Living Life to the Fullest During Prostate Cancer Treatment
November 05, 2024
While undergoing CyberKnife radiation for prostate cancer in August 2024, Graham Mulholland didn’t let the cancer treatment get in the way of his work. As a senior mechanical supervisor for a local utility company, he learned that a storm and a raccoon had independently teamed up to wreak havoc on an electrical transformer, causing a major power outage. He supervised his crew one night after treatment as they repaired the damage.
For Graham, 63, of Belmar, New Jersey, undergoing a stress-free five-day protocol for intermediate risk prostate cancer was absolutely the right thing to do.
Graham’s cancer journey began with his annual physical in April 2024, when routine blood work revealed a rise in his prostate specific antigen (PSA), which can be a marker for prostate cancer when it is elevated. Normal values are typically less than 4, but Graham’s value was 6.3 He was referred to a urologist who performed a biopsy confirming prostate cancer.
Graham was then referred to radiation oncologist Priti S. Patel, M.D., at Riverview Medical Center, who ordered CT scans and an MRI, among other diagnostics, to determine if there was any spread of cancer. Thankfully, there was not.
“We look for spread not just in lymph nodes, but also in organs around the prostate and in bones,” she says.
A ‘Bump in the Road’
For the optimistic Graham, his cancer journey was just another bump in the road, he says. A Navy veteran who worked on submarines for a decade, he knew about and respected cancer since both of his parents died from it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men besides skin cancer, and The American Cancer Society says prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men. This cancer is more likely to develop in older men.
Graham underwent five CyberKnife radiotherapy radiation treatments, “going in at 8 a.m. and back at work by 10 a.m.,” he says. He tolerated the treatment very well, with no side effects until a few days after he completed his last round at Riverview Medical Center. “I was a little bit lethargic for a couple of weeks,” he says.
The treatment is designed to deliver minimal impact on a patient’s life, including on urinary and bowel function, says Dr. Patel. The CyberKnife treatment is nonsurgical and noninvasive, she says.
As part of the CyberKnife treatment, a mold of the patient’s body is made to help keep them in the same position for each treatment. “Cameras in the room ‘lock on’ to the prostate, and they sense if it moves even a little due to, for example, gas in the rectum or urine in the bladder,” she says.
“This means that stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT is delivered accurately, precisely and spares surrounding tissues, while accounting for real-time motion,” says Dr. Patel. “We can deposit the energy more deeply and control that very well. The advances in our field have really minimized the long-term effects.”
Happy to Manage a ‘Curable’ Cancer
Today, Graham is enjoying his full life. He and his wife have traveled internationally to Europe and Egypt. He watches with pride when two of his sons play lacrosse for the Scottish national men’s lacrosse team. One of them is a Level 1 trauma nurse. His third son is an analyst for the banking industry.
Having lost 74 pounds since December 2023, and of that, 26 pounds after his cancer diagnosis, Graham intends to lose more weight. He’s carefully managing his diabetes, and he relishes riding bikes and playing pickleball with his family. A member of the Catholic faith, he’s working to become a deacon in his church and pursuing his master’s degree in theology.
He’s grateful for the care he received from Dr. Patel and her team, and for how well the CyberKnife—affectionately nicknamed “Lucy” by the team—worked for him.
Graham credits his wife of nearly 35 years, Patty, with being his “rock” through his journey, and his voice of reason.
“I most remember Dr. Patel using the word, ‘curable’ when talking about my cancer, especially since I am the same age that my father was when he found out he had cancer,” says Graham. “She and her team did all the right things, explaining so much, in such detail. It made this experience so much easier.”
Next Steps & Resources
- Meet our source: Priti S. Patel, M.D.
- To make an appointment with a doctor near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
- Learn more about cancer care at Hackensack Meridian Health.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
