PSA Screening Test

Should a PSA screening test be part of a prostate exam? Read the response of Dr. Claus Roehrborn, professor and chairman of the UT Southwestern Department of Urology.

UT Southwestern Medical Center’s urologic cancer specialists are recognized as national leaders in the treatment of all types of urologic cancers. These include the following:

• Bladder cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Penile cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Testicular cancer

Our urologists provide state-of-the-art treatment and a broad range of services to patients. We encourage consultation with medical oncology and radiation oncology during treatment planning. Each of these departments is dedicated to offering patients the most advanced treatments available to cure cancers and maintain patients’ quality of life.

UT Southwestern’s urologic cancer specialists are experts at using minimally invasive procedures such as brachytherapy, laparoscopic surgery robotic surgery and radiofrequency ablation, which are specifically designed to provide effective alternatives to extensive surgery and radiation treatments. Brachytherapy treatments involve implanting tiny radiotherapy seeds about the size of a grain of rice that are able to destroy cancer cells, while leaving the rest of the body unharmed. These minimally invasive treatments may be used in conjunction with radiation or in place of conventional radiation treatments.

In addition, UT Southwestern’s urologic specialists perform advanced laparoscopic surgery. Also known as “keyhole surgery,” the procedure uses three or four one-half-inch incisions, instead of one long incision, as an alternative to removing the prostate or other cancerous tissues. Our specialists are also experts at performing radiofrequency ablation procedures, which destroy cancerous cells by heating them with high-frequency radiowaves. Select patients with small kidney tumors may also be eligible for radiofrequency ablation, which avoids surgery and requires hospitalization for only one or two days.

Surgeons in UT Southwestern’s Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery are studying the use of groundbreaking technology like the daVinci surgical system — a $1.4 million robot that, with a human at the controls, filters out tremor, enhances precision and offers three-dimensional imaging.

UT Southwestern also offers a clinical trials program for the prevention and detection of prostate, kidney, bladder, testis and other urologic cancers. Patients who qualify for a study may be offered therapies that show particular promise in treating their urologic cancer years before they are available to the public.

Our experience in conducting some of the most advanced research into the causes and cures for urologic cancer enables UT Southwestern to provide patients with the best possible medical care in a caring and compassionate environment. The Urologic Cancer Program offers each patient a unique treatment plan designed to achieve an effective cure, an optimal rehabilitation and a preserved quality of life.