Santa Barbara Prostate Cancer Treatment

Prostate Cancer Treatment Santa Barbara Urologist David Laub

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer for men in the United States after skin cancer, with over 160,000 new cases per year. According to the American Cancer Society, about one man in seven (13%) will be diagnosed at some point during their lifetime, usually after age 65. As many as 60% of patients are diagnosed while the cancer is still confined to the prostate gland, using the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

While prostate cancer is the third leading cause of death for American men (behind lung and colorectal cancers, with early detection, it is highly curable—the five-year survival rate is 100%. Nearly three million U.S. men who have been diagnosed with this disease are still alive today, thanks to the latest methods of prostate cancer detection and treatment options, such as those provided by Dr. Laub.

Diagnosing prostate cancer

Prostate Specific Antigen or PSA testing for detecting prostate cancer has become controversial over the past five years but it remains the mainstay of prostate cancer screening and detection. However there are a variety of other prostate cancer testing techniques and Dr. Laub has access to all of these blood, urine and tissue tests. The use of MRI imaging of the prostate has also been incorporated into algorithms to detect and follow prostate cancer.

Available prostate cancer treatment options

Your treatment decision will depend upon various factors: your age, overall health, containment level of the prostate cancer, your personal wishes, and how your treatment will affect your spouse or partner. Because prostate cancer can be a slow-growing disease, sometimes the best approach when it’s caught early is “Active Surveillance”—waiting and monitoring for changes with regular tests. Other times, it makes sense to take a more aggressive approach.

Once a treatment decision is made, Dr. Laub has extensive experience with the most advanced, highly effective techniques, including:

Make an appointment to discuss your prostate cancer treatment options with Dr. Laub.