Why Florida?

Several friends and family members have asked interesting questions about why we came to Florida for treatment. We don’t mind the questions at all and this post may answer some things that you wanted to know, but didn’t want to ask.

Why did D go to Florida for treatment?

D was diagnosed with prostate cancer back in March. There are 3 main factors when concerning prostate cancer treatment – what is the cure rate, will I be incontinent after the treatment, and will I be impotent after the treatment. Many clinics do not even have cure / treatment data because patients receive the treatment (surgery, radiation, etc.) and never return for follow-up.D’s doctor in Seneca talked to us about all types of treatment options. There is no “perfect” treatment plan. All treatments have pros and cons. Many men choose surgery and never have another problem. Surgery (traditional or robotic) is probably the most popular option. It is quick and recovery time is minimal.

One of the characteristics about prostate cancer is that it is “sneaky”. The cancer likes to get outside of the gland and into the lymphatic system and then to the bones or other body organs. A data table was developed by doctors at Johns Hopkins that looks at a man’s PSA and his Gleason score and then calculates the likelihood of cancer being outside the prostate gland. D’s combined score showed a 60% chance of the cancer being outside the gland.

Prostate cancer tends to have microscopic “fingers” that grow around the gland. These “fingers” cannot be seen. If a man has surgery and has the prostate gland removed, the surgeon may unknowingly leave behind the “fingers”. Of course, biopsies are done on the gland, so the surgeon has results showing if cancer was outside or not. Unfortunately, if it’s after the surgery and the cancer is outside ~ oops! There are sometimes issues with incontinence and/or impotence.

I’m sure that many men have great success with surgery and would recommend it. D weighed the pros and cons and decided that surgery would not be a good option for him. He had looked online and found a clinic near Atlanta that does a similar treatment to the place here in Florida. The doctor in Seneca didn’t have great things to say about the clinic in Atlanta, but told him about the Dattoli Cancer Clinic in Sarasota. We went online and liked what we saw. After a phone call to the clinic, one of the doctors called us back and talked to both of us on speaker phone for about an hour. We liked everything that we heard and D made an appointment to come down for a consultation and to begin treatment.

Why is the treatment taking so long?

Each patient is assessed and a personalized plan of treatment is developed. The clinic has a dosimetry team that uses 4D ultrasound technology, x-rays, etc. to develop a radiation treatment plan. The linear accelerator (radiation machine) is programmed using a computer and the radiation is directed to provide maximum cancer killing ability with minimum side effects. That is definitely in layman’s terms and the Dattoli website explains it much more scientifically. If you are interested in finding out more, Google search Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT).

D’s treatment plan was for 28 radiation treatments – 5 days per week for 5 ½ weeks. The first week we were here was for pre-radiation testing.

After the radiation treatment is completed, D will take a break. The break can be no less than 10 days and no more than 90 days. Since we are so far away from home, D decided to take a 10 day break and then go into the hospital for an outpatient procedure. If you are familiar with medical insurance, it is customary to consider 23 hours or less as outpatient. D is scheduled to go to the hospital early morning on 9/23 for the seeding procedure. He will be in the hospital all day and over night. Sarasota Memorial Hospital has a separate wing for Dattoli patients. His room will even have a bed for me. We will check out early morning on 9/24 and go straight to the Dattoli Clinic to make sure that all seeds are in place and that everything is OK - all in time to meet the medical insurance guidelines for outpatient surgery.

How “far along” is the cancer?

D’s PSA was 5.1 and his Gleason score was 6. He had a full body scan / x-ray before we came to Sarasota and everything was clear. We are praising the Lord for that good report. As I mentioned earlier, according to the table from Johns Hopkins, the statistical data says that he has a 60% chance of the cancer being outside the prostate gland. The radiation that he is currently taking is targeting the outside area now. When D goes to the clinic on 9/24 after his seeding procedure, he will find out more about whether follow-up “boost” radiation will be required. Most patients do need 5 – 10 more days of “boost” radiation. D is scheduled to be back in Sarasota on 12/28 for his follow-up appointment. The seeds have a radioactive life of 3 months, so 12/28 will be very close to the 90 day timeframe that is required. We are in the process of securing a condo so that we can stay the extra days for “boost” treatment, if needed. If you are interested in more info, Google search brachytherapy.

Is D’s cancer worse than others because he went so far from home for treatment?

All cancer is bad, no matter what kind. I would not say that his is “worse” than a person who selects surgery or some other type of treatment, but he has some underlying medical issues that impacted his decision to select this type of treatment.

Is D going to the Cancer Centers of America?

No. This is an independent clinic. It is not associated with Cancer Centers of America.

Does D go to the hospital every day?

No. The clinic has a radiology wing that is equipped with cutting-edge equipment.

Did your insurance cover the treatment?

The clinic is not in our “in-network”, but is covered at 60/40. They pay 60%, we pay 40%. When our maximum out of pocket has been met for the year, the insurance will pay at 100%.

Did your insurance pay for your condo rental?

No. We are blessed. God has provided abundantly for us. We try our best to follow sound Biblical financial principals (after many hard lessons trying to do things our way). If you are interested in details, check out http://www.daveramsey.com/

Did D lose his hair?

No. D is taking radiation therapy, not chemotherapy. No hair loss side effects.

Can D be around children?

Right after the seeding, D can be around children, but should not hold a small child on his lap for long periods of time. No problem there – our little E is a wiggle worm!

Are you glad that D selected this clinic?

We could not be happier with D’s decision. The treatment has not been a piece of cake, D has been tired and has faced some challenging days with the medication. Since we arrived in Sarasota, we have met many men at the clinic who were considered “hopeless” cases. We met a man (around 50 years old) who had a PSA of 3400. When I made the comment that I had never heard of a PSA of 3400, he said that his doctor said the same thing. This gentleman has completed radiation and seeding and was back for his 3 month follow-up. He is well on his way of being totally cured. We have met men who had surgery and then were faced with prostate cancer again. No prostate, but cancer had returned. They are at the clinic seeking a cure. For men with D’s PSA and Gleason, the cure rate is 95%, statistically speaking (also, the same % rate with the other items that I mentioned earlier).

I’m not a name-dropper, but this is the clinic that doctors come to when they are diagnosed with prostate cancer. Google search Dr. Charles “Snuffy” Myers – he is a well-known prostate cancer oncologist. He came to Dattoli Cancer Clinic for treatment and is cured. We were told that former President George W. Bush’s personal attorney came here for treatment. Sorry, I don’t know his name, but I do know that there’s a photo of the former President and Laura on the wall of the inner office. The upstairs conference room has a big wall that is covered with autographs of cured patients. The clinic has treated over 5500 men and has treatment data available to verify treatment results. We are believing that D will get the same favorable cure rate results.

If you are a man (or if you have a man) who is 50 years old or older - PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get a PSA test on an annual basis. D has been getting one every year since he turned 50 and this year was the first time that a problem showed up.