At Penn, we offer the latest advances in chemotherapy and biologic therapies for treating urethral cancer. Our medical oncologists are part of large multidisciplinary teams whose approach to cancer is to treat the entire individual — not just the disease.
Medical oncologists are physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Our oncologists work closely with radiation and surgical oncologists to treat urethral cancer patients with medical therapies.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to attack cancer cells, slowing or stopping their ability to grow and multiply. Chemotherapy may also be given:
- Orally: taking pills or capsules by mouth
- Intravenously (IV): injecting medication into a vein
- Intramuscularly (IM): injecting medication into a muscle
- Subcutaneously: injecting medication under the skin
Chemotherapy is not a "one-size-fits-all" cancer treatment. The wide range of cancer-fighting drugs attack different types of cancer cells at varying stages of cell development. Our oncologists are known for their expertise in determining which drug or combination of drugs will be the most effective in treating the various types of cancer.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted molecular therapy at Penn Medicine is a type of personalized medical therapy designed to treat cancer by interrupting unique molecular abnormalities that drive cancer growth. Targeted therapies are drugs that are designed to interfere with a specific biochemical pathway that is central to the development, growth and spread of that particular cancer.
Because not every cancer develops in the same way in every person, targeted molecular therapy is personalized to the individual. In some cancers, the molecular targets are known. But in other cancers, these targets are still being identified. In some cases, the same types of cancer have different molecular targets. Identifying the molecular targets in any given patient's cancer requires working closely with pathologists to carefully analyze the cancer pathology.
Targeted cancer therapies such as targeted molecular therapy give medical oncologists a better way to customize cancer treatment.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy, painless, and invisible X-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation may be considered for patients whose tumors are too large to be completely removed effectively with surgery. Physicians will surgically remove as much of the tumor as possible, but then may turn to radiation therapy to target any signs of the tumor that remains.
Penn Radiation Oncology uses the latest equipment and technology available to treat urethral cancer. Our radiation oncologists are recognized leaders in techniques that target radiation precisely to the treatment area while sparing normal tissue.
At Penn, our patients with urethral cancer have access to new and advanced treatment options and ongoing clinical trials in radiation therapy. As part of our commitment to advancing cancer care in patients, radiation oncologists are also researching how radiation treatment affects the quality of life for cancer patients.
Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) uses frequent imaging during a course of radiation therapy to improve the precision and accuracy of radiation treatment.
In IGRT, proton gantries and linear accelerators (machines that deliver radiation) are equipped with imaging technology that take pictures of the tumor immediately before and during the time radiation is delivered. Specialized computer software compares these images of the tumor to the images taken during the simulation to establish the treatment plan. Necessary adjustments can then be made to the patient's position and/or the radiation beams to more precisely target radiation at the cancer and avoid exposure to the healthy surrounding tissue.
Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) or Conformal Radiation Therapy
Our radiation oncologists also use conformal radiation therapy and, in some cases, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), to treat urethral cancer. IMRT is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that utilizes computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to tumors or specific areas within the tumors. Radiation therapy, including IMRT, stops cancer cells from dividing and growing, thus slowing or stopping tumor growth. In many cases, radiation therapy is capable of killing all of the cancer cells.
Using 3-D computed tomography (CT) images in conjunction with computerized dose calculations, IMRT and conformal radiation therapy allows for the radiation dose to conform more precisely to the three-dimensional shape of the tumor by controlling, or modulating the intensity of the radiation beam in multiple small volumes. The therapy allows higher radiation doses to be focused on regions within the tumor while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal critical structures.
Proton Therapy
Penn Medicine's Roberts Proton Therapy Center is the largest and most advanced facility in the world for this precise form of cancer radiation. Our patients have access to one of the most sophisticated weapons against cancer, seamlessly integrated with the full range of oncology services available at the Abramson Cancer Center.
Proton therapy is external beam radiotherapy in which protons are directed at a tumor. The radiation dose that is given through protons is very precise, and limits the exposure of normal tissues. This allows the radiation dose delivered to the tumor to be increased beyond conventional radiation. The result is a better chance for curing cancer with fewer harmful side effects. Proton therapy, like all forms of radiation therapy, works by aiming the energized particles, in this case protons, onto the target tumor. These particles damage the DNA of cells, ultimately causing their death. Unlike X-rays, protons can be manipulated to release most of their energy only when they reach their target. With more energy reaching the cancerous cells, more damage is administered by each burst of radiation.
Urethrectomy
A urethrectomy is a surgical resection, or removal, of the cancer, and is the standard curative treatment approach for urethral cancer. Surgery involves complete removal of the cancer, as well as surrounding tissue and lymph nodes, if necessary.
In addition to standard treatments and clinical trials, you may wish to add additional therapies and treatments such as massage therapy, acupuncture and art therapy. These therapies do not have curative intent, and are designed to complement standard treatments, not take their place.
Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation
Pelvic floor rehabilitation physical therapy is a type of non-invasive therapy that focuses on the muscles of the pelvic floor. This specialized technique utilizes both internal and external stretching and release techniques, Penn Care at Home strengthening exercises, education, and modalities to improve muscle and tissue function along the floor of the pelvis.
Integrative Oncology Services
At Penn, our integrative oncology services can supplement traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. While conventional medicine plays a critical role in eradicating cancer, integrative medicine and wellness programs offer you ways to enhance the quality of your life, minimize or reduce the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment, and promote healing and recovery.
Our cancer specialists are knowledgeable and supportive of complementary cancer treatments. Our cancer team works with you and your family to integrate these supportive programs into the overall care plan, while ensuring your health and safety.
The Abramson Cancer Center's range of integrative oncology services is designed to help you cope with the cancer experience and improve your overall sense of well-being.
Services include:
Joan Karnell Supportive Services at Pennsylvania Hospital offers an extensive variety of supportive care programs for patients and families, from diagnosis through survivorship. These programs are available at no cost to the patients treated at Pennsylvania Hospital, and some are open to patients treated elsewhere. These services include social work counseling, nutrition counseling, psychological counseling and spiritual counseling.
The Cancer Appetite and Rehabilitation Clinic focuses on patients with loss of appetite and weight.
The Supportive Oncology Clinic helps to manage cancer related symptoms. Integrative support programs include:
Palliative care provides medical and non-medical interventions to ease the symptoms of cancer and its treatment. Palliative care includes physical, emotional and spiritual care that can enhance the quality of life for cancer patients. Palliative care can be used to complement traditional cancer therapies, or can be used when curative therapies are no longer an option to treat symptoms and improve quality of life.
Palliative care is an approach to patient care that can be integrated with curative therapies at any point from diagnosis to survivorship or end of life care. Palliative care services include palliative chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery as well as psychological counseling, art therapy and support groups for patients and families.
Penn Home Care and Hospice Services
Penn Medicine offers a full range of “at home” health care services, including specialized therapies and medications, for patients with cancer and cancer-related conditions.
Learn more about Penn Medicine at Home