Cancer Treatment

Kidney Cancer

Kidneys are bean-shaped organs that clean toxins and waste from your urine. Cancer can form in the cells of the kidneys, especially if you have a family history of the disease, if you smoke, or have other types of cancer.

Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer forms in the bladder, the hollow organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine before it leaves your body. Cancer often begins in the cells that line your bladder and can spread to other areas of your body.

Prostate Cancer

The male prostate makes fluid that forms part of semen. Cancer often starts in the cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer for men in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death.

Urologic cancers can also cause painful ejaculation, blood in the semen, and erectile dysfunction in men. You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation with our provider if you experience warning signs of cancer, such as:

• Pelvic pain
• Difficulties urinating
• Pain with urination
• Weak urine stream
• Blood in the urine

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are deposits of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys.

These stones vary in size. Some are so small they're invisible to the eye and exit your body unnoticed. Others are as large as a small pebble and get trapped in your urinary tract, causing pain and other problems.

Symptoms of kidney stones include:

• Burning during urination
• Severe lower back or side pain
• Pink, red, or brown urine
• Fever and chills (if an infection is present)
• Vomiting
• Pain in the lower abdomen or groin
• Urinating more often than usual

Pain caused by kidney stones may come and go or last for days. Certain medications can also make kidney stones more likely, including calcium-based antacids.

Vasectomy (no scalpel)

A vasectomy is a safe, effective form of male contraception. It involves blocking the vas deferens - tubes that transport sperm from your testicle into the semen during ejaculation. This results in ejaculation containing no viable sperm, preventing pregnancy without affecting your sexual experience.

Vasectomies are over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. However, unless you're in a monogamous relationship, you'll still need to use condoms to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases.

You might want to consider a no-scalpel vasectomy if you're looking for a long-term form of birth control.

Contraceptive options for men are limited, so pregnancy prevention tends to fall to the woman. If you're sure you don't want more (or any) children, vasectomy offers a simple, proven way of avoiding conception. Vasectomy is particularly popular with men in long-term relationships, but it's suitable for anyone who doesn't want to be a father in the future.

Enlarged Prostate

The prostate is a golf ball-sized glad sitting just below your bladder. It makes seminal fluid that nourishes your sperm and carries them outside your body when you ejaculate.

An enlarged prostate occurs when the gland grows bigger than it should, sometimes reaching the size of an orange. This disorder, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or benign prostatic hypertrophy, isn't cancerous.

If you have an enlarged prostate, the additional tissue squeezes your urethra (the tube that transports urine from your bladder when you urinate). This can partially block your bladder, causing urinary symptoms such as:

• Frequent urination (every hour or two)
• Strong urinary urges
• Difficulty completely emptying your bladder
• Intermittent urine stream (stop-and-start)
• Difficulty starting to urinate
• Dribbling urine
• Waking up to urinate more than twice at night

Erectile Dysfunction

It is estimated that 52% of American men experience erectile dysfunction in their lifetime, especially as they get older.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) describes difficulties in achieving or maintaining an erection that's firm enough for sex. ED can develop for many reasons, including:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Sleep disorders
• High blood pressure
• Drug and alcohol use
• Psychological issues (depression, anxiety)

While most men experience ED issues on occasion, ongoing erectile dysfunction symptoms can become problematic and affect your intimate relationships and your self-esteem.

Based on the results of your exam and tests, our provider creates a treatment plan to address the underlying cause of your ED symptoms and improve the quality of your erections.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Inadequate levels of the male sex hormone testosterone can affect your sex drive, physique and mood.

Testosterone replacement therapy helps to reverse the effects of having low testosterone levels. Testosterone is the main male hormone, a chemical your body produces that controls and maintains characteristics men associate with masculinity, such as:

• Sex drive
• Muscle strength
• Bone density
• Facial and body hair
• Red blood cell production
• Sperm production
• Fat distribution

Testosterone levels peak during your late teens and early adulthood, then gradually decline by around 1% a year from 30-40 years and onward.