The Seattle Prostate Institute ...Now Swedish Cancer Institute

at Swedish Medical Center was established in 1997 by a group of physicians who, in the mid-1980's, had pioneered the introduction and development of ultrasound-guided prostate implantation in the United States. Throughout our long history, our physicians have always emphasized the highest standards of patient care, medical research, and clinical education. To date, SPI physicians have performed more than 10,000 prostate implants. Of the patients treated at SPI, half have come from other states and from other countries in order to benefit from the expertise that has been developed in Seattle.

Our Leadership

The Leadership Role and professional reputation of the SPI medical team has firmly established the Institute as the leading center of expertise in the area of prostate brachytherapy. Not only do patients come from around the nation and around the world for consultation and treatment, but physicians and other health professionals from the U.S. and abroad are also drawn to Seattle to participate in SPI's highly respected clinical education and training programs. To further demonstrate its commitment to high standards of clinical practice, the Institute has recently initiated a voluntary accreditation and quality assurance program through which it provides technical assistance and ongoing monitoring to medical centers establishing new prostate implant programs or reassessing existing ones. The Institute's physicians have contributed greatly to the understanding and acceptance of prostate implantation by the medical community.

Why Choose Swedish Cancer Institute / Seattle Prostate Institute

The Seattle Prostate Institute is a comprehensive center that is the exclusive provider of brachytherapy for the Swedish Cancer Institute, the region’s premier cancer care and clinical research center. All SPI physicians are jointly credentialed at both institutions and external beam radiation (including Cyberknife radiotherapy) is provided on the Swedish Cancer Institute campuses including community satellite locations. This simultaneously can allow patient convenience in potentially being treated closer to home, while allowing SPI physicians access to the most modern and advanced radiation therapy delivery machines in the world. We are a research and testing site for Elekta, a large manufacturer of linear accelerators for cancer treatment. We are the first site to offer Calypso ‘GPS for the Body’ Beacon transponders to treat patients with prostate cancer. By allowing real-time tracking of an organ or tumor, this technology represents a significant advance in the delivery of external beam radiation for all cancers.

Our Approach

The Seattle Prostate Institute at Swedish Medical Center believes that patients are best served by a multidisciplinary approach. We recognize the anxiety associated with being diagnosed with cancer and simultaneously trying to weigh different treatment options. We believe it is our duty to educate patients in all treatment modalities both surgical and non surgical. Our exclusive affiliation with Swedish Cancer Institute allows us a complete suite of radiotherapeutic modalities to treat prostate cancer including: LDR Brachytherapy ‘Seeds’ , HDR catheter brachytherapy, external beam IMRT with Calypso image guidance (IGRT), and Cyberknife radiotherapy. Our institute has the longest history of treatment of prostate cancer with radioactive seeds.

Our Facilities

The Seattle Prostate Institute is located on First Hill in the Arnold Pavilion 1221 Madison St., First Floor near the Swedish Cancer Institute. Its physicians share their time at both centers of excellence, with access to the best of technologies from each. Ultrasound volume studies for brachytherapy are performed in our clinic office as are laboratory tests such as PSA. Brachytherapy procedures are performed in operating rooms located at the main Swedish Medical Center or in one of many surgery centers in the surrounding greater Seattle metropolitan area.

External beam radiation is delivered at 6 Swedish Cancer Institute locations:

• Swedish Cancer Institute on First Hill
• Swedish Cancer Institute Ballard Radiation Treatment Center
• Swedish Cancer institute Edmonds
• Swedish Cancer Institute at Highline in Burien
• Valley Medical Center in Renton
• Swedish Cancer Institute at Issaquah

For patient convenience, it is often possible to receive treatment close to home at one of our centers.

The Cyberknife is located on the Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill campus, alongside the Swedish Neurosciences Institute. This is the only Cyberknife located in the Seattle area and is staffed solely by radiation oncologists from Swedish Cancer Institute.

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