First Patient From Indonesia to Receive ProstRcision® Now Cured
Posted on July 22, 2010
ATLANTA (July 21, 2010) – According to the Office of Minority Health, Asian/Pacific Islander men are 40 percent less likely to have prostate cancer than white men. However, prostate cancer remains the fourth leading cause of cancer death according to the Centers for Disease Control. Since this is less prevalent among men of Asian descent, it is not surprising to learn that most Southeastern Asian countries may not offer the latest in treatment options. Aloi Imran Hioe, Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia’s first patient from Indonesia, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998. Aloi, then 64, went for a routine doctor’s visit to his family physician, but limited by options available in Indonesia, endured a family struggle, a search for a cure and a transcontinental trip to Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia, a division of Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia.
Aloi and his wife Amardina (Dina) Ji were shopkeepers from Malang, the second largest city of the East Java province in Indonesia with a population of approximately 780,000. They lived modestly, selling carpets and upholstery from local factories to their friends and neighbors. They went about their days happily, until one fateful day in 1998 when Aloi’s doctor found irregularities in his urine. Unable to get the proper screens and tests, Aloi was urged to fly to Jakarta to get a PSA (prostate specific antigen) screen. Again limited by the availability of technology and skill in Jakarta, he was then sent to Singapore for a biopsy. Anxious and concerned, Aloi and Dina waited to hear the results of his tests. With a PSA score of 18 and positive results from his biopsy, the couple was given a devastating diagnosis. Aloi had prostate cancer.
“The doctor in Singapore said we needed to have a big operation to remove the cancer,” explained Dina. “But not only was it a big operation, it would be a big risk and my husband was afraid. This was a very dark and nervous time for our family.”
They spent the next year and a half discussing at length with all their family and friends what would be the best option for Aloi. He did not want surgery, but the family knew little of other treatment options. Fortunately for Dina and Aloi, their daughter-in-law found Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia online. She read about ProstRcision®, seed implant followed by external beam radiation, and felt this could be the answer for which they had all been hoping.
“We didn’t know anything about seed implantation because this type of treatment was not available in Indonesia. It was never suggested or even considered,” said Dina. “We discussed the possibility for a very long time, because it would require us to travel to Georgia in the United States – very far from our home. We would be in a foreign country with a different language and everything would be very strange for us.”
To continue their research, Dina and Aloi called Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia and spoke with one of their radiation oncologists. He explained the details of ProstRcision®, the treatment plan and how they would need to finance their care since insurance was not an option.
Financing treatment was only one obstacle among many which Dina and Aloi faced while deciding their future. After much thought, concern and discussion, two years following his diagnosis, Dina and Aloi decided to embark from Malang, East Java, Indonesia to Decatur, Ga. in 2000.
Aloi and Dina came for three months with their son-in-law, who flew from Oklahoma to translate, and stayed at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge. Aloi received ProstRcision®, the unique seed implantation procedure which is only available at Radiotherapy Centers Of Georgia, rested for three weeks and then underwent 7 weeks of external radiation.
“The people [at Radiotherapy Centers Of Georgia] were very kind, helpful and friendly,” said Dina. “Our days were filled with activities so we wouldn’t feel lonely or afraid. It felt more like a holiday because there was always something to do, and we made so many friends!”
“They took us to the Coca Cola museum, to baseball games and helped us relieve the stress and anxiety from all the treatment. At home we do not have anything like that, because in our home country when you go to the cancer clinic – it is constantly chemotherapy and stress.”
After returning to Indonesia, Aloi continued to fill out his questionnaire every six months as instructed and received regular PSA screens. Now, 10 years later, Aloi’s PSA score is .05 ng/ml, which is less than the Radiotherapy Centers Of Georgia definition of cure of <0.2 ng/ml. Aloi is considered cancer free.
The couple currently lives in Jakarta with their son, and often tells others about their experience with ProstRcision® and Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia.
“It is a pity our friends are afraid to come to the United States. The heartbeat here is very different from the western world–they fear the language and are also afraid of traveling so far away from home,” explained Dina. “But we continue to tell them about the new technology available at Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia. We give all the papers we receive from Radiotherapy Centers Of Georgia to our doctors and our friends. And we tell them this is the best way to find a cure for prostate cancer: there is no knife, no risk and no painful surgery. However, most importantly, we tell them going to Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia and receiving ProstRcision® cured my husband–he is now free from cancer.”
Aloi was the first patient to travel from Indonesia to receive ProstRcision® at Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia. He is one among many patients and alumni who have traveled from all over the world to receive treatment from Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia. For more information on Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia and ProstRcision® please visit rccancercenters.com.
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About Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia
Each year thousands of patients from around the world and across the United States turn to Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia seeking a cure for their prostate cancer and learn why they are The Choice for Saving Lives. Founded in 1984, Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia, a division of Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia, has earned a reputation for being one of the country’s top cancer treatment and research facilities because of its commitment to quality, use of the latest radiation technology and focus on research that enables it to treat men and women with different types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, colon, lymphatic and others. Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia has treated more than 12,500 men for prostate cancer and has compiled its observations of these men, both before and after treatment, into one of the largest computerized databases on prostate cancer in the United States. For more information, visit rccancercenters.com.