During a visit to The Prostate Center at The Kirklin Clinic, a patient and his family will come in contact with various different individuals involved in their treatment of prostate cancer.
Initially, patients will speak with the patient education coordinator who will explain the premise of a multi-disciplinary clinic. Patients will have the opportunity to receive educational materials concerning various treatment options, and to obtain a better understanding of prostate cancer.
A prostate cancer survivor, and member of the prostate cancer support group, is available to discuss the benefits of joining a support group. The support group member will also present themselves as someone who can relate to the mental, physical, and spiritual anguish of a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Patients will meet a research nurse practitioner and/or medical resident to discuss their diagnosis and gather information on other health history. A patient’s prior health history is important in order to determine a treatment choice that is appropriate to cancer staging and overall health of the patient. Patients will be informed that treatment options could be different from patient to patient. Patients will be informed of the varying degrees and stages of prostate cancer.
Treatment options for prostate cancer will be discussed with a urologist, who specializes in surgery as a treatment option. Other areas, if appropriate, would be consultation with radiation and medical oncologists to discuss radiation treatments and advanced cancer treatments.
After initial discussion, the team of specialists will aid patients in comprehension and selection of treatment for their particular stage of prostate cancer. In one visit, patients will have encountered a team of concerned health professionals, and support staff, who are concerned about the welfare of patients and families facing a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
The visit could also include contact with persons associated with the complications associated with treatment. A board certified sex therapist is on hand in the multi-disciplinary clinic to discuss a variety of methods to assist patients suffering from impotence—a common side effect of prostate cancer treatment. A patient could also visit the UAB Continence Clinic to discuss treatment of incontinence (leakage of urine) with certified physicians and continence specialists to discuss treatment of their condition.
The Prostate Center at The Kirklin Clinic offers patients in one clinic visit, the opportunity to come in contact with a host of individuals dedicated to educating patients about prostate cancer, discussing treatment options, offering emotional support to patients, and discussing the complications associated with treatment of prostate cancer.