Amanda Mangan:
Welcome back into the program. I’m your host, Amanda Mangan and you know, we cover a wide variety of topics on the show. And several years ago, I had done a story on Dr. Matthew Allaway who’s a urologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s, Urology Associates in Cumberland, and he created a safer and better biopsy approach called the Precision Point Transperineal Access System for helping to diagnose prostate cancer. And on the line with me is Dr. Jim Kidd, a retired college professor. And thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it. So first off, tell me about how your experience started with this new procedure that was put forth by Dr. Allaway.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
Okay. All right. Be glad to. A little bit of background is that I had been diagnosed well after the fact after his biopsy with sort of advanced prostate cancer. It began a couple of years ago. I had been watching my PSA over the years and then it and I in fact had a transrectal biopsy that didn’t show anything. The doctor said there was no evidence of cancer. That was about three years ago or so. So I went along and then had an appointment with my family doctor and he wanted to check my PSA and it had jumped to 20, which is fairly high. And he said, you know, we need to take another look at this. So in the meantime, I’d been looking at different procedures to check for prostate cancer and the different approaches.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
And primarily the ones that are used, I found out on the east coast are transrectal. And I was not real pleased with that because I realized that there was a tendency to, or at least the possibility of having some kind of infections. When you go through an organ, that’s not the cleanest in the world. You can expect that occasionally there’s going to be some, some difficulties some infection that can take place. And I came across the perineal approach and I’m in Virginia. And so I thought, well, see if I can find a doctor that does that. And I happened to hit on the Dr. Allaway’s website and on his website this described it, of course what his approach would be. And then it said that he had trained doctors in different places. And I could inquire about that.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
So being in Virginia, I looked for doctors in Virginia and found out that he had trained a doctor at the university of Virginia, but they were not up and ready to start that he said the training, in fact, a side issue. I found out that this year they have instituted his approach, I think, in their biopsies of the prostate, but at that time that wasn’t available. And so I called him and he said that at that time he said, I don’t think they started yet. He said, but if you want to come up here, he said, I had a cancellation. I may have called on a Friday and he said on Monday, he had a cancellation and he said, I would be pleased to do it. And I jumped at that.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
And so my wife and I drove up to Cumberland and he looked at the information that came from UVA besides the fact that I’d had earlier biopsy that didn’t show anything. And then before I had contacted him, I also had an MRI and the MRI didn’t show anything, , there was no cancer that was obvious or was to be seen on the MRI. So that gave me some hope. And I went to see Dr. Allaway and he said, well, I’m looking at your information here that they sent me. He said, I don’t know that I think you have cancer or not that we’re gonna take a look. And so I went through the procedure, which is very benign. And as far as I was concerned, I was I usually, when I’m having those procedures, I say, at least put me under with twilight’s sleep or whatever they call that drug.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
Anyway, he went through that and then he said, I’ll let you know, in a couple of days. So in a few days, he called, he said, well, I’ve got bad news and good news. The bad news is that we did find it. And the good news is, at least now we can start looking at treatment to give you a little understanding of why he was able to find that, most transrectal and the MRI was not able to get to a place where this cancer was. It was deep and high around the back of the prostate gland, and it was hidden by the pubic bone. And so the MRI didn’t see it. And the typical transrectal biopsy, the needle and the way they do it is not able to very easily get to that site.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
And with his Precision Point procedure I was totally amazed and pleased that he actually did find it. Cause you know, I would have gone on without that, with this or the idea that maybe it’s just an infection or something like that. But I had as of Friday, this week, I completed my 28 days of radiation and now we’ll wait for a couple months to see if the PSA goes down to where it’s supposed to be and there’s no increase in PSA over time. So I’m, you know, positive about what’s going on right now. You know, it was I guess you might say a life changer to have him find that when the other approaches, if I’d had another transrectal, I don’t think they would have found it either. So that’s kind of a background to where I am.
