The Department of Urology delivers state-of-the-art urologic disease management through a multidisciplinary approach integrating the latest medical technologies, minimally invasive therapies, treatments and research.

Multidisciplinary Approach
A hallmark of the Ireland Cancer Center, the multidisciplinary team approach to patient care is at the core of the Department of Urology’s efforts. Surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, geneticists, nurses, social workers and other urologic disease specialists meet weekly to discuss each new case and reach a consensus for designing an individualized treatment plan for each patient.

Our team stays current with the latest medical and surgical breakthroughs so that we offer the most promising advancements and our patients can be among the first to benefit from them.

TREATMENTS OFFERED
Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopy is a surgical technique in which a standard operation is performed through three or more half-inch incisions. A tiny video camera on the end of a scope is inserted into one of the incisions and guides the physician through the procedure. Some of the common laparoscopic procedures performed by the team include:

• Laparoscopic nephrectomy (removal of the kidney)
  
• Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (removal of part of the kidney)
  
• Laparoscopic adrenalectomy (removal of the adrenal gland)
  
• Laparoscopic prostatectomy (removal of the prostate)
  
• Laparoscopic cystectomy (removal of the bladder)

Cryoablation
Using advanced imaging technologies, a physician inserts a tiny probe into the tumor through a small incision. The probe creates an ice ball that freezes and subsequently destroys the targeted tissue.

Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA)
Relatively small probes deposit radio frequency energy into the tumor through tiny incisions. The RF energy heats the tissue around the tip - destroying the diseased cells.

Chemotherapy
For patients with advanced urologic oncologic disease, the Ireland Cancer Center and the Department of Urology offers the latest in emerging chemotherapies. Chemotherapy advances in oncology are progressing rapidly. Exciting new therapies targeting the blood vessel supply in kidney cancer are now a reality. Recently, chemotherapy has shown to decrease pain as well as prolong survival in advanced prostate cancer. New combinations of chemotherapy that decrease side effects in bladder cancer are being explored as well. In addition, patients benefit from clinical trials in all areas of genitourinary oncology currently being conducted at and evaluated by both the Department of Urology and the Ireland Cancer Center.

Genetic Counseling
The Department of Urology and the Ireland Cancer Center are supported by University Hospitals Center for Human Genetics, which specializes in evaluating, diagnosing and investigating potential genetic therapies and the counseling of patients and their families. The Center for Human Genetics has four board-certified medical geneticists and seven genetic counselors to serve patients with a variety of conditions, including adults with early onset cancer.

Radiation Therapy
Radiosurgery
Radiosurgery is an innovative and non-invasive technique that uses multiple narrow beams of radiation that are focused on a single diseased target to destroy the tissue it contacts while having minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissue. This method allows rapid healing, requires no stitches and results in little or no scarring. The application of this technique to kidney tumors was first described and continues to be evaluated by Lee Ponsky, a surgeon in the Department of Urology.

Brachytherapy
Using ultrasound guidance, a physician implants small radioactive "seeds" into the prostate where they destroy the tumor cells. Brachytherapy allows for a concentrated dose of radiation to be placed in the tumor, minimizing the risk to healthy tissue. In addition, the Department’s real-time intra-operative planning technique permits the physician to adjust the seed configuration to the patient's anatomy and positioning at the exact time the procedure is taking place, furthering enhancing the treatment's precision.

External Beam Radiation
Painless and precise, external beam radiation is a procedure in which a beam of radiation is delivered directly to the prostate over the course of a series of visits, killing the tumor cells. The Department uses Tomotherapy®, the most advanced and revolutionary external beam cancer treatment system available, to deliver:

• Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
  Guided by diagnostic imaging technology, clinicians use the system's scans to verify the patient's position, anatomy and tumor location, helping ensure the accuracy of each procedure.
• Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
  IMRT can change the size, shape and intensity of the radiation beam to conform to the size, shape and location of the patient's tumor.