Brian Farrell and his primary care physician had been tracking his PSA (prostate-specific antigen, a protein that is used to screen for prostate cancer) level for several years as it slowly increased. When his PSA blood test result reached four, the cutoff for a normal result, his doctor recommended he follow up with a urologist for more in-depth testing.
After an MRI and biopsy, the urologist told Brian he did in fact have prostate cancer. Brian immediately began intensively researching the disease, treatment options, and physicians who treat this cancer. His research led him to Jonathan Lischalk, MD, clinical director of Radiosurgery and specialty service director of the Genitourinary Cancer Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
“I talked with my urologist and another radiation oncologist, but after my wife and I met with Dr. Lischalk and his nurse practitioner Shannon Verleysen, I knew that these were the people I wanted treating me, even though we live an hour from MedStar Georgetown,” says Brian. “We had a detailed conversation where they explained everything in a way that I could understand and they took the time to answer all our questions. He and Shannon were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and kind, which made me very confident.”
When he was researching treatments, Brian learned about CyberKnife®, a type of radiation therapy that requires only five treatments versus the 40 treatments needed with other types of radiation. CyberKnife is a painless, non-invasive, highly accurate form of radiation therapy that targets prostate cancer with high radiation doses while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. CyberKnife also minimizes side effects and requires virtually no recovery time.
“Brian had intermediate prostate cancer, which is very curable, and CyberKnife was an excellent option for him,” explains Dr. Lischalk. “We were able to get him in to start his treatment quickly and he received five treatments over two weeks. He did very well, with only mild urinary side effects, which are expected and resolved with medication.”
Brian was impressed by how accessible and responsive Dr. Lischalk and his team were. “With many doctors, you need to make an appointment to get in touch with them. It’s a challenge to get their input. But I had the absolute opposite experience with Dr. Lischalk,” says Brian. “When I was at MedStar Georgetown for my third treatment, he was walking down the hall and stopped to check in with me. I told him I was experiencing pain and some problems with urination, and he immediately called in a prescription so I could start feeling better.”
At his most recent follow up appointment, Brian’s PSA level was much lower, as expected, which means there is no remaining evidence of the cancer.
“During treatment, since it’s neither invasive nor painful, life went on as usual. I drove myself to the appointments. We even had family and friends come visit to celebrate Thanksgiving two days after my third treatment. Now, I’m healthy and feeling great,” adds Brian. “It was worth traveling an hour each way to MedStar Georgetown. The whole experience was positive. Every person I met at the hospital was extremely kind, polite, and helpful, from the receptionists and garage attendants to the medical staff. Gerrard, the individual who helped me during my radiation appointments, was exceptionally kind and gracious.”
When one of Brian’s friends was also recently diagnosed with the same stage of prostate cancer, he had only one piece of advice. “I told him he should see Dr. Lischalk at MedStar Georgetown. He’s the absolute best,” Brian says.
To make an appointment, contact Grecia Bolanos, patient services coordinator, at grecia.l.bolanos@medstar.net or 202-444-4255.