Minimally Invasive Care for an Enlarged Prostate—With Lasting Relief

Picture a big swath of land out in West Georgia. It’s a little wild and a little cultivated, but it’s well cared for thanks to the Rodgers.

“My wife and I are blessed to live on this land,” Greg Rodgers said. “God instructs us to be good stewards of the land and we are dedicated to doing just that. We’re always mowing, planting and tending to fallen trees.”



Much like their acreage, Greg sees his body as something that deserves to be maintained with care. And he’s an advocate that other men do the same. Seeing a doctor regularly and getting screened can help identify conditions earlier so they’re more treatable. Greg learned that from his personal experience with prostate cancer, and the team at Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center who helped him overcome it.

“It’s not so much my story as the story of the professionals at Wellstar—they’re tremendous people,” he said.

The right tests for an accurate diagnosis

Prostate health is not something to ignore. Greg understands this now after a routine PSA test—a simple blood test—came back abnormal in 2020. When PSA levels are checked regularly and rise over time, they can be a sign of prostate cancer.

Because of his elevated PSA, Greg began monitoring his prostate health and eventually, connected with Wellstar Urologist Dr. Richard Jadick in LaGrange. Dr. Jadick performed a UroNav fusion biopsy to investigate his climbing PSA. During the procedure, an MRI helps accurately target the biopsy location. This biopsy has a low false negative rate, meaning the results are more trustworthy than in the past. Greg’s results came back positive for prostate cancer.

Pursuing personalized, expert care

Because every case of prostate cancer is different, there are a range of options for treating it, from active surveillance (monitoring with imaging) to advanced treatments like robotic surgery and targeted radiation therapy that have fewer side effects than traditional treatments. 

Greg and Dr. Jadick discussed several options, but before Greg made any decisions, Dr. Jadick recommended he see Dr. Robert Taylor, a Wellstar radiation oncologist. 

Greg remembers having reservations about radiation therapy. But once he arrived for the appointment, he felt immediately at ease. “Dr. Taylor is a quiet, confident person with a kind smile,” he said. “He was really good at explaining everything, going through studies and the different procedures. He’s so methodical, so good at answering questions and so patient.”

The option they settled on was a high dose of targeted radiation aimed at the prostate during a shorter treatment course (20 days versus 44). A newer technology called SpaceOAR Hydrogel would separate the rectum from the prostate during treatment, preventing unnecessary radiation exposure—and side effects.

“When it comes to choosing the right treatment, everything is a balance between the risk level and a variety of other personal factors,” Dr. Taylor said. “We want to provide treatment that is the least disruptive and most effective.”

To be sure this was the best plan for Greg, Dr. Taylor requested a second opinion from Mayo Clinic. Wellstar experts have a direct connection to Mayo Clinic specialists through its Mayo Clinic Care Network membership. Wellstar physicians and patients can access eConsults—virtual second opinions—at no additional cost to patients.

Some additional imaging was recommended, which validated Dr. Taylor’s treatment plan. Greg moved forward with his cancer treatment with pure confidence.

Robert Frederick was living a typical life, going to work and spending time with his mother, siblings and children. But then it became hard to breathe when walking short distances or climbing stairs. He got dizzy. Perhaps most disturbingly, he passed out several times—once at a Braves baseball game he attended with his siblings.

"I didn't know what was going on!" Robert recalled.

Difficulty controlling AFib with medication

After passing out the first time, he went to urgent care and was then taken to the hospital by ambulance. He learned his symptoms were caused by atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat.

Robert began to see Dr. David Caras, a Wellstar general cardiologist, and learned AFib is related to high blood pressure. Successfully managing high blood pressure often helps people keep AFib under control. Despite their efforts, AFib sent Robert to the emergency room two more times.

Suspicion of HCM

Dr. Caras reviewed Robert’s hospital records and found he had increased wall thickness of the left ventricle and a gradient—a pressure difference between the left ventricle and the aorta when the heart pumps. These findings were consistent with a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Characterized by abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, this disease makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood effectively.

Dr. Caras referred Robert to Dr. Melissa Burroughs, an HCM specialist at Wellstar. As a Center of Excellence designated by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, Wellstar is one of the leading providers of comprehensive HCM care in Metro Atlanta.

"We have physicians in the group—designated HCM specialists—that are the point person of the patient’s care," Dr. Burroughs explained. “This includes close communication and collaboration with electrophysiologists, surgeons, advanced heart failure specialists, social workers and behavioral health professionals.”

A rare finding leads to Mayo Clinic Care Network collaboration

Robert said, “Dr. Burroughs wanted to do genetic testing to verify that I had HCM."

But genetic testing revealed a rare genetic variant—one not known to be associated with HCM. Dr. Burroughs called it a “diagnostic conundrum.” The genetic variant found was typically associated with a different cardiac disease that Robert did not have. However, he did have clear signs of HCM.

To investigate further, Dr. Burroughs collaborated with other HCM experts through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, of which Wellstar is a member. Mayo Clinic, which is also an HCM Center of Excellence, provided access to its unpublished database, finding Robert’s rare mutation was present in two other family groups with HCM.

“It’s very important that we add to the science—that we include our patients in the registry to enhance what is already known about HCM,” Dr. Burroughs said.

Robert added, “Dr. Burroughs is very persistent. She wanted to know, ‘Why are you having these problems? What’s the root cause?’ She went above and beyond to find that out.”