NC Man Is Cancer-Free Thanks to Early Prostate Cancer Screening

When Jeff’s wife Victoria initially expressed concerns about his health, he dismissed it. He was in his 50s in 2016, felt good, stayed active, and never smoked or drank alcohol. “I knew if I asked him to go to the doctor, he wouldn’t go, so I came up with a different plan,” said Victoria. She called Duke Primary Care Brier Creek and scheduled an appointment for Jeff with their primary care doctor Anne K Glover, MD.

During his visit, Jeff had bloodwork to check his PSA levels. Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, can be higher in people with prostate cancer. Jeff hadn’t realized it but Dr. Glover was monitoring his levels at every annual exam. This time, they reached a level that suggested he may have prostate cancer. “I wanted to be cautious when I noticed the rise in his PSA levels,” she said. Later, a biopsy confirmed Jeff had prostate cancer.

Jeff’s urologic oncologist recommended prostatectomy surgery to remove part or all of his prostate gland. But Jeff was hesitant. Instead, he opted for “active monitoring” or regular checkups to monitor the cancer’s growth. Because prostate cancer is often slow growing, active monitoring is a common approach. However, Black men are also more likely to have an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Jeff’s team expected his prostate cancer to grow slowly, but through happenstance, quickly learned that it was aggressive.

Two months after he was diagnosed, Jeff lost his job. “Not knowing how long it might take to find a new job and preparing to lose my health insurance, I decided to go ahead with the prostatectomy,” he said. A check of his PSA levels before surgery showed they’d risen from 4.2 a few months earlier to nearly 5.8. Scans also showed that the cancer now covered his entire prostate and would soon spread to other organs if not treated. If Jeff had continued with active monitoring, it might have been too late.

Today Jeff is cancer-free and on a mission to share his story and spread awareness of the importance of early prostate cancer screening and detection, especially among Black men. He serves as co-chair of the Duke Cancer Institute Community Advisory Council where he partners with staff at the Duke Cancer Institute to conduct community outreach and education. 

Jeff is thankful for the care he received at Duke and is especially grateful to Dr. Glover for understanding the importance of preventative screening. “Her thoroughness to catch it early was very critical in me being here today.”