Brian Turner (left) learned he had an increased risk of prostate cancer and started regular screening after his father, Steve (right), was diagnosed.
CANCER IN THE FAMILY ROBOTIC SURGERY HELPS A FATHER AND SON BATTLE PROSTATE TUMORS.
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teve Turner of Middlesex is grateful for advice he received about his prostate cancer—not for himself but for his son, Brian. It was late 2011 and Steve, now 81, underwent surgery performed by urologist Dhiren Dave, MD, Director of Robotic Surgery at DHIREN DAVE, MD Healthy Together
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Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset and a member of RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, to remove his cancerous gland. “When I was diagnosed, Dr. Dave indicated to me that I should inform my son because prostate cancer can be hereditary, so Brian should start getting tested,” Steve says. Brian, a now-51-year-old facilities manager who lives in Bound Brook, took
the heads-up seriously. Only in his 40s at the time, he decided to get checked for prostate cancer earlier than many men do. At first, Brian’s prostate cancer screenings, which included a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a physical evaluation called a digital rectal exam (DRE), were normal. But in 2020, Brian’s PSA levels started to rise. Followup X-rays and a CT scan revealed a large, aggressive mass in his prostate.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Brian considered different treatment options. One was to have doctors implant radioactive seeds that would kill cancer cells with minimal damage to healthy tissue. This approach carries less risk of side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction than surgery does, but takes longer. It
Summer 2022
5/26/22 3:05 PM
