Dr. Jim Draguesku, MD, known as “Dr. Jim,” has served the Palos Park community for over 30 years. The 68-year-old gastroenterologist at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital faced a personal health challenge in August 2023 when his primary care physician discovered an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.
“When my primary care physician saw that my PSA was slightly increasing, he wasted no time and conducted a more sensitive type of PSA screening which revealed there was a high probability that it could be prostate cancer,” said Dr. Jim. “Despite having no symptoms and a normal exam, he told me he needs me to go in for an MRI right away, which confirmed the suspected diagnosis.”
Following the MRI results, Dr. Jim was referred to Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD, chief of urology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A biopsy confirmed an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
“Despite being surrounded by difficult diagnoses and illness at work, the element of shock and surprise that I had cancer was overwhelming,” explained Dr. Jim. “It was hard to accept, and I was scared to tell my daughters about the diagnosis. However, my family was by my side throughout the process, and they kept me focused to get to the finish line.”
Dr. Jim underwent a robotic radical laparoscopic prostatectomy shortly after the biopsy. Post-surgery pathology indicated that the cancer had spread to surrounding tissue.
During his recovery from surgery, Dr. Jim consulted with Yazan Numan, MD, oncologist at Northwestern Medicine St. George Cancer Institute and Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. They recommended radiation treatments for eight weeks along with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) following his recovery from surgery.
Ongoing PSA monitoring led to another PET scan revealing new metastatic lymph node involvement in the pelvis. The radiation regimen was adjusted accordingly.
“Dr. Jim’s case was one of the atypical cases we see usually in our cancer center," said Dr. Numan." Through careful review of all tests as well as surgical tissue and multi-disciplinary discussions, we designed a personalized plan that we believe has the highest chance of success to cure him.”
In July 2024, a follow-up PET scan showed no evidence of lymph node involvement; Dr. Jim is currently cancer-free but will continue scheduled follow-ups and ADT.
Dr. Jim has resumed his favorite activities including golfing and spending time with his grandchildren; he also recently completed the Northwestern Medicine Cancer Walk.
“The care I received at Northwestern Medicine St. George Cancer Institute in Orland Park and Northwestern Memorial Hospital was incredible," said Dr.Jim." I consider myself lucky to live so close to a hospital that delivered the highest quality of care to me."
For more information visit www.nm.org.
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