Finding Expert Physicians
PCRI recommends that a patient go to an expert in the treatment of his choice. Thus, the first priority is to understand your diagnosis, staging and the treatment options that are most desirable. Please review the concepts presented in our “What’s Your Type?” pamphlet before selecting a physician.
The treatments for prostate cancer are complex with significant risk of complications. Obtaining excellent results requires a physician with extensive experience. It is difficult to obtain information on the skill level, experience or results for individual physicians. We encourage you to seek recommendations from your personal physicians and seek second opinion consultations before deciding on a plan of action.
One of the key components in obtaining an excellent outcome is feeling comfortable with your choice of physicians. We suggest searching out physicians using the links below and asking questions like:
• Are there other tests that would help to get a better handle on these?
• What treatment do you recommend for me?
• Why do you feel your recommended treatment is best for me?
• How long have you been treating prostate cancer patients with this treatment? With other treatments?
• How many patients have you treated with this treatment?
• How many do you currently treat each month?
• Have you published your personal results for curing cancer and limiting complications?
• What are your success rates for patients with a diagnosis similar to mine?
• Would you provide me with names of patients I could contact?
• Can you suggest a prostate cancer expert (outside your practice) who could offer a second opinion?
You may want to do a search of PubMed to see if the physician has published any papers related to the service being considered. You could try a search like:
or
Bahn D + ultrasound
If you are not familiar with PubMed, it is a great source to search for medical abstracts. It is often possible to obtain the full text from a medical library or even your local library via inter-library loan. You can access it at:
You can often obtain valuable information from a local prostate cancer Support Group.
Web sites that may help locate Physicians
The Web sites below have lists of physicians/centers that provide certain specialties. Some of these are provided by companies who sell medical equipment, supplies or pharmaceuticals. Others are provided by professional organizations. The lists provided by these Web sites may not give any information as to the experience or qualifications of those listed. We encourage patients to carefully research a provider to locate an “artist” for the desired service. PCRI no longer maintains an online list of physicians.
For additional assistance and suggestions, contact the PCRI Helpline.
Diagnosis and Staging
Endorectal MRI (w/Spectroscopy)
ProstateMR.org
– look under “Prostate MRI Sites”
http://www.prostatemr.org/prostatemrisites.html
Pathology – contact PCRI Helpline
PCA3 Testing – PCA3.org
– search by country via “HOW TO GET A TEST”
under “Concerned About Prostate Cancer?”
www.prostate-cancer-institute.com
ProstaScint
– search by state under “PIE™ Site Directory”
http://www.prostascintimaging.com
Prostate Cancer Treatment
ClinicalTrials.gov is a useful source for finding physicians who may have superior knowledge of the latest treatments. You can often identify physicians who are participating in clinical trials using the “Advanced Search” function under “Search for Clinical Trials” with a focused search for “prostate cancer” and your location at: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
– “Find an NCCN Member Institution” or
– search for “prostate cancer” and state via “Find a physician at an NCCN Member Institution” in “Patients” section
Medical Oncology
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
– search for “Genitourinary Cancer” by location via “Quick Links – Find an Oncologist”
Urology
UrologyHealth.org (AUA)
– search by zip code under “Find a Urologist”
Robotic Radical Prostatectomy
– search by location via “Find a da Vinci Surgeon”
Radiation Therapy
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO)
– search by location using “DOCTOR FINDER”
Brachytherapy
Prostate Cancer Institute
– search by location under “Find a Physician” link
www.prostate-cancer-institute.com
1-866-469-7733
TheraSeed
Physician Referral 1-800-458-4372
External Radiation
Calypso Medical – 4D Localization System
– search by location using “Site Locator” via “Patient Resources”.
TomoTherapy, Inc (IMRT/IGRT)
– search by location under “Treatment Centers”
Varian Medical Centers (IMRT/IGRT, Trilogy)
– search by location via “For Patients” and “Varian Treatment Centers”
Cryotherapy
Cryo Information line
1-877-PCA-CRYO (1-877-722-2796),
Prostate Cancer Institute (Galil Medical)
– search by location under “Find a Physician” link
www.prostate-cancer-institute.com
1-866-469-7733
Dealing with Side Effects
American Medical Systems (Incontinence & ED)
– search by condition and zip code via “Find a Physician” on the “Men’s Pelvic Health” page
Laserscope (Greenlight laser)
– search via zip code via “Find a Specialist” link on “Patients” page
Other: Licensing background and disciplinary information
Administrators in Medicine
American Board of Medical Specialties
American Medical Association
Follow “Doctor Finder” links using “Patients” tab, search by name plus state or zip code
