Treatments

Some slowly progressing prostate cancers can be monitored without surgical treatment or radiotherapy. This active surveillance requires regular clinical checks with PSA monitoring, radiological examinations (MRI) and, if progression is suspected, a prostate biopsy.

Robotic surgery

Radical prostatectomy is the removal of the prostate and associated lymph nodes. The procedure is usually performed through a minimally invasive approach and assisted by the DA Vinci robot. This is a state-of-the-art, high-precision instrument. It allows the urological surgeon to obtain more precision in his surgical gesture and a better 3D visibility. This treatment currently represents the 'Goldstandard' for aggressive and localized prostate tumors.

Focal treatment  

Focal therapy is a new minimally invasive treatment option with few side effects. It aims to destroy the tumor inside the prostate by cold (Cryotherapy) or heat (High Frequency Ultrasound) without removing the organ. This type of treatment requires a precise localization of the tumor through a targeted biopsy of the prostate. This surgical technique is mainly used for less aggressive tumors.

Radiotherapy is based on the principle of delivering high-energy X-rays, produced by a linear gas pedal, which are focused on the tumor and any affected lymph nodes. The effect produces lesions in the DNA of the tumor cells, leading to their immediate and delayed destruction.

Our institute has a state-of-the-art linear gas pedal. It integrates high-performance imaging systems allowing image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). We use all available radiological images (MRI or PET/CT) to ensure that our patients receive the best possible targeting of tumors while preserving the surrounding healthy organs.

Sessions are painless and take place over 4 to 7 weeks. When clinical cases allow it, we use short regimens of 20 sessions (moderate hypofractionation). In cases of localized recurrence, we deploy particularly targeted, highly effective and well-tolerated stereotactic radiotherapy.

In most cases, prostate cancer cells need certain hormones (androgens) to grow. Hormone therapy is a drug treatment, either orally or by injection, that reduces the action of these hormones and prevents tumor growth. It can be used alone or in conjunction with radiation therapy to increase its effectiveness. This anti-hormonal treatment can be used for both localized and metastatic prostate cancer. In the latter case, we offer patients several other treatments to reinforce the hormone therapy, whether through a second, latest-generation hormone therapy, chemotherapy or molecularly targeted therapy.

It is a treatment, most often administered by infusion, that works by destroying the cancer cells as they multiply. In prostate cancer, it is proposed in the case of metastatic disease in order to slow down its evolution and reduce its complications. The entire treatment lasts several months with a rest period of 1 to 3 weeks after each chemotherapy infusion. Undesirable effects are frequent and of very variable intensity, but they are transient and their management is controlled. Chemotherapy infusions can, most often, be administered on an outpatient basis in our Oncology Center located in the Parc des Grangettes.

The Prostate Center team is committed to providing comprehensive and personalized care to patients with prostate cancer. Particular attention is paid to improving quality of life and reducing potential side effects. The Center has developed partnerships to offer pain control consultation, physiotherapy, psychological support, sexology consultation, nutritional follow-up, social assistance, etc.

The protocol management also includes a double appointment with the onco-nutritionist and the psychotherapist at the Center for Preventive & Integrative Medicine. A complete program, including physical rehabilitation and complementary approaches, will then be offered to the patient.