Steve Shelton, a retired middle school principal who lives in Villa Rica, is living life to his fullest years after having a robotic prostatectomy in December of 2014. The procedure was performed by Dr. Justin Watson at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Robotic prostate cancer surgery has several key advantages over the more traditional approach. It shortens the time spent in a facility following a surgery. It also reduces surgery site blood loss, scarring and pain, and speeds up recovery. This method also has the potential to preserve nerves.
Steve remembered he was in his fourteenth year serving as the principal of Mount Paran Christian School Middle School when his urologist, Dr. Thomas Emerson, broke the news that he had cancer.
“I had to lean up against the wall for a minute,” Steve said. “Dr. Emerson drew out diagrams and presented us with all of our options. My wife, Brenda, and I made the decision right then that I was going to do the robotic surgery. I wanted to be decisive and take action and I wanted the cancer gone.”
Robotic prostate cancer surgery reduces surgery site blood loss, scarring and pain, and speeds up recovery.
“The robot allows us to see the prostate better and spare the nerves, which can preserve sexual function,” said Dr. Watson.
SteveCare
Retired Principal Chooses Robotic Surgery to Treat Prostate Cancer
Published on September 14, 2021
Last updated 10:40 AM September 14, 2021
Prevention is the key to better health. It's very important to see your physician regularly so that we can screen for these abnormalities before they cause symptoms, let alone any type of health threat.
- Dr. Scott Miller
Wellstar Medical Director of Urologic Services & Robotic Surgical Services
Diagnosing prostate cancer
While Wellstar gives patients access to advanced medical technology to treat prostate cancer, early detection is the key to catching the disease in its early stages.Over the course of a few years before his diagnosis, Steve and his doctors had tracked his PSA rising slowly.
“Prevention is the key to better health,” said Dr. Scott Miller, Wellstar’s medical director of urologic services and robotic surgical services. “It's very important to see your physician regularly so that we can screen for these abnormalities before they cause symptoms, let alone any type of health threat.”
Primary care physicians and urologists typically use prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests to screen men for prostate cancer. When prostate cancer is suspected, these same tests can help monitor a man’s health over time. Because interventions for prostate cancer can have side effects, treatment is typically recommended only when it becomes absolutely necessary. Steve’s physicians advocated for waiting until his PSA number reached a certain level.
“It was absolutely reassuring that these doctors were not going to jump right into treatment,” Steve said.
When his PSA numbers reached levels of concern, Dr. Emerson referred Steve to a colleague to perform a biopsy to confirm the suspicion of cancer. Steve remembers Dr. Emerson explaining that Dr. Justin Watson was a scholar in the field and had a high level of training and experience in robotic surgery.
“Justin was so warm and reassuring,” Steve remembered. “I knew God had provided a great doctor and I didn’t have worries.”
The biopsy confirmed that it was cancer and Steve moved forward with a robotic prostatectomy by Dr. Watson.
“The whole atmosphere in that surgical suite was one of caring, concern and competence,” Steve remembered. “It was like I placed my life in the hands of a loving family.”
Life after robotic surgery
After his prostatectomy, Steve returned to finish his last year at Mount Paran, and then retired from his 45-year career in education. He and his wife moved to Villa Rica to a 14-acre horse farm they share with Sophi, a Spotted Saddle Horse, and Jack, an American Quarter Horse.“We love being here,” said Steve, saying he spends a fair amount of time riding on their property’s pasture. “And I don’t take health for granted. I’m grateful for every single day.”
Now available as an outpatient or same-day procedure
Dr. Watson collaborated with Dr. Miller – who performed the first robotic prostatectomy in the state – to make the prostatectomy procedure available to patients as an outpatient procedure. In 2019, Wellstar became the first health system in metro Atlanta to offer outpatient prostatectomies. Since that time, only about 10% of patients who have their surgery performed in the morning choose to stay overnight.Learn more about the benefits of having an outpatient robotic prostatectomy at Wellstar.
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Highlights
Tracking Prostate Cancer in High Definition with PSMA Imaging
Wellstar patients will be among the first in Georgia to benefit from a new, FDA-approved imaging technology that detects the extent of prostate cancer earlier and with greater accuracy than current imaging methods.
This diagnostic agent called PYLARIFY (piflufolastat F 18) is given to patients as an injection. Once it is in the body, it binds to PSMA, or Prostate Specific Membrane Antigens. Prostate cancer cells usually have a higher level of PSMA.
When used with PET scans, this innovative technology gives physicians a clearer image of prostate cancer lesions and enables providers to determine the best course of treatment.
“We have the most sensitive PET scan for prostate cancer available,” said Wellstar Radiation Oncologist Dr. Justin Hart.
Wellstar is among the first in Georgia to routinely offer PSMA PET scans with PYLARIFY.
While standard scans have limited sensitivity for prostate cancer, this advanced imaging is much more capable of identifying prostate cancer, which allows Wellstar doctors to determine if the cancer is limited to the prostate or if it has spread to other parts of the body.
“It allows us to make sure we’re not missing any sites of cancer that aren’t picked up with old-school imaging,” said Wellstar Urologist Dr. Justin Watson. “If there is an area of cancer outside what we’d typically treat and we pick it up with this imaging, we can make sure we address that area, too.”
Providers can then tailor treatment to each patient’s individual needs, collaborating with the patient to find the best course of action and improve outcomes.
“It’s actionable information to make sure patients get the right treatment. It makes all the difference in the world,” Dr. Hart said.
Dr. Hart and Dr. Watson compared the new imaging technology to upgrading a 20 inch tube style TV from 1981 to a 60 inch LCD flat screen TV today.
