In February 2009, 76-year-old LaFarr Stuart cut his leg on a rusty pipe while spending his winter in Arizona. He visited the nearest medical center to get a tetanus shot where the nurse took a blood sample as standard protocol. The doctor at the medical center told LaFarr, who had not been to a physician in over six years, that his blood sample revealed an elevated PSA level of 40.6. The doctor recommended LaFarr undergo a biopsy to determine if he had prostate cancer. After a biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, LaFarr returned home to San Jose, California. He researched local treatment centers and made an appointment with Dr. Steve Kurtzman, a radiation oncologist at the Northern California Prostate Cancer Center in Campbell. “I wanted to find the least invasive treatment with the fewest side effects,” said LaFarr. Dr. Kurtzman suggested external beam radiation therapy accompanied by the Calypso System. After reading up on the Calypso System, LaFarr learned that its ‘GPS for the Body’ technology allowed clinicians to precisely monitor the exact location of the tumor, in real-time, during external beam radiation therapy. As a result, radiation would be delivered more accurately. After a few visits with Dr. Kurtzman, LaFarr was convinced that radiation therapy in conjunction with the Calypso System was the best option to reduce the risk of side effects such as bladder irritation and incontinence. LaFarr began his six-week treatment in September 2010 and although there were initially some minor side effects, “by my fifth session they went away, though occasionally I became fatigued after treatments,” he said. A website developer by trade, LaFarr chronicled his treatment experience online, sharing his story though personal narratives and photos. Through his website - http://www.zyvra.org/health/index.htm - LaFarr received a few inquiries from men seeking more information about his treatment. By November 2010 LaFarr completed treatment and his PSA level is now at a healthy 0.15. “When I found out my PSA level was normal I felt extremely lucky to have this treatment available to me,” he said “and was thrilled to walk away without lasting side effects!”
“I wanted to find the least invasive treatment with the fewest side effects,” said LaFarr.
Dr. Kurtzman suggested external beam radiation therapy accompanied by the Calypso System.
