DeWaine Silker

DeWaine Silker has many reasons to stay healthy. Before retiring, Silker worked for 41 years as a teacher and professor of mathematics. Now 74, Silker has four children and 10 grandchildren, wife Norma, a sizeable garden, and a part-time job at a local guesthouse to keep him active. Silker has been a patient at Mayo Clinic for many years, and says he is confident in the expertise of the organization's physicians. So when Silker's doctors mentioned that newly developed technology for robotics surgery might be the best way to treat his prostate cancer and hasten his recovery, Silker felt comfortable accepting their advice.

Doctors at Mayo Clinic in Rochester had been monitoring Silker's PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels for several years. An increase in February 2003 caused his primary physician to order a prostate biopsy for Silker, which revealed prostate cancer. His primary physician referred him to Matthew Gettman, M.D., a urologist and surgeon at Mayo Clinic.

"Dr. Gettman detailed all of the possible treatments," Silker remembers. "I had done my research and knew about the daVinci robotics system to treat prostate cancer that Dr. Gettman mentioned." Silker was not comfortable with some of the other treatments that were available and liked the idea that recovery from robotic surgery might be easier than recovery from traditional surgery. Silker had robotic surgery to remove his prostrate gland in mid-March.

The robotic system that Dr. Gettman used consists of robotic arms, a camera, a three-dimensional image-processing system, and a remote control unit. Robotic surgery requires smaller incisions than traditional surgery techniques. The surgeon uses a sophisticated joystick that directs intricate maneuvers that are carried out by two robotic "hands" holding surgical instruments. During the surgery, the surgeon views the surgical area on a computer screen that shows an enlarged three-dimensional view.

Silker's recovery from the radical prostatectomy went as smoothly as he'd hoped. Recovering in the hospital, "the nurses would regularly ask me how much pain I was experiencing on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most uncomfortable. And each time I would honestly have to tell them, 'Negative two.'" When Silker left the hospital he gave his nurse a big hug. "I had total confidence in the care that I received at Mayo Clinic. The daVinci robotics procedure is fairly new for the treatment of prostate cancer, but I had utmost faith in Dr. Gettman and his team. I would recommend robotic surgery at Mayo Clinic without hesitation to other men who suffer from prostate cancer."

Silker has nothing but praise for the surgical team and the robotic device that helped make his surgery such a success. New treatments and techniques, as well as a greater focus on men's health issues, often mean better outcomes for patients. For Silker, that meant getting out of the hospital quickly and back to his home, his garden, his grandkids, and the life he loves.