Second to none: VA prostate cancer care

Most people would probably forgive Thomas Carlson for a little pessimism. The Marine Corps Veteran who deployed to Vietnam is now facing the burden of stage IV prostate cancer.

But Carlson is anything but negative. Having being exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, his prostate cancer was presumed to be the result of toxic exposures during his deployment, making him eligible for VA’s comprehensive prostate cancer care program.

According to Carlson, VA’s oncology team is “second to none.”

State of the art care

Carlson lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but his Durham, North Carolina-based oncologist, Dr. Michael Kelley, executive director of VA’s National Oncology Program, is able to treat his cancer as if they were in the same room together, thanks to VA National TeleOncology (NTO).

“They’ll do anything for you. Doctor Kelley is located in North Carolina. He’s great. I consider him a friend because he takes care. My coming to VA was an answer to my prayer,” Carlson shared.

NTO helps VA provide cancer care virtually, connecting patient and provider across great distances to deliver cancer screenings, diagnostics and treatments for Veterans via telemedicine.

Precision oncology approaches

In addition to leading the way in TeleOncology, “VA is a leader in prostate cancer care,” said Dr. Isla Garraway, a urologist and prostate cancer researcher at Greater Los Angeles VA. “We offer surgical treatments, including robotic surgery. We offer the most state-of-the-art radiation therapy. For men who have advanced prostate cancer, we offer precision oncology approaches where we can test the tumor for specific genetic alterations that might have a drug that is able to target that tumor very precisely.”

Veterans like Carlson (pictured above) have a more positive outlook for their cancer diagnosis and can “live for many, many years,” said Kelley. “I would encourage Veterans that have had military exposures to discuss them with their provider.”

Carlson’s journey with prostate cancer care at VA has led him to exhibit what many might see as an unexpectedly positive outlook. “They do the best they can to take care of me. I’m not afraid of my cancer,” he added.

Addressing Veterans’ prostate cancer system-wide

Every year, approximately 15,000 Veterans are diagnosed and treated at VA for prostate cancer and over 200,000 Veterans are prostate cancer survivors. In alignment with the Cancer Moonshot, VA is dedicated to addressing this cancer through evidence-based screening and providing the most advanced and effective prostate cancer care possible.

Learn more about prostate cancer.

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