Amanda Mangan:
And so realistically this is such a critical procedure.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
Absolutely. And I might say with that, there is no one that I know of. I play a lot of golf with a lot of guys who are older and I’ve decided that if I ever hear, if any of them they’re going for a biopsy, I will encourage them to go with this approach no matter where they have to go to get it, don’t do any more transrectal biopsies, make sure that they are able to go completely into the place where cancers often the most aggressive cause it’s hard to get to. Yeah, you’re right. It’s extremely important that it’s done correctly.
Amanda Mangan:
And it’s important to be your own advocate sometimes too. Right?
Dr. Jim Kidd:
Absolutely. I’ve read everything I could get my hands on about these approaches and also about, you know, what are you looking to do if you find cancer read everything you can about your options and at least be informed about what the possibilities are. All of them have their pros and cons and you just have to make a choice to see what’s there.
Amanda Mangan:
What was it like working with Dr. Allaway?
Dr. Jim Kidd:
It was a pleasure. I feel like I almost have a friend now. I’ve kept him abreast of what’s happening with me. And he has encouraged me to keep letting him know how things are going. And I’m amazed. I know he’s a busy man. He’s going all over the world and all over the states teaching people about his approach, but he’s just a fantastic person who would take time to just know and understand what’s going on with these patients. So, yeah, he’s a hero in my mind.
Amanda Mangan:
How are you feeling now?
Dr. Jim Kidd:
I feel great. I’m also on a drug that reduces testosterone, which is what a cancer feeds on. So you have to first address that to make sure you’re not feeding it with testosterone. But the only side effects might be a little bit of fatigue or that kind of thing, but it’s something I can work on. I can get around, I play golf six days a week. And so nothing’s really created a major problem for me.
Amanda Mangan:
Anything else about your experience that you really think folks need to know about?
Dr. Jim Kidd:
What I think, well, as I said, my feeling is that I would be an advocate for anyone I know that that needs to have a biopsy, or needs to look at that to make sure you have the one that’s most efficient in finding cancer. As I said, overstatement, but typical transrectal is probably not the way to go. I think it’s old school and it is, I think with time it will not even be used. And that I look for that to happen just in a few years.
Amanda Mangan:
And to know that Dr. Allaway is, is working in this procedure here locally. It’s just really incredible.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
Yeah. And to know all the work that he’s doing across the country and, and in cancer clinics, I think it’s speaking with him about two weeks ago that he is, I think in the majority of the cancer clinics who are doing biopsies and as he told me, he says, UVA has started up their procedure with the perineal approaches. There’s no reason not to. I mean, if you look at the statistics of infection that comes from the older approach, why would you go that way? There’s no logic to that at all.
Amanda Mangan:
And the whole purpose is to make things as simple and easy as possible, realistically.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
Yeah. And he’s, he’s got a device that limits, I think the number of what do you call it? I’m trying to think what the word has got, but when they take bits and pieces out of the prostate to look at it you know, you can take quite a few and still not find it, but his approach allows you to take, I think, fewer pieces of tissue out of the prostate and and be more extensive and going into areas where it’s not very often examined. And that is an area apparently which can contain some pretty aggressive cancer.
Amanda Mangan:
Anything else that you want to get out there for folks?
Dr. Jim Kidd:
No, I’d say that’s it. I think you mentioned it, you know, read everything you can about not only the biopsy, but also your options in terms of the pros and cons and there’s pros and cons on all of them. But I would assume that most doctors would do that if you sit down with them. But it’s pretty extensive understanding. I tend to think that doctors and it’s, it’s not a negative, but they have their own particular view. And depending which doctor you go, you’ll hear, you know, maybe one approach or the other. But I think if you read the literature and you’re interested in that, you want to know what all your options are.
Amanda Mangan:
Definitely. Definitely. Well, thank you for sharing your experience. I truly appreciate your time.
Dr. Jim Kidd:
Well, no problem. I’m glad to get the word out
Amanda Mangan:
Again. That is retired college professor Dr. Jim kid, who is a patient of Dr. Matthew Alloway, a urologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s, Urology Associates in Cumberland.
