What Is Genitourinary Cancer?
The Bennett Cancer Center offers treatment for prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular, ureteral, and urethral cancers, all grouped under the term genitourinary cancers, or genitourinary oncology.
What Makes Genitourinary Cancer Treatment At Stamford Health Unique?
When it comes to your treatment, our team works at a multidisciplinary level, bringing together urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons and other medical specialists to determine the most effective plan that works for you. We use advanced diagnostic technology and the latest treatment options, including:
- The da Vinci® Robotic Surgery System- for surgeries on prostate, kidney and ureters
- Intensity-modulated, image-guided radiotherapy
These types of procedures aim to provide you with a high-precision, minimally invasive approach which means faster healing for you.
Our team frequently gets together for the Genitourinary (GU) Tumor Conference to collectively make decisions about the best way to care for you. During this conference, individual patient cases like yours are reviewed so that by all the members of our team, including oncologic surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, and urologists, giving each case a unique and personalized care plan.
Diagnosing Prostate Cancer
- 4Kscore®: to best determine who is at highest risk for aggressive cancer and warrants a first prostate biopsy or repeat biopsy
- UroNav® MRI Fusion Biopsy System: for targeted biopsy of suspicious lesions
- Prolaris® and Oncotype DX®: to determine the best candidates for active surveillance versus definitive treatment
- Decipher®: to determine which patients with adverse pathology after radical prostatectomy who would most benefit from adjuvant therapy
What Role Do Genetics Play In Prostate Cancer?
The role of hereditary cancer genes in prostate cancer continues to expand. Testing for hereditary cancer syndromes involving prostate cancer is rapidly developing area of medicine, and this information may influence treatment recommendations for individuals with prostate cancer. Our team includes a cancer genetic counselor to provide genetic consultation and coordination of genetic testing for individuals who meet national guidelines for genetic testing for hereditary prostate cancer.
How Are Malignant Genitourinary Cancers Treated?
We're proud to offer state-of-the art immunotherapy to treat several GU malignancies. We are fully capable of treating prostate cancer patients with Sipileucel-T (Provenge), an immunotherapy generally used for advanced prostate cancer in those patients who are still relatively healthy. We also are well-versed in using immunotherapy to treat bladder and renal cell cancers. We have experience using many agents including nivolumab (Opdivo) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq).