Prostate Health

Awareness of the importance of screening and new treatment options is beneficial to men as they age and seek to prevent prostate cancer and deal with other aging effects on the prostate.

Screenings are an important step for all men. While screening guidelines vary, the Prostate Cancer Education Council, a coalition of physicians, health educators, scientists and patients, recommends annual screening for men over the age of 50 or at-risk men over age 40. Skagit Valley Hospital and Northwest Urology Clinic in Mount Vernon offer prostate screenings every September.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is one type of prostate problem that can develop as men age. BPH is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, which develops with changing hormone levels later in life. Prostatitis is an infection that causes prostate swelling and pain. Several surgical procedures, including a new laser technique, are used to treat BPH by removing prostate tissue for symptom relief.

One of the newest and among the least invasive procedures is now available at Skagit Valley Hospital. The GreenLight laser is a high-power laser used to precisely vaporize tissue of an enlarged prostate. Results are immediate and recovery is faster.

If prostate cancer is discovered, treatment options include surgical removal, external beam radiation or seed implant radiation. Surviving prostate cancer means getting the right prostate cancer treatment at the right time. The best cancer treatment for you depends on your age, general health, stage of your prostate cancer, cancer location and your personal decision.

A new type and minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer is now available at Skagit Valley Hospital. The procedure is prostate cryotherapy performed by urologist Dr. Mansel Kevwitch with Pacific Rim Urology.

Prostate cryotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment that eradicates prostate cancer by freezing prostate cells. Benefits of the procedure include:

• Choice of general or regional anesthesia
• A fast recovery and lower risk of potential side effects and complication
• No radiation or radioactive substances are left in the body
• No major surgery required

Cryotherapy can often be performed under regional anesthesia on an outpatient basis, but depending on your circumstances an overnight stay may be required. In most cases, the procedure takes less than two hours. Experience with the cryotherapy procedure shows minimal to no pain and patients recover quickly.

To find out if you are a candidate for this procedure, contact your urologist or health care provider.