Give Dad the Gift of Good Health for Father’s Day

Show your dad how much you love him by attending a free talk on prostate cancer prevention and treatments at 7 p.m. Monday, June 21, at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Urologists and oncologists will address the role of nutrition and drug therapy in preventing the disease, the most common cancer in men besides skin cancer. They will also address the new prostate cancer vaccine, Provenge, for treating the disease.

Discussions will be led by Edward Messing, M.D., chair of Urology, Hani Rashid, M.D., assistant professor of Urology, and Deepak Sahasrabudhe, M.B.B.S., professor of Hematology/Oncology. 

“This is a great opportunity for men to learn how to possibly prevent a disease that may affect their lives” said Jean Joseph, M.D., M.B.A., professor of Urology and Oncology, head of the section of laparoscopic and robotic urologic surgery, who will moderate the event.

To register, call (585) 275-2838.

Prostate cancer is diagnosed in nearly 200,000 men each year in the United States. It is a curable disease when it is caught early. The American Cancer Society recommends men begin annual prostate cancer screenings at age 50, unless they have relatives who have had prostate cancer or are African-American, in which case they should begin testing at 45.

University Urology and the Wilmot Cancer Center provide a multidisciplinary team of experts, which includes surgeons, urologists, oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists, to provide comprehensive prostate care. .

There are a variety of treatments for prostate cancer, ranging from “watchful waiting” to surgical removal of the entire prostate gland. Other options include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone treatment, surgery or active monitoring, the latter of which is often chosen by older men or those who suffer from other life-threatening conditions. In these cases, the cancer may be growing so slowly that it is not likely to be fatal.

In recent years, men who undergo surgery often choose high-precision robotic surgery using the daVinci Robotic Surgical System, a technology that the Medical Center introduced to Upstate New York in early 2003. To date, the team is among the nation’s leaders in advancing the use of the technology, as well as research into the causes and treatment of prostate cancer