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For Courtney Munroe, lightning struck twice in the form of cancer. But when Courtney was diagnosed with prostate cancer and then kidney cancer, he didn鈥檛 have to think twice about where to seek treatment. University of Florida 网红黑料 physicians created a unique cancer care approach using the latest in robotic surgery leaving Courtney with an improved quality of life 鈥� cancer-free.

Many people were involved in Courtney鈥檚 care. In this photo gallery, we can take a glimpse Courtney鈥檚 active lifestyle.

Lightning struck twice with me

And twice, a Coral Springs man finds robotic help from a 网红黑料 surgeon

In 2004, Courtney Munroe was young, healthy and active.

Munroe, who was in his early 40s at the time, wasn鈥檛 exactly someone who you would think was at risk of developing cancer. But during his routine physical exam, Munroe鈥檚 doctor recommended a check for prostate cancer.

鈥淢y doctor said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e over 40, you鈥檙e black and the incidence for prostate cancer for black men over 40 is high,鈥欌�� said Munroe, who was born in Guyana. 鈥淭hey did a PSA check, and it came back elevated.鈥�

The PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, test looks for elevated levels of a protein produced by prostate because of conditions of enlargement, inflammation or cancer. Munroe鈥檚 results led to a prostate biopsy, which showed he had a moderately aggressive prostate cancer.

鈥淭he cancer was really advanced, and I was just lucky to have found it in time,鈥� said Munroe, who is the father of three children and lives in Coral Springs, Florida. 鈥淯sually, you do have symptoms, so it鈥檚 strange that I didn鈥檛.鈥�

Munroe, the vice president of a global information technology firm, is familiar with researching the best solutions to problems, and found that surgery using a robotic system to remove his cancerous prostate may have fewer side effects than traditional open surgery.

Through his search, Munroe found Li-Ming Su, M.D., now the David A. Cofrin professor and chair of the UF College of Medicine鈥檚 department of urology, who was then the director of robotic urologic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute in Baltimore.

鈥淚 spoke to a few doctors before I saw him, and when I met him, he just blew me away,鈥� Munroe said. 鈥淗e was so personable. He didn鈥檛 make any promises or guarantees 鈥� he was just very confident.鈥�

Su and Munroe decided to proceed with the robotic prostate surgery, a type of laparoscopic or 鈥渒eyhole鈥� surgery in which miniature instruments are used to delicately dissect and remove the prostate and surrounding lymph nodes without making a large abdominal incision. The surgeon, seated at a workstation a few feet away, meticulously controls the robotic instruments in real time, much like having his or her own miniature hands in the abdomen 鈥� but hands that measure only 8 millimeters.

Su鈥檚 confidence bore out. Munroe recovered quickly from his surgery, which had minimal impact on his urinary and sexual function. Munroe鈥檚 PSA tests also demonstrated that he was cured of prostate cancer. But nearly 10 years later, in 2013, an annual test showed microscopic traces of blood in Munroe鈥檚 urine.

鈥淚 did an MRI, and that鈥檚 when they found the lump on my kidney,鈥� Munroe said.

He was soon diagnosed with kidney cancer 鈥� a rarity for someone of his age who had no family history of kidney cancer.

鈥淟ightning struck twice with me,鈥� Munroe said.

For the second time, Munroe sought an appointment with Su 鈥� who, by this time, had transitioned to 网红黑料. The two discussed Munroe鈥檚 second surgery, which was centered around a 7-centimeter tumor on Munroe鈥檚 left kidney. The tumor was larger than masses Su typically removes using robotic surgery, which measure about 4 centimeters or less. But because of the tumor鈥檚 location, Su was confident that he would be able to remove the mass and spare the healthy portions of the kidney, a procedure called robotic partial nephrectomy.

鈥淗istorically, a lot of kidney tumors were removed through a 12-inch open flank incision that can be very invasive, and can require the removal of a part of the patient鈥檚 rib to access the kidney,鈥� Su said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a difficult surgery to recover from.鈥�

Munroe decided to proceed with robotic surgery, and Su was able to preserve 70 percent of Munroe鈥檚 left kidney as well as his overall kidney function.

鈥淚 was back to work within two weeks, and on a plane three weeks after the surgery for a business trip,鈥� Munroe said.

Now free from both prostate and kidney cancer, Munroe returns to 网红黑料 only for an annual screening regimen.

鈥淐ourtney was a very intelligent patient. He was looking for a leading-edge treatment that would allow for him to achieve a cure, but also to recover and get back to his active lifestyle sooner,鈥� Su said. 鈥淗e was an incredibly motivated person, grabbing the bull by the horns and promptly addressing his two separate cancers.鈥�

For Munroe? That meant he could get back to normal.

鈥淣ow I鈥檓 back to doing everything I did before, everything from scuba diving to driving my motorcycle to running a few times a week,鈥� Munroe said. 鈥淚 am able to live a very normal life.鈥