Urologic Cancer Clinic
Our Skilled Urologists at San Bernardino Urology Are Focused on Meeting the Needs of Cancer Patients and Their Families
Adrenal Tumors
Adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and are part of your endocrine system. They produce hormones that regulate different bodily functions.
Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer usually begins in the inner lining of the bladder, in special cells called transitional cells. It can also grow in other parts of your urinary tract system including your kidneys, ureters, and urethra.
Kidney Cancer
A kidney mass, or tumor, is an abnormal growth in the kidney. One in four kidney masses are benign.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among men, and about 170,000 new cases of prostate cancer will occur this year.
Advanced prostate cancer
If your prostate cancer was caught late—or has come back even after appropriate treatment—there are still treatment options available. Recent advances can help put cancers like yours into remission, or at least slow them down, with minimal side effects on your quality of life.
Testicular Cancer
Urethral strictures are narrowings in the urethra, the tube which carries urine from the bladder out of the penis, and causes obstruction of urine flow.
Focused solely on the needs of advanced prostate cancer
patients and their families
If your prostate cancer was caught late—or has come back even after appropriate treatment—there are still treatment options available. Recent advances can help put cancers like yours into remission, or at least slow them down, with minimal side effects on your quality of life.
We will work with each individual to determine the most effective combination of treatments, delivered in a sequence tailored to their individual needs.
We continually monitor new advancements in treatment and bring the best of them to our patients. Below is information about some of the treatments we offer.
- ADT, also called hormone therapy, reduces a man’s testosterone to prevent the prostate cancer cells from growing. For some men, ADT keeps prostate cancer in check for many years; for other men, it does not.
- There are several different types of ADT,
- Lupron and Eligard (leuprolide)
- Zoladex (goserelin)
- Trelstar (triptorelin)
- Vantas (histrelin)
- Firmagon (dageralix)
- Orgovyx (relugolix) is an oral ADT
- Side effects include reduced libido, ED, weakened muscles and bones, fatigue, irritability and memory lapses.
- To control these side effects, stay active and get regular physical exercise. Help strengthen bones by taking calcium supplements with Vitamin D—the typical daily dose is 1000mg Calcium and 1000 IU Vit D.
- If the PSA is rising despite ADT, but there is no visible evidence of cancer anywhere, Erleada may offer a chance to delay the cancer from spreading.
- This treatment is aimed at preventing metastatic spread.
- Erleada is a pill that is taken every day and is continued for as long as it is working, which on average is about two years based on a large clinical trial.
- Side effects include fatigue, nausea, falls, hypothyroidism and skin rash.
- An immunotherapy that activates the body’s immune system to seek out and attack prostate cancer.
- This is not chemotherapy, nor is it a hormone therapy.
- This treatment is usually given to someone who does have known metastases (cancer that has spread outside of the prostate).
- Treatment
- It begins by filtering your blood to remove some of your white blood cells, Those white blood cells are then mixed with prostate cancer proteins and drugs that help the white blood cells multiply. These white blood cells are now “supercharged” to recognize and fight prostate cancer, wherever it may be in your body.
- Those cells are put back into your body via an IV infusion three days after they are withdrawn. This process is repeated for a total of three infusions scheduled over a four- to five-week period.
- Unlike other treatments, the PSA value can still rise even when the treatment is working. Even if the cancer appears to be growing after Provenge, evidence shows the cancer grows more slowly than if you hadn’t received the treatment.
- Prostate cancer often travels to the bones. Many times this does not cause immediate symptoms, but as the disease progresses, bony tumors can become painful and put the bones at risk of fracture. Xgeva or Prolia, which are the same drug given at different doses depending on your situation, help prevent these complications,
- Prolia is used for adult patients who have prostate cancer who are taking ADT or have been surgically castrated.
- Prolia is used to strengthen the bones and prevent fractures
- It is administered once every six months.
- Xgeva is used for adult patients who have prostate cancer in their bones. Xgeva prevents such serious complications as fracture or pressure on the spinal cord, and it does it without the need for radiation therapy or surgery.
- Xgeva is administered once every four weeks as a single injection under the skin.
- It is a safe therapy. However, it may lower calcium levels in the blood, and there’s a very low risk of damage to the jaw.
- Prolia is used for adult patients who have prostate cancer who are taking ADT or have been surgically castrated.
- Xofigo is an intravenous radiation treatment for symptomatic bone metastatic disease.
- If prostate cancer spreads to the bone, patients may begin to have pain, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite and decrease in the activities they enjoy. Xofigo helps to relieve these symptoms.
- Because its radioactive particles are delivered through a vein, they can travel to any bone tumor site in the body. Xofigo can actually attack cancer in the bone.
- Treatments are given once a month for six months by the radiation oncologist, and symptoms can start to subside in as few as two or three treatments. Each injection takes just a few minutes.
- Side effects may occur and include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and swelling of the hands and feet. There is a small risk of bone marrow damage, so your blood counts will be checked before each infusion. Many patients like the fact that even though Xofigo contains radioactive material, they can still have personal contact with others after treatments.
- Xtandi is approved to treat men with castration-resistant prostate cancer with or without metastatic disease that works by blocking the androgen receptor. If the cancer mutates to become castrate resistant, it may be because the cancer produces its own androgens. Xtandi works to block the androgen receptors inside the cancer cells.
- Xtandi is taken orally – four capsules once a day with or without food. It does not need to be taken with prednisone.
- The drug is very safe, but there is always the potential for side effects. Many patients experience fatigue, some have upset stomachs or other GI side effects, and it can worsen high blood pressure. An extremely rare event is a seizure, but it is not clear in the clinical studies if the drug really caused this or not.
- When used along with prednisone, abiraterone acetate can help men whose prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body and is resistant to medical or surgical treatments that lower testosterone.
- Abiraterone belongs to a class of drugs known as anti-androgens (anti-testosterone). Testosterone, a natural hormone, helps prostate cancer to grow and spread. Abiraterone works by blocking the production of testosterone, which helps slow down the growth and spread of prostate cancer.
- Different brands of this medication may have different dosing directions. Yonsa is micronized (smaller particle size), so the dosage is different than with other abiraterone products. Yonsa is taken by mouth – 4 tablets once daily with or without food. Swallow this medication whole with water. Do not crush or chew the tablets. It will need to be taken with methylprednisolone as a steroid replacement due to the disruption in the steroid production from the adrenal gland.
- Unfortunately, not only does the drug stop androgen production in the cancer cells, but it also stops the adrenal gland from producing certain steroids. This can cause side effects such as high blood pressure and fluid retention. Low potassium levels and abnormal liver enzymes tests can also occur. While low-dose steroids like prednisone can help prevent them, steroids can have their own side effects (easy bruising, puffiness, infections).
- When used along with prednisone, abiraterone acetate can help men whose prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body and is resistant to medical or surgical treatments that lower testosterone.
- Abiraterone belongs to a class of drugs known as anti-androgens (anti-testosterone). Testosterone, a natural hormone, helps prostate cancer to grow and spread. Abiraterone works by blocking the production of testosterone, which helps slow down the growth and spread of prostate cancer.
- Zytiga is taken orally – four tablets once a day on an empty stomach. It will need to be taken with prednisone as a steroid replacement due to the disruption in the steroid production from the adrenal gland.
- Unfortunately, not only does the drug stop androgen production in the cancer cells, but it also stops the adrenal gland from producing certain steroids. This can cause side effects such as high blood pressure and fluid retention. Low potassium levels and abnormal liver enzymes tests can also occur. While low-dose steroids like prednisone can help prevent them, steroids can have their own side effects (easy bruising, puffiness, infections).
