Herb, 82, lives in Little Compton, RI, with his wife Dr. Bente Hoegsberg, who recently retired from her practice in high-risk obstetrics.

During a December 2021 visit with his primary care provider, Herbert underwent a routine PSA test, used to screen men for prostate cancer by measuring the level of PSA in the blood. He had no symptoms or discomfort, but the test found that Herb’s PSA level had risen slightly.

Later, when Herb began experiencing some pelvic discomfort, an ultrasound was performed and found swelling in his seminal vesicles. He was treated for a time with antibiotics, but in March 2023, an MRI showed a mass in his prostate that extended into the seminal vesicles. A biopsy of the prostate confirmed the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

He was sent to the Southcoast Health Cancer Center in Fairhaven for a nuclear medicine bone scan and a PSMA PET, in which radioactive dye is injected to help doctors better diagnose the extent of cancer. The test showed disease in his prostate, as well as in lymph nodes near his aorta, groin and shoulder.

Herb met with Dr. Tushar Kumar, a radiation oncologist who promptly collaborated and coordinated with his treatment team. Dr. Kumar immediately made Herb and his wife feel confident.

He was “thorough and informative,” said Bente. “He is totally up front: tells us what is known and what is not, where to find the information, and what to expect with or without treatment. His recommendations are based on the whole picture including the latest research. Dr. Kumar is a kind and compassionate person.”

Herb’s treatments at the Southcoast Health Cancer Center were overseen by medical oncologist Dr. Edress Othman, who told Herbert that anti-hormone therapy would be the best approach. The anti-hormone treatment consists of monthly injections of degarelix, which suppresses testosterone, a natural male sex hormone. Blocking testosterone with degarelix lowers the spread of prostate cancer. In addition, he takes a daily tablet of abiraterone acetate, which is prescribed for men whose prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Five months later, Dr. Kumar recommended radiation treatment as a large new study from Great Britain showed extended survival rates in advanced prostate cancer patients. He promptly started radiation treatment to target the tumors, including those near Herb’s aorta.

A March 2024 Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan showed that while the cancer had reached his lymph nodes, all the tumors had shrunk, indicating that Herb was responding very well to the prescribed treatments.

“I feel great,” Herb said. “They take my blood every month when I go to my appointments.” His PSA level, which had risen as high as 64 ng/mL “is just a hair over zero.”

“Dr. Othman has been fabulous. Despite how busy he is, he will sit and talk with you. You feel comfortable,” Herb said. “He gives you hope.”

Bente also credits Sara Christian, RN, Nurse Navigator at the Southcoast Health Cancer Center, who helps patients and families with the many challenges they face. “When there are problems, she solves them. To have a person to go to has really been amazing,” she said.

Herb said he feels well, despite occasional hot flashes that accompany the hormone therapy drugs he takes. “I’m a young 82,” he said. “I still mow my own lawn.”

He and his wife are looking forward to visiting with their son and grandchildren in Norway. They also look forward to a winter getaway to an apartment they have in Spain.

“I love life,” he said. And despite the cancer diagnosis, “Nothing’s really changed. My wife and I are enjoying this time.”

Herb is grateful to all the caregivers at the Southcoast Health Cancer Center in Fairhaven and at Charlton Memorial Hospital Radiation Department. “You can’t get better treatment anywhere,” he said. “I can’t say enough about the people there.”

For more information on Southcoast Health Cancer Care (Oncology) services, visit Oncology Cancer Care Southeastern MA | Southcoast Health.