Localization System for treating prostate cancer.

BRACHYTHERAPY

In this form of radiation therapy, radioactive pellets - each the size of a grain of rice - are implanted into the prostate.  These pellets can be temporary (removed after the proper does is reached) or left permanently. The number of pellets implanted depends on the size and location of the cancer.  The implant procedure takes about one hour and is done on an outpatient basis.

Cleveland Clinic began its prostate brachytherapy program in 1996.  More than 2,000 patients have been treated since then.  Our cure rates, as defined by PSA, are 90 percent for low-risk patients while our rates for intermediate risk prostate cancer is 89 percent.

LAPAROSCOPIC RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

Unlike conventional surgery, this minimally invasive procedure only requires five button-hole incisions. Benefits of this methodology:

• Most patients are home within 48 hours of surgery
• Normal activities can be resumed within two to three weeks after surgery

For information on treatment options for more advanced disease, as well as a listing of selected clinical trials, you may download the Cleveland Clinic Treatment Guide for Prostate Cancer.

Taussig Cancer Institute – Fast Facts