Diagnosis & Treatment for Urological Cancers

At Hawaii Pacific Health-affiliated facilities, our comprehensive services include screening exams, diagnostic imaging, transrectal ultrasound and biopsy, second opinions and treatments ranging from robotic surgery to radiation therapy. We also offer patient education and support groups. 

Chemotherapy: For most urological cancers, chemotherapy is highly effective. Chemotherapy delivers medicine known to kill cancer cells. It is generally used to prevent cancer recurrence, to shrink a tumor prior to surgery, or to kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body.

Radiation Therapy: This treatment uses high-energy, invisible and painless X-rays, protons or other particles to kill cancer cells. It is especially effective in early stage cancers, and in preventing recurrence after surgery.

Biotherapy: This highly targeted treatment method works with your own immune defenses, and may cause less harm to healthy cells than other methods. Its approach may be specific enough to target a single receptor on the surface of tumor cell or an enzyme within a cell. The medicine used could be antibodies (made by special white blood cells) to kill cancer cells or block their growth. Or, drugs made of small molecules that block signals the cancer cells need to grow may be used. Based on your situation, you and your doctor will determine what is appropriate. 

Immunotherapy:  Similar to biotherapy, immunotherapy is a treatment method that uses a person’s own immune system to help kill cancer cells and strengthen the immune system. Unlike radiation or chemotherapy, the field of immuno-oncology studies how the immune system interacts with cancer. It uses that information to make new treatments.

Hormone Therapy: This therapy is particularly effective for prostate cancer, since its cells need testosterone to grow. Hormone therapy works by lowering the amount of testosterone in the body, which stops prostate cancer’s ability to use these hormones. As a result, the cancer cells will either die or slow down and stop growing.

Robotic Surgery: Most surgeries for urologic cancers in the United States today are performed with robotic assistance. Robotic surgeries offer many benefits such as less blood loss, fewer perioperative complications, and shorter hospital length of stay. Even though the surgeries last longer, they are more precise and effective in their outcomes than open surgeries.