Prostate Cancer Program

Screening Services
The Prostate Cancer Program at Huntington Hospital provides advanced screening, diagnostic, surgical and radiation oncology services to individuals with prostate cancer.

Diagnostic Services
Huntington Hospital offers free screening to the community in September, during prostate cancer awareness month. The screening includes a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test and a digital rectal examination by a urologist on-staff at the hospital.

Huntington Hospital is one of the few hospitals on the West Coast to offer advanced 3T MRI diagnostic studies that more accurately detect whether a cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland to the surrounding tissues or organs. This state-of-the-art technology enables highly accurate staging of the cancer that will guide treatment decisions so that patients will not be either over-treated or under-treated. Along with traditional imaging studies, including bone scans, CT scans and ultra-sound, these advanced technologies provide patients with information on the extent of their cancer so they may select the best treatment strategy and options.

Following a biopsy, tumor tissue samples are reviewed by multiple pathologists with special training in the area of prostate cancer to make sure the grade (Gleason’s score) of the prostate cancer is accurately described and interpreted.

Surgical Expertise and Therapeutic Procedures
A multidisciplinary team of prostate cancer specialists meets regularly to discuss cases and treatment in the Genitourinary Tumor Conferences to customize and tailor the best therapy for patients facing difficult treatment decisions. This also allows patients opportunities to consider new treatments and to participate in clinical trials. Surgical options include:

daVinci Robotic-Assisted Surgery
Huntington Hospital is one of the first regional hospitals in Southern California to offer the daVinci robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy procedure in treating prostate cancer. Fellowship-trained urologists are offering this new surgical treatment that shortens hospital stay to fewer than two days, minimizes postoperative sexual impotency, reduces postsurgical pain and operative lung complications, and creates less blood loss than the traditional open retropubic radical prostatectomy.

Medical and Radiation Oncology
The Huntington Hospital Cancer Center has board-certified radiation oncologists specialized in prostate cancer care. The radiation oncology program utilizes the most advanced therapeutic approaches available for the treatment of prostate cancer, including 3-D reconstruction treatment planning with cone-beam CT and multi-leaf collimators, and two new state-of-the-art linear accelerators to deliver intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image guided radiotherapy (IGRT), allowing a more precise delivery of radiotherapy with avoidance of normal tissue which can minimize treatment side effects. The radiation oncology program is also recognized as the top brachytherapy center in Southern California and was the first center in the United States to be affiliated with and accredited by the Seattle Prostate Institute. The cancer center has performed more seed implant procedures than any other hospital in Southern California, and patients have come to Huntington Hospital from as far away as Asia, Europe and South America for treatment.

Support Services
Prostate cancer support services include specially trained registered nurse navigators who follow patients through diagnosis, treatment and beyond. In addition, the Huntington Hospital Cancer Center provides psychosocial support, including psychological counseling with our social workers, support groups and a patient mentoring program. In addition, the Huntington Hospital Cancer Center serves as the host for COPE (Community Outreach for Prostate Education), a monthly support group facilitated by a physician and a rotation of prostate cancer specialists who share their expertise and discuss the latest developments and research in treating prostate cancer.

For more information please contact (626) 397-5071