“This is several leaps forward in our ability to see prostate cancer on a scan in high resolution,” Dr. Watson said. “In the older scans, things are difficult to see and sometimes not even perceptible, and with the new scans, they light right up and we know much better what we’re dealing with.”
This PSMA imaging is currently available at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, with plans to expand to other locations.
Men between the ages of 55 and 69 should discuss prostate cancer screening with their primary care providers, and men who are at higher risk may need to start screening earlier. Your Wellstar physician will get to know your health needs and history, then work with you to decide whether you might benefit from screenings.
If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, talk to your provider about whether PSMA imaging should be part of your care plan. To learn more about prostate cancer treatment at Wellstar, visit our prostate cancer page or call 1 (877) 366-6032.
PeopleCare
DominiqueCare
As a Hall of Fame basketball star, Dominique Wilkins knows what it takes to stay on top of his game. He’s even nicknamed “The Human Highlight Film” for his legendary slam dunks and athletic ability on the court.
Performing at such a high level, he felt invincible. But after receiving a type 2 diabetes diagnosis at age 40, Dominique was caught completely off-guard.
Turns out, even the pros are at risk for chronic conditions.
“When I was diagnosed with diabetes a year after I retired, it was frightening because both my father and grandfather passed away from type 1 diabetes,” he shared. “It quickly changed my life.”
Dominique didn’t let the news stop him from taking charge of his health. He turned his diagnosis into determination.
Dominique has focused on becoming the healthiest version of himself by eating right, exercising regularly and taking medication.
Ever since teaming up with Wellstar, his rebound has been doubly impressive. Here, he’s found expert care and support to help him live a full, healthy life.
Highlights
Fighting Lung Cancer with Wellstar’s Multidisciplinary Experts
From catching cancer to following through with expert care, Wellstar ensures patients never have to fight lung cancer alone.
Wellstar is dedicated to early intervention in lung cancer, which improves outcomes for patients. After detection of an abnormality on a CT scan, patients are immediately surrounded with an interdisciplinary support team devoted to their well-being.
Identifying lung cancer early
If you are at increased risk for developing lung cancer, talk to your provider about screenings. With a low-dose CT scan of the chest, it only takes a few seconds to check in on your lung health. These screenings are offered at most Wellstar imaging centers.
The United States Preventative Services Task Force recently revised lung screening guidelines. Patients may qualify for screening if they are 50 to 80 years old and smoked for 20 years. If they are a former smoker, they may qualify if they quit less than 15 years ago. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services is considering enacting these recommendations.
“Lung screening dramatically improves a person’s chances of detecting a lung cancer at an early stage and being cured of that cancer,” said Wellstar Thoracic Surgeon Dr. William Mayfield, who also serves as Wellstar’s Chief Surgical Officer.
Because finding cancer and starting treatment sooner can be life-saving, Wellstar has invested in the incidental nodule program. When people come into a hospital seeking care for something else — whether that be a health condition like appendicitis or a traumatic event like a motorcycle accident — they might get a scan of the abdomen or chest that also shows portions of the lungs.
Using artificial intelligence, reports of those scans are fed to report coordinators, categorized based on their risk level, and if the patient is higher-risk, forwarded to nurse navigators for review. Nurse navigators consult with physicians about the findings, and Wellstar can then initiate care if cancer is found.
“People that come to the hospital for other problems may also be walking around with a lung cancer they didn’t know about,” Dr. Mayfield said.
The program, which started in fall 2020, has already identified 28 cases of lung cancer.
“Now those people are getting care, and it’s quite likely those cancers would have been missed,” Dr. Mayfield said.
Wellstar is developing another incidental nodule program for the abdominal area, which could lead to the discovery of several cancers including ovarian, kidney, bladder and liver cancers.
The program aligns with Wellstar’s goals of enhancing the health and well-being of everyone we serve.
“It was the right thing to do for the community. If we miss these cancers, it is a broken promise to the patient,” Dr. Mayfield said.
Then, if cancer is found, Wellstar “closes the loop” by initiating treatment and connecting the patient with resources, Dr. Mayfield said.
Expert care and support at every step
From the very beginning, Wellstar’s lung cancer patients are surrounded by a team of experts. Rather than go through the time-consuming process of driving to multiple appointments with different specialists, patients meet with all these providers in one place.
The Wellstar Lung Cancer STAT Clinic gives patients immediate access to specialists in medical oncology, radiation oncology, pulmonary medicine and thoracic surgery.
“No other health system does multidisciplinary care the way Wellstar does,” Dr. Mayfield said.
Getting multiple expert opinions from the start not only gives patients peace of mind, it speeds up treatment, too. In the United States, the average time between an abnormal scan and the beginning of treatment is 95 days, Dr. Mayfield said. The STAT Clinic reduces that time to as little as 14 days. Time-to-treatment affects long-term survival in lung cancer patients, Dr. Mayfield said — a six-week delay can reduce five-year survival by up to 13%, according to research from the Cleveland Clinic.
“Time really does matter in the treatment and diagnosis of lung cancer,” Dr. Mayfield said.
High-tech surgery options
For many patients, surgery is a crucial part of lung cancer treatment. Wellstar offers several minimally-invasive options, reducing recovery time for patients.
Dr. Mayfield said more than 90% of Wellstar’s lung cancer surgeries are performed using either the da Vinci Surgical System or Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery techniques (VATS).
Minimally-invasive surgeries reduce pain, scarring, blood loss and infection, as well as time to recover — getting patients back to work and other routines quicker.
The da Vinci system is equipped with 3D cameras and instruments that can make very intricate, precise movements, allowing for shorter incisions and more accurate surgery. Some patients can leave the hospital as early as the next day.
To prevent lung cancer and keep your lungs healthy, talk to your primary care provider and follow a few tips, such as avoiding smoking and getting your exercise. Learn more about treatments on our cancer care page.