Five treatments, full life: How CyberKnife® helped Pat keep moving

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For most of his adult life, Pat Finan has been on the move—running marathons, 5Ks and relays in his community. But in 2021, at age 56, a prostate cancer diagnosis brought everything to a sudden stop.

After his diagnosis, Pat had a choice of treatment options including surgery and traditional radiation. He had mixed feelings about going the surgical route and decided radiation treatments were the right choice for him.

“However, I wasn’t excited to make 28 trips from his home in Knoxville, Iowa, to Des Moines for treatment,” he said.

That’s when Richard Deming, MD, medical director of the MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center, suggested CyberKnife ® treatment.  The CyberKnife requires fewer treatment sessions, for Pat it ended up being only five, compared to the traditional 28 sessions.

Fewer treatments make all the difference

CyberKnife uses real-time, image‑guided robotics to deliver precise radiation directly to tumors. It’s a highly effective treatment for many localized tumors. There are no incisions or anesthesia, and side effects are minimal. CyberKnife can treat difficult-to-target sections of the body including the brain, spine, prostate, liver, lungs, head, neck and areas that other methods or systems can’t reach.

“The CyberKnife is capable of submillimeter accuracy, which means a lower dose of radiation to nearby healthy tissue, and this means fewer side effects for the patient,” said Dr. Deming.

MercyOne has offered CyberKnife technology to cancer patients since 2005 and is the only hospital in Iowa to offer this treatment. But in 2022, Pat became the very first patient in Iowa to receive CyberKnife treatment for prostate cancer.

Pat spent a long time looking at different treatment options and ultimately felt the team of experts and CyberKnife technology at MercyOne were the best choices. With fewer treatments needed, CyberKnife was also easier to fit into Pat’s schedule.

Pat’s care team at MercyOne was pivotal during the whole process.

“Everyone was just amazing,” he said. “Dr. Deming really made an effort to get to know me as a person. He just exudes warmth and that seems to be part of the culture of the whole MercyOne organization.”

Back to living his best life

Now, several years after completing CyberKnife treatment, the 62-year-old married father of three says his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are the “lowest they’ve ever been.”   And he is back to doing what he loves: running, volunteering and raising money for cancer research.

“I was running in the Knoxville Cancer Relay long before my diagnosis, but now it hits a lot closer to home for me,” Pat said. “My teammates stand behind me, and at the same time, look to me as an example of what we’re all working toward. I’m not just a runner, I’ve benefited from the research – and without the research, we wouldn’t have technology like CyberKnife.”

When it came to cancer treatment, Pat was glad he had the option to choose CyberKnife and get back to living his best life with fewer treatments and side effects.

Learn more about CyberKnife