Prostate Cancer

Our center offers many types of treatments for prostate cancer. We specialize in non-surgical treatment options for prostate cancer, but we do also perform radical prostatectomies by our urologic surgeon Dr. Brookover. Some of the treatment choices we offer are:

  • HDR Brachytherapy + external beam irradiation
  • HDR monotherapy (HDR alone without external beam)
  • Hormonal therapy, including intermittent triple hormone blockade (IAD3)
  • Natural therapies with specialists in naturpoathic medicine, nutrition, and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
  • Watchful waiting, incorporating natural therapy.
  • External beam irradiation and 3D conformal radiation
  • IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy)
  • The ZeroPSA Protocol for high risk prostate cancer, combining four different treatments: 1.HDR, 2.External beam, 3.Triple hormone blockade with Proscar maintenance, and 4.Natural therapy.
  • Radical prostatectomy
  • Salvage therapy for localized recurrences
  • Chemotherapy treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the #1 cancer diagnosed in men today. It is a unique cancer for several reasons. There is an excellent blood test, PSA, which can be used to screen for the cancer and monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Prostate cancer can be diagnosed at a very early stage, before it causes any symptoms, and even before a tumor can be felt on rectal exam (DRE). Often, an elevated PSA value is the only sign that there is any cancer. There are many treatment options and combinations available to treat prostate cancer, which can make choosing very difficult. None of these treatments has yet been proven to be better than the others. Specialists will tend to recommend their own treatment -- therefore you should get many opinions. As well, not treating the cancer can actually be a treatment option (watchful waiting).

Treatment choices and recommendations can be influenced by various risk factors which predict how aggressive your prostate cancer is. The Partin tables can estimate your risk of capsular penetration or lymph node involvement. It is also important to have adequate staging tests done to ensure there is no sign that the cancer has already spread.

Our center also has advanced diagnostic and staging tests including:
  • Helical CT scanners
  • Bonescan
  • Prostascint
  • MRI with a high field gradient
  • Ultrasound
  • Prostate needle biopsies, including extended biopsies, mapping of tumor location, and sedation during the biopsy procedure
  • Needle biopsies of lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, and extracapsular tissues (if necessary)
  • Blood work, including PSA, PAP, hormone profiles, blood chemistries, blood counts, etc.
  • Naturopathic tests including body composition analysis, testing for food intolerances, etc.


HDR brachytherapy | HDR technique | HDR vs permanent seeds | HDR monotherapy | Risk factors | Partin tables | Zeropsa protocol | Hormonal therapy | Recurrences | Natural therapies | Watchful waiting | IMRT