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- John's prostate cancer experience
How a chance diagnosis - and his wife’s research, meant retired Deputy Head Teacher John’s prostate cancer was fully treated in just 5 radiotherapy sessions
John is 76 years old, lives in East Yorkshire with his wife Anne, and his prostate cancer diagnosis came by chance following a routine appointment.
John explains, “In 2018, as part of a post bowel cancer scan, the clinician noticed my prostate was enlarged and suggested I get it checked. The PSA blood test result came back at 1.8, which is generally considered in the normal range. Not long after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and I didn’t bother getting a follow up test done. When my doctor’s surgery invited me to get my blood pressure checked in 2024, I thought I’d best get everything checked at the same time.”
John continues: “My new PSA blood test result was 5.2, rising to 5.8, then 6.2 with follow ups. Although I wasn’t experiencing any symptoms, given I have a family history of prostate cancer, I wanted to find out what was going on, especially with the speed my PSA was rising.”
John had an MRI scan which indicated there was a problem and a follow up biopsy confirmed he had prostate cancer.
John continues, “Because of previous abdominal surgeries, I was advised against any additional surgeries and was referred to Dr Bottomly, an expert in Brachytherapy, in Leeds. Unfortunately, because my Gleason score was 4.3 it meant I wasn’t suitable for this treatment either and he suggested I have 20 courses of radiotherapy instead.
My wife Anne had been doing a lot of research into prostate cancer treatments, particularly looking into ways to reduce the risk of side effects from radiotherapy. That’s when we came across MR-guided radiotherapy."
"We asked Dr Bottomly if this might be an option and he put us in touch with his colleague, Dr Janjua, who is also based in Leeds. Dr Janjua confirmed what we’d found in our research and although MR-guided radiotherapy is currently only available at GenesisCare in Oxford and London he explained the treatment is accessible to patients from anywhere in the UK, whether they’re privately insured or choosing to self-fund.
For anyone looking at treatment options I’d strongly recommend GenesisCare. This treatment was painless, straight forward and very short!
Dr Janjua explains; “John's prostate cancer was confined to his prostate, making him a good candidate for MR-guided radiotherapy using the advanced technology of the MRIdian MR Linac. With both an enlarged prostate and prostate cancer, he received a combination of hormone therapy and radiotherapy. The hormone therapy helped shrink the prostate and reduce testosterone production, a hormone which fuels cancer growth.
Another reason this treatment option was ideal for John is that the anatomy of his pelvic organs had been altered by previous surgeries, which can potentially increase the risk of radiotherapy related bowel toxicity on a conventional machine. The MR-Linac has both a built in MRI scanner and the unique functionality to automatically stop treatment if the tumour moves out of place by a fraction. This means the radiotherapy dose is delivered directly to the tumour, minimising the risk of further unnecessary damage to John's bowel. This ensured a safer, more effective approach to his prostate cancer care”
John continues; “Despite living far from Oxford, GenesisCare contributed to the cost of our Air B&B accommodation for the 12 days Anne, and I stayed in Oxford for my treatment, which made a huge difference.”
Of his treatment, John explains; “Each treatment session took 40 minutes - 15 minutes to prepare and get everything lined up, and the radiotherapy itself was done in about 20-25 minutes. I wasn’t worried about being in the machine as I’ve had lots of scans over the years. It’s very well-lit and comfortable - you certainly don’t have the sense of being in a dark tunnel. There’s a button you can press if there’s a problem and the treatment will stop, and they’ll come and get you.
The machine is open at both ends so you can see everything around you. I actually fell asleep during my treatment, and they woke me up when it was finished. It was totally painless. If I wanted, I could listen to music of my choice or watch nature scenes on a screen behind me."
In terms of treatment side effects, John told us “I didn’t have any side effects really. There was one evening during treatment when I had a couple of glasses of wine, which you can, but I had a bit of pain when I urinated. I could probably have avoided that if I’d drunk more water.
As part of my care package with GenesisCare, I had access to their complementary Exercise Medicine programme and was looked after by physiotherapist, Chris Clark. He sent me some lightweight circuit exercises to do at home. Having been a rower from the age of 14 and taking up cycling more recently, I like to keep myself in shape. I’ve been doing the exercises Chris gave me, combined with cycling, and it’s helped me enormously, not only to energise me but as Chris explained, it also helps release chemicals which fight cancer.
My treatment finished on 1st November 2024 and today I’m feeling fine."
John concludes, “Since my treatment finished, life has continued as normal. My PSA levels will be monitored regularly, and my last result was 0.02. I feel very fortunate to have been able to access this treatment and it’s great to hear GenesisCare will be opening a new centre in Leeds in 2026, meaning more patients will have access to innovative cancer treatments like MR-guided radiotherapy, closer to home.
For anyone looking at treatment options I’d strongly recommend GenesisCare. This treatment was painless, straight forward and very short! If there’s one piece of advice, I’d give is anyone with a family history of prostate cancer, please get yourself checked. My son is 46 soon and I’ve told him to start pestering his GP now.”