Prostate Cancer Survivorship Clinic in Chattanooga,TN
The Clinic
The Erlanger Urology Prostate Cancer Survivorship Clinic is dedicated to supporting men who are going through or have undergone prostate cancer treatment. Our primary goal is to help patients understand and manage health issues that may arise during or after treatment, providing strategies to address these concerns proactively.
What to Expect
After diagnosis of prostate cancer and decision of plan of care you will have an appointment with a Men’s health physician. This appointment will be before your prostate cancer treatment and is aimed at discussing quality of like issues that affect men during and after cancer treatment. This first visit may be virtual if that is more convenient for you. To ensure continuity of care, our team will provide a treatment summary and survivorship care plan after the visit, which is shared with you, your primary care provider, and your referring physician.
As part of your care plan, your urology navigator can assist you with referrals to our specialty partners who offer the following services:
- Prostate cancer support group, Prostate Cancer Foundation
- Bladder cancer support groups, Bladder Cancer Awareness Network
- Pelvic floor physical therapy
- Psychiatric or behavioral health services
- Palliative care services
- Nutrition services
- Sex therapists
- Referrals to other medical specialties
The Next Phase of Care
If you require additional care after your cancer therapy, Erlanger Urology’s Men’s Health Clinic is here for support.
If there are concerns for sexual function changes:
Erectile dysfunction
Penile rehabilitation: This is a procedure that helps the recovery process after cancer treatment for return of erectile function. This may include some of (or all of the) the below options.
- Prescription Medication
You will receive a prescription for a medicine you can take by mouth. This medication is called tadalafil or (Cialis). It is a 5mg tablet that is taken every day starting before surgery. - Vacuum erection device
We recommend using a vacuum erection device as a penile stretching device. There are many devices on the market. You should choose a vacuum device that is comfortable for you. You may visit www.menmd.com to see their collection of devices. Try to use the device 3 times per week starting after your catheter is removed. This can reduce penile length loss after surgery. - Penile Injection Therapy
If medications are not successful in achieving erections, you can make an appointment with one of our providers to learn about penile injection therapy which may also help with rehabilitation. - Inflatable Penile Prosthesis
Ultimately, a small subset of patients require surgery to regain their erections after a period of recovery. This is generally the insertion of an inflatable penile prosthesis. Please reach out to us if you have questions about this surgery and the devices used.
Loss of libido
It is normal to have a loss of libido during cancer care. Additionally, loss of libido can be seen with hormonal therapy for prostate cancer. This is sometimes temporary and can be managed throughout the cancer care process. A referral to a sex therapist or behavioral health expert may be helpful to address the changes that come with cancer related care.
If there are concerns for urinary function changes:
Leakage of Urine After Surgery
A small subset of patients leak urine after prostate cancer related procedures. This can occur with both surgical options, minimally invasive focal therapies, or radiation. There are many ways to manage this leakage. We recommend doing pelvic floor exercises such as Kegels. These exercises can be more challenging to do than they look, and referral to a highly trained pelvic floor physical therapist can be helpful to learn how to do these exercises correctly.
If leakage continues after months of healing and Kegel exercises, you may require additional therapies. Many options exist including pads, condom catheters, and surgeries (male urethral slings and artificial urethral sphincters). A consultation with a men’s health surgeon will help to decide which one might be best for you.
This is a long process, and we are here to support you before, during, and after prostate cancer care. Please call our clinic if you need additional information or would like to see one of our men’s health professionals.
Care Plan Timeline:
Checklist for Prostate cancer survivorship
- Pelvic floor physical therapy
- 5mg tadalafil daily (GoodRx card)
- Vacuum erection device
Prostate Cancer Survivorship Clinic
Phone number : 423-778-4MEN
