Choosing Your Prostate Care Team

By William Parker, MD
Urologic surgeon

Choosing a care team for your prostate cancer can be as personal a decision as buying a house or getting married – and we understand that. When someone comes to see me about surgery, I know that I am not just caring for them and their prostate cancer. With their disease comes the existential threat to their future urinary and sexual function, their ability to return to work or enjoy future vacations. With their disease comes the fear and stress of treatment – not just to themselves – but to their spouse or significant other, parents, children and friends.

I do not take this lightly. It is for these reasons I chose to focus solely on prostate cancer care. And I am not alone in this mission.

Our prostate cancer specialists are not generalists in urology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, radiology or pathology. Our urologists are urologic oncologists – specialists with advanced training, known as fellowship training, that has been achieved at renowned and respected institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Our team members have devoted additional years of subspecialty training to be here and ready to fight the cancer you have.

Our radiation oncologists and medical oncologists specialize in genitourinary diseases – meaning they focus on cancers of the urinary tract, and in particular prostate cancer, rather than treating all cancer types. In addition to the physicians and clinicians you see in the clinic, we have a team of radiologists and pathologists who focus on prostate cancer specifically so that we can be sure we are making decisions with the best information possible prior to starting treatment.

All of this is to say, The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s prostate cancer program is unique, and we are all incredibly passionate about what we do. Our team – your team – is here for you to provide you and your loved ones the best care available.