Pivoting Prostate Cancer Treatment: From Radical Prostatectomy to Brachytherapy

Wayne Floyd, a 73-year-old retiree from Snellville, knows all about wrestling cancer. In 2008, approximately two feet of his colon was removed due to precancerous polyps. In 2017, he was treated for throat cancer. In between the two, Floyd faced prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in American men.

After a 2010 medical exam, Floyd was told he had high prostate specific antigen (PSA) test numbers. Georgia Urology's Dr. Ronald Anglade began monitoring Floyd's PSA. He performed a biopsy and diagnosed Floyd with prostate cancer, and he eventually recommended Floyd take action with a radical prostatectomy.

However, things didn't go as planned. In the midst of the surgery, Floyd began hemorrhaging. Dr. Anglade was concerned his patient could bleed to death, and the decision was made to immediately stop the operation.

Yet all hope was not lost. Soon after, Floyd and Dr. Anglade discussed a second option, and they chose brachytherapy. This is an outpatient procedure, performed while the patient is under anesthesia, in which tiny, radioactive seeds are placed inside the prostate gland to attack the cancer.

"The great thing about brachytherapy is the cancer receives most of the radiation," explains Dr. Anglade. "The healthy tissue adjacent to the cancer only receives a minimal dose."

When it came time to implant the seeds, Floyd says he was in and out of the hospital the same morning. A series of 30 radiation treatments followed. According to Floyd, each treatment took approximately 12 minutes, and he received them five days a week for six weeks.

"The radiation was a breeze," he says. "I would recommend it to anyone in the same situation."

Although brachytherapy was Floyd's second treatment choice, he says he was extremely pleased with how the situation panned out. Brachytherapy has less side effects than a radical prostatectomy. Floyd has experienced no incontinence after treatment, and other side effects have been remedied with medication. Additionally, the treatment proved to be less than one-tenth of the cost of a prostatectomy.

Today Floyd's PSA is undetectable, and he remains cancer free across the board.

"One of my doctors told me I was the only guy he knows who's had three different types of cancer," Floyd says. "He also said I'm the only guy he knows who's going to survive three different types of cancer. I told him, 'I like your attitude.'"