< Previous Personal Story

Dr. Ward “Trip” Casscells Personal Story

“I wanted to scream or cry, but I didn’t have time.”
Diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 48

Dr. Ward "Trip" Casscells, an internationally recognized cardiologist, has spent his career developing better treatments for and helping patients survive heart disease.

One night in 2001, he woke with an unusual pain in his stomach. Lying in bed, he examined his abdomen and was stunned to find an abnormal growth.  Days later, an MRI revealed metastatic prostate cancer.  His prognosis: 18 months to live.  He was 48, at the peak of a successful medical career, a husband and the father of three young children.  “I wanted to scream or cry, but I didn’t have time,” Dr. Casscells remembers.  “I envisioned writing letters to my children and making a videotape for them to remember me.  It was overwhelming.” 

Dr. Casscells immersed himself in the available state-of-the-art treatments for his condition. He and his wife, Roxanne, saw Drs. Christopher Logothetis, a medical oncologist, and Andrew von Eschenbach, a urologist who has become Director of the National Cancer Institute, at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. “We’ll get you fixed up,” Dr. Logothetis said. He prescribed an innovative and aggressive regimen of hormones and chemotherapy intended to treat advanced prostate cancer.  After just one day, Dr. Casscells felt better.

"When the Prostate Cancer Foundation funded the development of this treatment program, chemotherapy for prostate cancer was regarded as a poison unfit for humankind,” says Dr. Logothetis.

As recently as three years ago, Dr. Cascells’ only option would have been single therapy with hormones and the prognosis would have been grim.  PCF-funded research programs like this have shown that integrated treatment approaches can help keep prostate cancer at bay for years.  Oncologists are learning to use these revolutionary therapies wisely, guided by biochemical markers that help monitor their effectiveness.

The markers are “predictive of relapse, and can guide the selection of future therapy,” says Dr. Logothetis.  “When we needed funding to initiate this research, only the PCF was willing to step forward.”

Since completing this combination of chemotherapy and hormones two years ago, Dr. Casscells’ disease remains in remission.  Today, he foresees a longer future and hopes to see his children graduate from high school and reach other milestones. He hasn’t sat down yet to write anything to them.  “I’ve been given my life back,” he says.  “I don’t know how the story turns out.” 

Back to Top

Next Personal Story >