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Seventy-three-year-old Hugh Faulkner of Medford has been living with prostate cancer for the past 14 years. Despite setbacks, a tailored hormone therapy received at Lawrence Memorial Hospital's hematology/oncology department has given Faulkner a new lease on life and the chance to live well for years to come.
Faulkner's cancer first was diagnosed after a blood test showed his PSA (prostate specific antigen) level was elevated. The PSA test measures a protein produced by prostate tissue. In most cases, the higher the number, the greater the risk of cancer. A PSA reading higher than four often is a "red flag" requiring further testing. His PSA number was more than 50!
Further testing revealed significant disease. Faulkner elected to have surgery to remove the prostate gland, and all was well until his PSA level began to rise again within a few years of the surgery. When regular injections of a hormonal treatment that usually blocks the production of testosterone, keeping the cancer in check, failed, he was referred to Douglas Taylor, MD, chief of hematology/oncology at Lawrence Memorial Hosptial.
"A man diagnosed with prostate cancer has a number of treatment options depending upon the stage of the disease, age, and general health," said Dr. Taylor. Options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone treatments, and even "watchful waiting." Hormone treatment is often the treatment of choice when prostate cancer has spread outside the prostate. It's used to inhibit the body's production of testosterone and thereby keep the cancer from growing. Although it does not cure the disease, it slows its progression, increasing survival and maximizing quality of life.
"Clearly, the right hormone therapy was the appropriate treatment option for Mr. Faulkner. Our goal was to put a 'straight jacket' on his cancer," Dr. Taylor said. After trying several different hormonal regimens, Faulkner is now taking a trio of treatments. A hormone "cocktail" so far has kept the cancer in abeyance.
"I've been taking this regimen for more than six months and it's brought my PSA level down from 600 to 106," said Faulkner, who works in the quality control department of New England Coffee in Malden. "I'm tested every four weeks and the numbers keep coming down. I feel well."
"We've found a second-line hormone therapy that works for Mr. Faulkner. We've found a treatment to contain the cancer, enabling him to feel well and function for a long time," Dr. Taylor said.
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