– A new Prostate Center has opened its doors in Lausanne
Patients benefit from multidisciplinary care in this new structure of the Clinique de La Source. Their care pathway is thus simplified. Explanations
Esther Rich
The new La Source Prostate Centre, which opened its doors at the start of the year, is a structure that provides multidisciplinary care for patients from the announcement of the diagnosis until the end of care and treatment. A long follow-up is often necessary for these men who sometimes have lifelong treatments.
Being diagnosed with cancer is never easy, both for the person concerned and for their loved ones. “The patient is often sent to us by his general practitioner who has done a PSA assay (editor’s note: for Prostate Specific Antigen, a protein produced by this gland and whose values that are too high can be a sign of cancer) by simply taking of blood and found abnormal values, explains Christian Gygi, a doctor specializing in urology and operative urology. We do further examinations to find out if the patient has prostate cancer.” Among these, digital rectal examination allows to feel if there is an abnormal mass on the gland, an MRI is also advised and a biopsy is done when the tumor is suspected.
Once the diagnosis of cancer has been established, the case of each patient is discussed during the tumor board, a weekly symposium which brings together a panel of experts: urologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, oncologists, radiologists, geneticists, among others, as well as two nurses specializing in oncology.
“During this session, my colleague Sandrine Lambin and I collect a lot of information regarding the patient, explains Miroslava Marhefkova, lead nurse specializing in oncology. When we meet him for the first time, the patient has already received treatment proposals from his urologist. He comes to us with a lot of questions that he did not necessarily think to ask the specialist, too shaken by the diagnosis received.
The patient comes to us with many questions that he has not necessarily thought to ask the specialist, too shaken by the diagnosis received.
Miroslava Marhefkova, lead nurse specializing in oncology
Miroslava Marhefkova and Sandrine Lambin take the time to review the different stages of the treatment, they explain the possible side effects, they answer questions and also provide the names of sexologists or psychologists if necessary. “The purpose of this meeting is to identify the needs and resources of the patient in order to ensure that he will be able to benefit from a quality of life as close as possible to that which he had before the treatment, specifies Sandrine Lambin. . We also provide him with information on various associations that may be useful to him. The disease affects the daily life of the couple, including sexuality. The presence of the wife, who happens to become a caregiver, is desirable.”
This first nursing consultation lasts approximately one hour. Therefollowing, the patient is seen regularly by one of the referring nurses, whether during his possible hospitalization, during his outpatient treatments or simply if he feels the need. Prostate cafés and other activities are also offered to allow patients to feel less alone in the face of the disease and to recover a good quality of life. “We see the patient once more a week following their operation, if they have had one. Then we call him back a month later to make sure that the treatment is taken correctly and to adapt any home help he receives. Finally, we try to offer him another consultation following three months. Subsequently, the follow-up is done at the request of the patient,” explains Miroslava Marhefkova.
If surgery is sometimes unavoidable, it is not the only option offered to a man who has prostate cancer (see box). As this disease develops slowly, it is sometimes enough to monitor it – even over a long period – without the need for intervention with treatment or surgery. “It can be very anxiety-provoking to live for years with a cancer diagnosis without any treatment in place,” admits Dr. Gygi. I reassure the patient by specifying that his PSA will be checked twice a year, that an MRI will be redone following 12 or 18 months and that a biopsy can also be redone one to two years following the first. Some men live for many years without any discomfort despite a diagnosis of cancer. Intervening too early is often not helpful.”
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