Dave Rossman/ContributorWhen Jesse Sarabia was diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer, his doctor laid out several options for treatment.
“It’s a barrier, if you will, just like running. It’s just like training for a marathon,” Sarabia said of his recovery. “It’s baby steps.” He was training to run the Chicago Marathon last year when his doctors tested the level of protein-specific antigen, or PSA, in his blood during a physical. The test is used to screen for prostate cancer in men, and Sarabia’s results showed his PSA level were higher than normal.
“I was just thinking while [my doctor] was talking,” Sarabia said. “I thought ‘Well, I still need to walk my daughter down the aisle.’ I needed to figure out how to increase my years of life.” Patients can also receive high-dose brachytherapy, where radiation is delivered through a device that’s removed after about 20 minutes. Farach said he typically prefers to use high-dose brachytherapy because treatment can be completed in a pair of 20-minute sessions, but Sarabia’s insurance covered permanent brachytherapy.