Although it’s not the first topic at a dinner party, prostate cancer affects more and more men. It is one of the most common cancers among Canadian men and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Canadian men,
according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Headwaters Health Care Centre is offering treatment closer to home for men in the Dufferin-Caledon community. Dr. Shreyas Gandhi, a urologist and Vice President of General Medical Staff at Headwaters Health Care Centre brought this life-saving prostate cancer
surgery to the community and his team.
“Radical proctectomy involves removing the entire prostate gland in the treatment setting of cancer. We started offering this procedure in November 2023 and all our patients have done really well. We’ve performed four surgeries since then and the surgical outcomes and perioperative recovery care has been very strong,” says Dr. Gandhi. Previously, over the past five years, there were approximately 250 radical proctectomies referred to other centres. “Our plan is to start performing 30 or 40 per cent of those procedures at Headwaters, and that’s a significant number of patients who can receive treatment and recover closer to home,” says Dr. Gandhi.
Radical proctectomies are surgeries that require many different steps before and after the surgery, and several follow-up visits. Our physician performs the initial consultation, and the patients are referred out for biopsy. Once the need for radical proctectomy is determined, patients can come to Headwaters for CT imaging, bone scans, radiology, preoperative care, such as blood work, counselling, anesthesiology for pain management, the surgery procedure, recovery at the hospital, and once discharged, Headwaters facilitates home care and follow-up pathology visits.
“It’s very exciting that we’re providing prostate cancer surgeries in our community. I find that my patients always prefer to stay close to home, not only for their surgery but the care around the time of surgery.”
Dr. Gandhi also trained Headwaters’ allied health team, operating room (OR) and post anesthetic care unit (PACU) nurses to have the skills to look after patients after their surgery in the recovery room and on the hospital floors. Family physicians in the region were also informed of Headwaters’ new surgery offering, so that they could refer patients locally to Headwaters for surgery.
Thanks to the generous donations from our community, Headwaters was also able to acquire specialized equipment for radical proctectomies. We are deeply grateful for the equipment funding by the Grand Valley Lions Club, Orangeville Lions Club, Shelburne Lions Club, and International Lions Club Foundation.
"It's an exciting time for patients who can have access to prostate cancer care in our community. It's also exciting that physicians and surgeons in the area can be part of this innovative care. None of this would be possible without the entire hospital and community getting involved. Expanding our
surgical program in a growing community is always a priority so we can provide the best evidence-based care to our patients,” adds Dr. Gandhi.