• Services
• Patient & Visitor Information
• Maps & Directions
• Community
• Ways To Give
• About Inova

Register or Login to MyHealth

Donate Now

• (+)Text Size
• (-)Text Size
• Print Page
• 
• Email Page

Inova Health System Encourages Prostate Cancer Awareness

June 13, 2008
Prostate Cancer Awareness, Screenings Key to Early Detection

Falls Church, VA -- According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. It's estimated that more than 186,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. About 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Early detection is key in the treatment of this disease.

Inova Health System offers a range of services for the detection and treatment of prostate cancer. Inova Cancer Services offers prostate seed implants, one of the most innovative treatments for prostate cancer. Prostate seed implants involve the precise insertion of tiny radioactive seeds directly into the prostate gland, using ultrasound imaging. The implants enable a radiation oncologist to deliver two to three times the radiation dose that could be delivered via external beam radiation. This outpatient surgical procedure is performed under epidural anesthesia with no incision. Patients usually return to normal activity within several days.

Inova Cancer Services physicians are also specially trained in using the da Vinci^® Surgical System, an alternative to traditional open surgery, putting a surgeon's hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. The da Vinci's benefits include less pain, less scarring and shorter recovery time.

To download a information worksheet or to view a video about prostate cancer screenings and the newest treatments for the disease, visit www.inova.org/cancer.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova's mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.