Bob McFadden of Upper Macungie Township used to write songs about history and politics. These days, he’s writing songs about beating cancer and how St. Luke’s University Health Network doctors helped save his life.

Bob, 71, was on the drug Erleada to treat prostate cancer. Because the drug also has side effects, St. Luke’s urologist Frank Tamarkin, MD, and oncologist Heidar J. Albandar, MD, mandated regular blood tests.

“Erleada is a cancer-treating medicine that has side effects we need to watch for,” Dr. Albandar said. “It’s a very good and effective treatment, but there can be serious side effects with the liver, the kidneys, blood sugar and cholesterol.”

This past spring, Bob’s blood test came back with abnormally high cholesterol levels. A normal cholesterol level in a healthy individual is less than 200 mg/dL, borderline is up to 239, and high is above 240.

“Mine was around 385,” Bob recalled.

High cholesterol is a major contributor to heart disease, so Dr. Albandar referred Bob to Michael McCulloch, MD, a St. Luke’s cardio-oncologist.

A cardio-oncologist is someone who has expertise in heart toxicities that can emerge because of certain cancer therapies. The cardio-oncology program at St. Luke’s is specifically designed to help patients deal with the effects that cancer treatments may have on the heart.

“Some cancer therapies – in some patients – can increase the risk for heart disease,” Dr. McCulloch explained. “Being aware of that kind of correlation helps you determine when patients need to be followed more closely or need screening to be done.”

Bob’s attitude was incredibly positive throughout his treatment, but he’s a special kind of person. He’s got a degree in history from Rutgers University, served as a distribution manager at McGaw and B Braun, played softball until he was 67 when a torn rotator cuff ended that activity, is in a band called Et2Bruté, and just absolutely loves life. He is a frequent contributor to Letters to the Editor in The Morning Call. And he’s also a huge San Francisco Giants fan.

“When Dr. McCulloch saw me for the  first time, the first thing he said to me was that I was a walking time bomb,” Bob said.

Dr. McCulloch put Bob on Crestor, a cholesterol lowering medication that blocks an  enzyme in the liver, causing it to make less cholesterol, as well as increase the breakdown of cholesterol already in the blood.

But Dr. McCulloch didn’t take a drug therapy-only approach. He referred Bob to a dietician, to improve his diet. Bob quit smoking and increased his activity level with frequent and longer walking.

Along the way, Bob also ended up with bladder cancer, for which he had successful surgery.

“Strike One was prostate cancer,” Bob said. “Strike Two was when it went to Stage 4, and then unbelievably my cholesterol went through the roof, and then to top it all off, bladder cancer.

“It’s disappointing to find out you have these diseases, but I’ve felt fine the entire time. The doctors and teams at St. Luke’s saved my life several times over. I couldn’t be happier with the way I went from doctor-to-doctor seamlessly. I’m in great hands at St. Luke’s.”

 

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 300+ outpatient sites.  With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.

Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.  In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only four-year medical school campus.  It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 45 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 400 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke’s, a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley’s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.

SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.  It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital.  The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Fortune/Merative 11 times total and eight years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.  In 2021, St. Luke’s was identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally.  Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.  The Network is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.

Information provided to TVL by:
Sam Kennedy