“As a physician speaking to a patient… I have on a number of occasions disclosed to them that I myself had prostate cancer and actually had this procedure and I highly recommend it for the appropriate candidates.”
Dr. David Mantik is a radiation oncologist. For more than 40 years, he’s specialized in the use of radiation therapy to treat patients with prostate cancer.
“I loved working with prostate cancer patients,” Mantik says. “That’s one of the highlights of my professional career; to work with prostate cancer patients and advise them on what to do,” said Mantik.
At the age of 79, Dr. Mantik’s PSA (prostate-specific antigen) score was steadily rising. He visited HALO Diagnostics Chief Medical Officer, Dr. John Feller. “After I saw that my PSA was as high as eight, I knew that I had to do something,” said Mantik.
Dr. Feller performed a prostate MRI which showed some abnormalities. Dr. Feller then performed an MRI-guided prostate biopsy on Dr. Mantik.
“In a few days, I learned that I had prostate cancer. And it was not a garden variety type of prostate cancer,” said Dr. Mantik. “This was a clinically very significant prostate cancer with some risk for spread to lymph nodes, if not elsewhere. I had no symptoms whatsoever, which is fairly typical for a newly diagnosed prostate cancer these days.”
Though familiar with Dr. Feller and his work pioneering laser focal therapy as a prostate cancer treatment, Dr. Mantik still investigated all of his options, pouring over endless peer-reviewed studies on various treatments.
“After I encountered Dr. Feller for my own situation, I met Bernadette Greenwood, who has been a wonderful ally in this whole process as well.” Bernadette Greenwood is the Chief Research Officer for HALO Diagnostics. “Bernadette has published a number of important papers which summarize their laser experience. I was very impressed with the results. They were just astonishing compared to what I had known about via surgery for prostate cancer or via radiation therapy for prostate cancer.”
The most recent peer-reviewed study published by Greenwood and Dr. Feller details interim results of an ongoing phase II laser focal therapy clinical trial documenting the prostate cancer treatment outcomes of 200 men. To date, results show a 100% prostate cancer-specific survival rate after 5 years. As for side effects, participants have so far (now in year 12) demonstrated a less than one percent incurrence of erectile dysfunction (ED), urinary incontinence, and infection. The results are particularly promising when compared to the 50% incurrence rate of ED and 25% of incontinence associated with the standard of care procedure, a radical prostatectomy. I
“Surgery was never an option for me because I had seen so many patients post-operatively,” says Dr. Mantik. “I knew that I didn’t want any of those side effects. So that further convinced me that laser therapy was the way for me to go.”
“I think must have lasted well over an hour, if not an hour and a half. So that was a little long and I was greatly relieved when it was over. It was never very uncomfortable; I would say minimally painful. Compared to a radical prostatectomy, of course, this was essentially nothing. Prostatectomies can last for hours. And if they’re open procedures, that are not done with a robot, there can be serious blood loss as well. And the recovery time is much, much longer.”
“I think after the procedure, I went for a jog, that’s typically what I would do,” says Dr. Mantik. “So that’s how much it affected me. After the procedure, I was totally normal.”
“In terms of side effects, I don’t have any. My urinary function actually improved after I had the procedure, after the first week or so had passed. And I’m really thrilled with that because I thought that my urinary symptoms would get worse as I aged. In fact, they haven’t, they’re really good. I’m very pleased with my quality of life as well, and especially encouraged by my now hopeful long-term prognosis,” says Dr. Mantik.
As for other men facing a prostate cancer diagnosis, Dr. Mantik’s advice is this:
“Don’t just take the advice of the urologist to go into a radical prostatectomy within the next week, which is the advice that’s typically offered. I’m very grateful to Dr. John Feller at HALO Diagnostics, as well as Bernadette Greenwood. They are both wonderful human beings and they’re at the very top of their specialty. And I can only hope that many more patients will have the pleasure of encountering them.”
Did you know that HALO Diagnostics’ laser focal therapy procedure may also be used in the precise, minimally invasive treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)? Get the full breakdown on the HALO Diagnostics MRI-guided therapy and genomic testing ensemble here. To schedule your free prostate cancer or BPH treatment consultation, you may fill out the form below or call 760-469-8057. A member of our staff is more than happy to assist you.
Related: Featured Patient Testimonial: Dr. Terry Higgins | Featured Patient Testimonial: Tom Lowell | Featured Patient Testimonial: Wayne Gregory
I Phase, I. I. “Laser Focal Therapy of Prostate Cancer (LITT or FLA).” NCT02243033. clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/show/NCT02243033. Accessed 14 (2016).
