Prostate Cancer Healthcare Team

Hope and Help Every Step of the Way

Meet the Prostate Cancer Healthcare Team

A urologist will be managing your care, supported by a team of multidisciplinary specialists with years of experience and knowledge. Together, they will work with you to create your individualized treatment plan.
The team of prostate cancer professionals will oversee the details of your medical care and provide emotional support for you and your family. These highly trained, compassionate providers are committed to helping you through your journey.

Your team includes:

• ​A urologist performed your biopsies, made the diagnosis, and will be your primary specialist throughout your ongoing care, and will keep your primary care physician informed about your course of care. They will provide a discussion of treatments. If surgery is chosen, this will be performed by a urologist. Your urologist is also involved in certain aspects of other forms of therapy including radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, treatment of advanced disease, clinical trials, and active surveillance.
• The radiation oncologist is a physician who specializes in the application of radiation energy to kill cancer cells. There are two main types of radiation therapy: external beam therapy, which is delivered through a piece of equipment called a linear accelerator, and brachytherapy (seeds). If radiation therapy is chosen, it will be guided by the radiation oncologist and supported by the urologist.
• Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) are medical providers (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) who are an important part of the care team, performing many of the duties a physician does such as physical exams, prescribing medications, ordering tests, assisting with procedures, and managing your condition.
• The patient navigator is a nurse practitioner or registered nurse who is trained to anticipate, address, and overcome barriers to your care and to guide you through the health care system during this very difficult time. As advocates for patients and their families during prostate cancer treatment, they enhance the quality of care you receive. The patient navigator will collaborate with your urologist to help plan your consultations, tests, and procedures.
• The medical oncologist is a physician who specializes in the medical treatment of cancer. A medical oncologist typically is only involved in the management of advanced prostate cancer. If chemotherapy and other medical therapies are prescribed, they may be administered and monitored by a medical oncologist.
• The primary care physician (PCP) is your personal physician – either an internist or family medicine physician – who treats common illnesses and oversees your general care. Your PCP is considered part of your treatment team. Our physicians will collaborate with and keep your primary care doctor updated on an ongoing basis.