Carlos’ Story – His Journey with CyberKnife

Although Carlos is nearing 70, he is as active as someone decades younger. He loves to hunt bear in Canada, catch red snapper and shark off the Florida coast, and make frequent trips to his cabin in Kentucky near Red River Gorge.

And he’s happy to report he does not have prostate cancer. But that wasn’t always the case. “Back in 2016 my doctor referred me to The Urology Group because my PSA test was high,” he explains. “At first, they weren’t too worried. My prostate wasn’t enlarged. But when the PSA results continued to come back higher during retests, they told me it was time to look into it further.” Two biopsies later, Carlos’ urologist found a small amount of cancer. And it was spreading. 

That’s when Carlos met Dr. Peter Fried, who explained the various treatment options for prostate cancer. Carlos decided on the CyberKnife. The Urology Group is the only location in a 100-mile radius of Cincinnati that treats prostate cancer with CyberKnife. Despite its name, the treatment involves no cutting. Instead, a robot delivers a targeted dose of radiation to the cancer over numerous visits to The Urology Group’s Norwood facility. One key advantage of CyberKnife is that for most men, treatments can be completed in about five visits, versus traditional radiation, which averages around 40 treatments.

“It’s like a robot that hovers above the table. It moves around and hits the cancer at various angles,” Carlos explains. Each treatment lasted only about five minutes. “There was no pain, no sensation, and no restrictions afterwards. I was even able to drive myself to and from each appointment.” Other than some fatigue, Carlos said he never had any side effects. “The only uncomfortable part was when they made a cast-like form of my hips. I needed to lay in that form for every treatment so my hips wouldn’t move while the CyberKnife delivered the radiation.” A form is created for each patient to prevent movement and ensure the radiation dose is delivered precisely to its target.

Carlos also marvels at the staff who treated him. “The team who does the treatments; they’re phenomenal. They make you feel like family. They know about my dogs. I know about theirs! Some places make you feel like when your ten minutes are up, they want you out of there. But everyone at The Urology Group really cared about me. I have a friend who goes there, and he says the same thing.”

Other than a PSA test every six months, prostate cancer has not interrupted Carlos’ life. “I have two friends who died from prostate cancer. That’s why I’m always telling men to get their PSA checked. It’s just a simple blood test, but it saved my life!”