Robotic Prostatectomy Surgeons in Atlanta.

Welcome to HW.

What was his gleason score and PSA? We'd be able to respond better with more information.

The Atlanta folks will be around soon with suggestions.

Andrew

My regular Uro is at Emory/St. Joseph's and he recommended surgeons, Dr. Martin Sanda and Dr. John Pattaras who see patients at St. Joseph's and main Emory Hospital. They are part of the Emory Winship Cancer Center and surgical consultations include mini consult with a radiation oncologist. I went to see Dr. Sanda twice and liked him a lot. I'm currently on AS. Northside Hospital also has a good program, but I'm not familiar with their staff.

Yes he seems well regarded.

Thank you for replies.
Age 68, PSA 6.2 in December 2017. 4Kscore is 39%.
Biopsy 2/13/18: 8/12 cores came positive G 3+4=7 in one and 3+3=6 in 7. CTM and Bone scan ok.
URO recommended Robotic removal. So, looking for surgeon.

Dr. Scott Miller, but he will cost you out of pocket.
Michael

Lala5

I am in Atlanta and was successfully treated a little over seven years ago.

60Michael mentions Scott Miller. He was the first in Atlanta to use the DaVinci and by most accounts is the highest volume PCa surgeon. He recently left the largest urology practice and joined the WellStar hospital. I have met him and he suggested against surgery at the time I was diagnosed as I was too high risk. This confirmed my urologist's assessment at the time. In the past he has had a fixed surgical fee and did not process Medicare or insurance so you pay him and then seek some reimbursement from your third party payor. His profile on WellStar says he accepts all major insurance but does not mention Medicare. A simple call to his office will clarify payment. Are you on traditional Medicare or Advantage? That will

As Tall Allen reported, I used a combination of High Dose Rate brachytherapy and external beam radiation (IMRT). This combination is the most effective for caner control and presents much lesser negative side effects than surgery. Your husband is an excellent candidate for brachytherapy, bith HDR and permanent seeds. Both will be as good or better than surgery for cancer control and for most all men present much less negative side effects, especially regarding incontinence and ED. I am essentially side effect fre from my treatments.

For permanent seeds one of the most renowned clinics is in Atlanta, Radiotherapy Clinic of Georgia (RCOG). They trademark the name Prostrcision, developed 40 years ago by their founder Dr Frank Critz, who was the first to combine external beam radiation with permanent seed brachytherapy. I also met with them as part of my research and would have used them. I have a business partner and several clients ho were successfully treated buy them.

My research, and my urologist's suggestion, was to use HDR brachytherapy. It uses better technology for better dose accuracy than seeds and does not leave any radiation in the body. I met with two HDR groups, St Joseph's prostate cancer part of Emory, at 285 and Ga 400. The other is Total Cancer at Preston Ridge in Alpharetta on Old Milton, Ga 400 and exit 10. I chose the latter as they worked directly with my urologist, Dr. Lewis Kriteman, Georgia Urology in Alpharetta and Cumming. My radiation oncologist was Craig Wilkerson, now in Macon. His HDR partner is Dr McCord, also an excellent choice.

Here is the point. Most all urologists are surgeons and they are biased toward surgery. None of them are experts on radiation oncology. Do not expect to get knowledgeable information from a urologist on anything outside their practice. That goes for all specialists. You must go see specialists in each area for a proper assessment and advice before making treatment decisions. After I was diagnosed I spoke with three surgeons, two radiation oncologists, and a medical oncologist in the span of three weeks. All three surgeons said no to surgery as they all assessed that I would also need radiation because I was too far advanced for surgery to be curative. The best thing my urologist did was to demand that I get additional assessments before he would accept me as a patient. I did, and he continues to be my quarterback and I see him every 90 days and have my PSA tested.

Best wishes and let me know how I can help. I would love to meet up with you to, perhaps lunch some time.

Jack

I agree, the combination (BT + EBRT) doesn't look warranted in his case. I have heard that RCOG is more open to brachytherapy only than in the past, but that would have to come from them. The founder, Frank Critz, no longer practices and the clinic is part of the Northside Hospital Group since the purchase a few years ago. They do a lot more than PCa, but that is what they are known for. My wife was treated by one of their oncologists for some tricky breast cancer radiation. Always rated as a top doctor in Atlanta, Chad Levitt. At the time he was not doing PCa work. Last year he joined another clinic and it shows PCa as a disease treated, so he could be a good doctor to meet.

To my knowledge, both the HDR clinics are doing mono-therapy for favorable risk, certainly the one I used has been performing mono-therapy HDR for many years.

We do need someone to weigh in on SBRT in Atlanta. Like you, I don't remember who on the forum used it. My group has used it for many years on some cancers, but I don't know about PCa. I will call them to inquire.

Lala5

Is he on traditional Medicare and a supplement or a Medicare Advantge plan? That will make a difference on the networks.