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| Stu Mohr, Strategic Account Director, Ortho Biotech |
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The Diagnosis
Stu Mohr has always been diligent about visiting his family physician for an annual physical. Although Stu was only 50-years-old at the time and showed no symptoms of prostate cancer, he made the decision on his own to have a prostate screening. As you will read, Stu's proactive approach may have saved his life. Oncology Associates applauds Stu's good judgment and hopes we can all learn from his example. |
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| February of 2002, Stu had a prostate screening which included measuring his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. Stu's PSA was 4.0. A PSA reading of 4.0 or lower is considered acceptable. However, Stu's PSA the previous year was 2.8. This significant increase in a year concerned Stu and prompted him to visit a Urologist at University Hospital in Willoughby, OH who performed a biopsy. The biopsy confirmed that Stu had prostate cancer in April of 2002. |
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Support
Having worked in the pharmaceutical industry for many years, Stu had access to medical textbooks and pharmaceutical company studies on prostate cancer. He used these tools to research his disease and learned all he could about his prognosis. |
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The Treatment
Thanks to early detection, less than five percent of Stu's prostate was affected with the cancer. On August 13, 2002, Stu underwent nerve-sparing retropubic radical prostatectomy surgery. Dr. Eric Klein performed Stu's surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. Dr. Klein performs over 300 similar procedures a year. |
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| A radical retropubic prostatectomy involves a surgical cut in the lower abdomen. The surgeon can then remove the cancer through this skin incision. The entire prostate and attached seminal vesicles are removed, along with a small part of the bladder next to the prostate. If necessary, nearby pelvic lymph nodes are removed as well. |
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| Recent developments in surgery have led to a newer version of this technique called Nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy. Nerve-sparing allows the surgeon to identify the nerves on either side so that they can be left alone, if possible. The benefit to leaving these nerves alone is that some men will have a better chance of achieving erections after surgery. |
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Words of Wisdom
Stu was fortunate enough to catch his prostate cancer at an early stage. He recommends having an annual prostate exam and to be aware of changes in your body. According to Stu, "It is a lot easier to fight cancer when it is found at an early stage. Most importantly, you don't have to be showing symptoms to have prostate cancer, so it is a good idea to have an annual PSA test." |
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About Prostate Cancer
Compared with other types of cancer, prostate cancer is relatively slow growing. In fact, many men with prostate cancer will not die from it but with it. As a man gets older, his risk of developing prostate cancer increases: More than 75 percent of cases are diagnosed in men older than age 65. |
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About Stu Mohr
Stu Mohr is currently Strategic Account Director for Ortho Biotech. He has been in the pharmaceutical industry for 29 years and has been with Ortho Biotech since 1989. Prior to his current position at Ortho Biotech, Stu was a District Manager. Previously, he was a sales representative for McNeil Pharmaceutical. |
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