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Orthopedic surgeon Bert Feingold, MD dedicated his entire career to helping his patients. Before retiring from his Scottsdale-based private practice in 2008, he spent 33 years getting them back on their feet and back to their lives.
Luckily, through the many years of fixing broken bones and replacing hips and knees, Dr. Feingold did not lose sight of his own health. As a medical professional, he was always aware of the importance of keeping himself healthy through his annual physicals. “As physicians, we often focus so much on the health of our patients that we sometimes can forget to take our own advice and keep up with our own health!” Dr. Feingold said.
Due to a family history of prostate cancer, this wasn’t the case for Dr. Feingold. “For me personally, the experience I had with my father’s prostate cancer and his recurrences kept me diligent about getting my annual screenings.”
After years of having his PSA levels checked as part of his annual physicals, in 2003 Dr. Feingold’s level had increased. He had a prostate biopsy performed, which turned out to be negative. Luckily, he did not allow this good news to lessen his caution. “The thing about prostate cancer is that you have to always be looking for it. You can’t just get tested once and think you’re in the clear. You have to do the PSA test and physical exam every year, and constantly be on the lookout.”
It was this mindset and diligence that most likely saved his life. Four years later, his PSA levels rose again. Another biopsy was performed, this time with different results. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He knew immediately how he wanted to treat his cancer. “I knew I did not want to have recurrences of the cancer like my father had. I wanted it completely removed, and with the new technology available today, I knew that surgical treatment was the best option for me.”
After having performed thousands of surgeries himself at Scottsdale Healthcare, it was now his turn. Urologist Gil Brito, MD performed a radical prostatectomy using the minimally invasive da Vinci surgical robot. The surgery went perfectly, and Dr. Feingold recovered in no time.
“Even though my experience was uncomplicated, I do want to emphasize that there are many different treatment options for prostate cancer,” he added. “Surgery might be the best choice for one person, but not for another. It’s just like I used to tell my patients before surgery - there are risk factors involved with any treatment or procedure, and it’s really a decision that needs to be made by the patient and the physician. I guess that’s just the doctor in me!”