by Deanna Strange
Consistently, prostate cancer ranks in the top three most common forms of cancer diagnosed for men each year. Knowing that an abundance of men are experiencing the same feelings is not enough to ease the pain of learning of a diagnosis. Cancer is life-changing, no matter how severe its form and stage. Finding reassurance can often be difficult, and sometimes what it takes is talking to someone who has been there or is experiencing the same things.
Chesapeake Urology has designed its Prostate Center with men and what they encounter throughout prostate cancer treatment in mind. Dr. Richard Hudes, one of four radiation oncologists at the center, affirms, “From the moment they walk in, they feel comfortable and that this center is suited to them.”
Beginning with the waiting area, the decor is geared toward men older than 50. For those guests who arrive early to an appointment, they enjoy a hotel-concierge feel, with hardwood floors, a fireplace, a cyber cafe and seating that is more like a lounge than a waiting area. “There are mainly well people in the waiting area who are coming for treatments,” Dr. Hudes points out. “In a typical cancer center, a man getting radiation treatment might be waiting next to someone who is having chemotherapy and losing hair.”
The Prostate Center specializes in radiation treatments; specifically, it offers image-guided – intensity modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) – a state-of-the-art new treatment that is painless and minimizes damage to surrounding tissue through its precision (see the article “Innovative Treatments for Prostate Cancer” on page 14 for more information). Jeff Zemencik, director of the Prostate Center, elaborates, “We are the only center dedicated to prostate cancer in Maryland. A more general center would treat three or four prostate cancer cases a day, but we treat about 40 cases a day.”
With prostate cancer treatment being the focus of the center, patients are more comfortable in their setting and with fellow patients. “There’s camaraderie. The men feel more at ease with each other,” Zemencik states. Dr. Hudes adds, “The man who comes for treatment at 8:15 a.m. is going to know the guy who comes at 8:30 a.m., so they form a strong bond.”
Coming to terms with prostate cancer and undergoing treatments can create a feeling of isolation from family and friends. Forming relationships with other survivors, the radiation oncologist and other staff members is essential to keeping patients from feeling alone throughout the process. “We want the patient to feel he has a high-tech and high-touch treatment,” Dr. Hudes says. “We have follow-ups for years after the treatment is complete, and part of that is our annual Survivor Day. It’s heartening to have these men come back and be able to meet men who are going through treatments. It brings a sense of community.” The center also provides support meetings called Man to Man, where survivors and patients can meet in private and talk about issues and concerns (see related article on page 20).
Chesapeake takes a number of safety precautions to ensure the best radiation treatment available. One of the main quality-assurance features is an on-site PhD physicist and a dosimetrist. “This makes sure the patient is receiving the correct amount of radiation they should be,” Zemencik states. Another method of safety is keeping a photo identification of patients, allowing the therapist to visually confirm that the right patient is receiving the correct treatment every day. In addition, a fiducial-based treatment localization is used.
Through this process, gold markers are implanted at the site of radiation treatment during the planning CT scan. The markers may move depending on how full the bladder or rectum is, so it is important to track the markers instead of the site the prostate was in previously. “Every day before treatment, we take images to make sure we are aligning the beam with where the prostate is at that moment,” Zemencik continues.
The Prostate Center also benefits from a consistent staff – having the same group together for three years. “It’s important that patients have consistency and that staff members get to know the patient and what they are treating,” he adds. Staff members also stay connected to each other by reading one another’s patient cases and following patients through Chesapeake’s electronic medical records (EMR) system.
What the patients may not be as cognizant of is what physicians and staff members do to work closely as a team. “We give patients more efficient care because we are linked through electronic medical records,” Zemencik offers. “This allows the radiation oncologist to more easily communicate with the urologist. It allows for instant communications, and it greatly reduces the chance of error.”
Dr. Hudes compares EMR to the convenience and prevalence of text messaging. “The radiation oncologist is always sending notes back to the urologist, so there is always a dialogue about the patient,” he says. “Behind the scenes is important as well. It may not be apparent to the patient that I’ve spoken to his urologist already, so I will tell him. It offers peace of mind if he knows everyone is on the same page.”
Zemencik sees some great possibilities for expanding the scope of care for patients. “Once treatment is over, patients still want to feel like they are in control and actively doing something to help them feel better,” he notes. “We are starting programs for survivorship and wellness to address those needs.”
The success of the Prostate Center relies heavily on the staff members and their interactions with patients. “People often think of a large group like Chesapeake as an institution, but it really is the people here,” Dr. Hudes summarizes. “I think it’s the level of quality and the personal attention that make the impression.”
For more information about the Prostate Center, please visit www.chesapeakeurology.com/prostatecenter.aspx, or call 443-738-9393.
This entry was posted on Monday, August 9th, 2010 at 9:22 am and is filed under Press Release, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
