Mark Osborne
"I Was Walking Two Days after Robotic Surgery"
One in 350 men under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. As men age, so does the chance that they’ll have prostate cancer. One in 52 men who are 50 to 59 years old will be diagnosed. September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and it’s the perfect time for older men to tackle this important medical to-do. Just ask Mark Osborne who was surprised by a prostate cancer diagnosis at age 53.
Osborne, who had routine checkups, never thought that he’d have to be tested for prostate cancer. He had no knowledge of prostate cancer, no symptoms and no family history of the disease.
During his screening for prostate cancer, his primary doctor noticed an increase in his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) scores and Osborne was instructed to return for re-evaluation one week later. During Mark’s next visit, his PSA scores once again climbed. It was at this point that Mark begin to think he may have prostate cancer. “I kind of knew something was wrong otherwise they wouldn’t have given me so many tests.”
Soon after, Osborne was referred to an urologist who performed a biopsy, and one week later he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“I was shocked. It was right before my 54th birthday and I thought that I was too young to have prostate cancer."
Osborne then underwent prostate surgery with Michael Tyler, M.D., a urological surgeon at Broward Health North. Tyler used advanced minimally invasive robotics. “My real-time hand, arm and finger movements were translated right to the robotic device with delicate precision,” Tyler said.
“After Mark’s diagnosis, I was able to offer him early and curative management of his prostate cancer using da Vinci Robotic Systems,” Tyler said. “During Mark’s four-hour surgery I was able to have a three-dimensional view of the prostate and complete control of the robotic arms using a remote.”
Osborne is grateful that the cancer was detected early and that Broward Health North was an option for what he noted was excellent care, advanced technology and quick recovery.
“The hospital was fantastic. Everyone was great -- from the nutrition team and transport to the physicians, nurses and staff.”
Almost two months after surgery, Osborne was at Universal Studios in Orlando going on rides.
“I’ve become an advocate for prostate screenings. People think it’s a stigma and it’s not,” he said “I have friends that are older than me and I advise them to get checked. I advised my friend to get checked, and he was diagnosed soon after.”
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