This cancer treatment eliminates the need for a full prostate removal
After learning he had prostate cancer, Charley Radtke was told the next step would be a full removal of his prostate.
“I did not want to do that. I said, ‘There’s got to be a better way,’” Radtke, an artist and furniture maker in Cedarburg, WI., recalls.
Seeking an alternative, he turned to the team at Aurora Health Care. He connected with Dr. Zachary Kozel, a urologist at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, who determined Radtke was a candidate for a minimally invasive cancer treatment known as focal therapy.
“Focal therapy is an outpatient procedure that targets the cancerous portion of the prostate while preserving the surrounding healthy tissue,” explains Dr. Kozel. “There are no incisions. It’s one of the most rapid routes for patients to get back to what they love to do.”
That’s exactly what happened with Radtke. Just three days after undergoing the procedure, he was back in his studio. He is now two years post treatment, and follow-up testing continues to show no signs of cancer.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome,” he says.
Dr. Kozel echoes those sentiments and urges others to advocate for their health.
“There are so many conditions where early diagnosis and treatment makes a huge impact, particularly in cancer care,” he says. “Screening allows us to detect these cancers earlier when they’re more treatable. That’s why it’s so critical for men to be proactive about their health.”
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health enews contributor, is on the Advocate Health Care communications team. When she is not writing health enews articles, she is busy chasing her two kids, two cats and two dogs. She also enjoys reading, cooking, baking and drinking coffee.
