Jack Keller

S. Jack Keller, age 67, had heard the scary stories about prostate cancer from friends, colleagues and family. Too often it seemed, men waited too long to seek treatment, and the cancer spread.

Keller, an attorney in St. Joseph, Mich., wasn't going to let that happen to him.

He kept tabs on his level of prostate specific antigen (PSA), one way to measure risk of prostate cancer. When the PSA level jumped, he took advice from family members and made an appointment for a thorough physical at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Doctors found kidney stones and another red flag. A prostate biopsy done with local anesthesia found abnormal cells, suggesting increased risk of cancer.

Keller returned a year later for follow-up. David Patterson, M.D., a urologist with a special interest in treating cancer, suggested another prostate biopsy — this time done under general anesthesia, allowing for a more thorough search for cancer cells. (Under local anesthesia, doctors typically take 10 to 12 tissue samples. Under general anesthesia, doctors remove and examine more than twice as many.)

For Keller, the thorough approach was well advised. One of 30 biopsy sections showed a low-grade cancer.

Dr. Patterson and Keller immediately discussed his treatment options. Dr. Patterson advised an aggressive treatment approach: a radical prostatectomy to remove the prostate gland. "In Mr. Keller's situation, I thought surgery offered the best long-term chances for a cure," says Dr. Patterson.

Ten days later, Keller had the surgery. Four days after surgery, he headed back to Michigan for rest and recovery.

"I had no complications or problems," says Keller. Most Mayo Clinic patients have similar recoveries without side effects, says Dr. Patterson. About 95 percent of patients have no problems with incontinence, and 60 to 70 percent recover their potency using medications.

One year after surgery, Keller says his successful treatment was "the result of a marvelous doctor and a marvelous program."

Keller says it's frightening to think that under different circumstances, a doctor might have missed the early-stage cancer. "I might still think I was cancer free, when in fact I'd be at risk for complications from more advanced cancer."

Keller's story about prostate cancer has a happy ending. Instead of dealing with cancer, Keller is busy with his law practice and taking photos, traveling and most importantly, spending time with six grandchildren.