Cancer of the Prostate, Kidney, Bladder and Testes
The Institute for Prostate and Urologic Cancer at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview was created to conquer one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men. Our experts in urologic surgery, medical oncology, radiation therapy, and patient education work together to bring the best possible resources to men with prostate cancer and their families. Our team of specialists is a trusted source, dedicated to providing non-biased, evidence-based information to each patient and his family while supporting them in their treatment decisions.

Prostate cancer
The prostate is a gland found only in men. It is located underneath the bladder, and it wraps around the urethra (the tube through which urine leaves the body). Only about the size of a pea in a child, during puberty the gland grows to about the size of a walnut. It is responsible for making seminal fluid. Except for skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in American men. It is estimated that one in six men will get the disease, and almost 30,000 men die of it every year. For most men, prostate cancer grows slowly. Most men with prostate cancer do not die of this illness, but of some other unrelated cause or health problem. However, this disease is becoming more common in younger men, which is more likely to require treatment to stop the progression. Early prostate cancer is localized, or confined to the prostate gland; when it is in this localized state it is highly treatable.

Kidney cancer
The kidneys are organs that are part of the urinary system. There are normally two kidneys in every person (sometimes people are born with only one kidney), and each one is about the size of a fist. The job of a kidney is to remove waste and excess water from the body, which creates urine. The urine passes down through a tube called a "ureter" into the bladder, and then is passed out of the body. Kidney cancer is a group of malignant tumors arising from various kidney tissues. Each year, about 32,000 people in the United States learn they have kidney cancer.

Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is abnormal growth of the cells that line the inside of the bladder. This growth is called a bladder tumor. The tumor may be either noninvasive or invasive. A noninvasive tumor is usually a small, wartlike growth that has not yet grown into the bladder wall. If a tumor is invasive, the cancer cells may spread into the bladder wall and then to other organs through the bloodstream and lymphatic system. Bladder cancer affects men three times more often than women. Bladder tumors are most likely to develop in white men over age 50.

Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer occurs when cells in the testicles (either one or both) become malignant (cancerous) and can grow into a tumor. Cancer of the testicles is considered rare, as it accounts for less than one percent of all the cancers in men in the United States. Currently, some 8,000 men are diagnosed each year with this disease, and about 390 men die of it annually. It is most common in men ages 20-39. Testicular cancer is cured in about 95 percent of cases. A person is much more likely to be cured when the cancer is found early, before it spreads to other parts of the body.

Located with the Institute for Prostate and Urologic Cancer, the Urology Clinic provides comprehensive, coordinated care in the areas of genitourinary cancers as well as general urology, endoscopic urinary surgery, neurogenic bladder, kidney stones, male infertility, male sexual dysfunction, interstitial cystitis, and incontinence.

Clinics:

• Minneapolis

• Institute for Prostate and Urologic Cancers
  • 516 Delaware St. SE
  • Minneapolis, MN 55455
  • 612-625-6401
• Masonic Cancer Clinic
  • Masonic Memorial Building
    First Floor, Suite M100
    424 Harvard St. SE
    
  • Minneapolis, MN 55455
  • 612-625-5411

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