The Chesapeake Prostate Center
The Prostate Center is dedicated to the care of patients who have elected to use Radiation Therapy to treat their prostate cancer.
Chesapeake Urology Associates has created a unique environment with your health, safety and comfort in mind. We understand that
healing is promoted when treatment is provided by caring staff in a calming environment. While undergoing prompt, painless treatment
from our highly advanced linear accelerator, you and your loved ones can relax in our beautiful facility and be pampered by our
friendly staff. Amenities at The Prostate Center include a concierge and a Comfort Lounge with flat-screen TV, gourmet coffees and
teas, wireless internet access, a resource library and support group information.
The Prostate Center offers just one of many state-of-the-art prostate cancer treatments available at Chesapeake Urology Associates.
For more information on other treatments, please consult your urologist, our resource library or our Prostate Cancer brochure.
Your care team will consist of the region's top urologists, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, medical dosimetrists, and
physicists. They'll work closely with you each step of the way to ensure that you receive the most appropriate treatment delivered
with the most advanced equipment available using the most targeted approach possible. Call The Prostate Center at 443-738-9393 if you
would like more information than is provided below.
Radiation Oncologists
Robert Brookland, MD
Sylwester Dziuba, MD
Richard Hudes, MD
Eva Zinreich, MD
Radiation Physicists
Will Chen, PhD
Shihmin Lo, PhD
Zhengdong (Richard) Zhang, MS
Dosimetrist:
Karen Morrison, RT(T)
Radiation Therapists
Jeff Zemencik, RT(T)
Administrator
Heidi Johnson, RT(T)
Shawn Campbell, RT(T)
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Prostate Center staff include (L to R):Jeff Zemencik, Havdeep (Navi) Radhawa, Jaime Handley, Karen Morrison, Shawn Campbell, Heidi Johnson and Zhengdong (Richard) Zhang.
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Patient Care Coordinators
Navdeep ("Navi") Randhawa
Jaime Handley
What is Radiation Therapy?
Preparing for Radiation Therapy
What to Expect During Treatment
Potential Side Effects
What is Radiation Therapy?
- The Prostate Center provides Image-Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IG-IMRT), an advanced treatment that precisely directs high energy radiation at your tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The term "Image-Guided" means that your prostate is imaged during each treatment to ensure that the radiation is delivered exactly as designed.
- Another form of radiation therapy is brachytherapy, the placement of tiny radioactive "seeds" within the tumor.
- A machine called a linear accelerator uses high-speed photos to create a radiation beam targeted directly at your tumor, painlessly delivering the most effective treatment possible over a 5 to 8 week period.
Preparing for Radiation Therapy
Once you receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer that may benefit from radiation therapy, you can expect the following:
- Radiation Oncologist Consult - creating a custom treatment plan
Your urologist will refer you to a Radiation Oncologist, a board-certified physician who is specially trained to use radiation therapy, who will discuss your treatment options of IG-IMRT or brachytherapy, or both.
- Urologist Visit - placing special markers in the prostate
Before you receive IG-IMRT radiation treatment, your urologist will place tiny gold markers (springs or coils) inside your prostate to ensure that your tumor is precisely targeted. This 15-minute procedure, called "fiducials," should not be confused with brachytherapy seeds, which are a different form of radiation treatment.
- CT Simulation - precisely mapping the tumor
About 1 to 2 weeks after we place your markers, you'll be scheduled for a "simulation" across the street from The Prostate Center. During simulation, we take a CT scan of your prostate that precisely identifies your tumor's shape and location. Your radiation oncologist, your medical dosimetrist and your physicist then create a treatment plan specially designed for you and perform a test run before your actual treatment.
What to Expect During Treatment
- You'll receive your first radiation therapy treatment about 1 to 2 weeks after your simulation.
- Most people receive 15 minute treatments 5 times a week, for 5 to 8 1/2 weeks. Your care team will let you know about your individual schedule.
- Treatments are given by a radiation therapist, a licensed professional who has completed 2-4 years of special training.
- The radiation therapist will help you onto the treatment table in the linear accelerator and check the position of your gold markers each day.
- Using image guidance, we'll image your prostate each day to ensure precise targeting. Each treatment is personally overseen by a radiation oncologist and (s)he will see you weekly for a check-up.
- We'll deliver the radiation from several different angles to give you the most targeted treatment possible. Please remain still during treatment. You'll be able to communicate with us at all times.
- Before or after your procedure, we invite you to enjoy our gourmet coffee bar, our comfortable reception area with big screen TV and fireplace, and our lovely Zen garden with a pond.
- Each day after your treatment, you can immediately resume your normal activities.
- We want your treatment to be a welcoming, pleasant experience from start to finish. Please don't hesitate to let us know if there is something more we can do for you.
Potential Side Effects
- With our new equipment and precise treatment plans, you likely will experience only minor side effects.
- The most common side effects are mild bladder symptoms and, less frequently, mild diarrhea. If you experience these, we can prescribe some simple yet effective medications.
Physician and Staff Biographical Information
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Robert Brookland, M.D.
Board-certified radiation oncologist
| Medical School: |
Georgetown Univ. School of Medicine |
| Internship: |
Thomas Jefferson Univ. Hospital |
| Medical Residency: |
Georgetown University Hospital |
| Rad. Therapy Residency: |
Hospital of the Univ. of Pennsylvania |
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Sylwester Dziuba, M.D.
Board-certified radiation oncologist
| Medical School: |
Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum |
| Internship: |
St. Vincent's Medical Center |
| Rad. Therapy Residency: |
Thomas Jefferson Univ. Hospital |
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Richard Hudes, M.D.
Board-certified radiation oncologist
| Medical School: |
Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine |
| Internship: |
Winthrop University Hospital |
| Rad. Therapy Residency: |
Thomas Jefferson Univ. Hospital |
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Eva Zinreich, M.D.
Board-certified radiation oncologist
| Medical School: |
Facultatea de Medicina, Romania |
| Internship: |
Union Memorial Hospital |
| Rad. Therapy Residency: |
University of Brussels, Belgium |
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Jeffrey Zemencik, RT (R) (T)
Certified radiographer and radiation therapist
| BS in Professional Studies: |
Duquesne University |
| Radiation Therapy Technology: |
University of Virginia |
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