Huang Nina
Northwest Asia Weekly
Dr. Jonathan Chen (Photo courtesy of SCCA Proton Therapy Center)
When we started to hold Movember, an annual event aimed at raising awareness of men’s health issues, Dr. Jonathan Chen shared some insights on how men can be wary of prostate cancer.
Chen was born to Chinese parents in Taiwan and grew up outside of Detroit, but has integrated into Chinese and Taiwanese culture. His parents strongly encouraged him to study medicine.
Chen completed his undergraduate studies at Stanford University and then went to Cornell University to study for medical school and residency. About two years ago, he moved to Seattle to start his current job at the University of Washington.
“When I was growing up, I was outraged because of this. I didn’t like being told what to do. I was interested in biology and science, but being a doctor seemed too clichéd.”
Chen studied to become a biomechanical engineer, but his volunteer experience at San Mateo County Hospital inspired him to pursue medicine.
Chen works in a free STD clinic centered on patients seeking STD treatment and consultation. As a volunteer, his job is to welcome patients and guide them to the right room.
That experience made him realize that there are many things in the clinical environment that he didn’t get in the research environment. Because while continuing to volunteer in the clinic, he also found a job in a biotechnology company, so he decided to pursue a joint PhD and MD course. The average course takes seven to eight years, but Chen took nine years.
“Many students know what to do when they enter medical school, but I am an open book. I don’t have a doctor in my family, and I don’t have any special inclinations.”
In the last two years of medical school, he tried different methods. He likes many fields, including obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, gastroenterology, and his interests are everywhere. However, after conducting research with radiation oncologists, radiation oncology stood out for him.
It wasn’t until eight years in the medical school that Chen knew that this field existed as a major. To him, radiation oncology seems to be a perfect combination of biology, medicine, technology and robotics. This attracted his inner engineer, and he really enjoyed his rotation in the end.
At first, he was afraid of dealing with cancer patients, worried that it would be frustrating.
“When you are a cancer doctor, many people have serious illnesses. The severity of their illnesses puts the doctors and healthcare professionals caring for him in a privileged position to change and affect their lives in meaningful ways. It is an honor to help patients,” he said.
Regardless of whether Chen can relieve the patient’s symptoms or completely cure the cancer, the patient is always grateful and satisfied.
Chen said that in modern times, especially in Western culture, prostate cancer patients are usually asymptomatic. Official screening in the United States and Japan (the only Asian countries with official screening programs) is usually performed through prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests.
He pointed out that prostate cancer can affect the way you urinate, including difficulty urinating, urgency and/or inability to empty the bladder. These are common symptoms in people who have not been screened for PSA.
By the age of 80, 80% of men will have prostate cancer, but without PSA screening, many of them would not know that they have prostate cancer.
“We strongly recommend that people over 50 years of age discuss screening with their doctor,” Chen said.
He admitted that prostate cancer screening is controversial. Some types of prostate cancer do not require treatment, but the official recommendation and the U.S. government recommend that everyone 50 years and older discuss with their doctor whether prostate cancer screening is meaningful for them.
He added that someone may benefit from screening, but the disadvantages include that the results of venous blood draws may lead to overdiagnosis in patients who have never needed treatment.
“Before prostate cancer develops, they may die of other diseases. Screening has some drawbacks, so that’s why it is not a comprehensive screening. This is really a discussion with your doctor.”
He added: “Nothing can prevent cancer 100%… But there are things that strongly suggest that cancer can be prevented. Living a healthy life is the best thing you can do.”
For example, Chen recommends eating a healthy diet of balanced fruits and vegetables, because studies have shown that large amounts of red meat and processed foods are associated with a higher incidence of cancer, and exercise can also reduce the risk of more than 10 different types of cancer.
Chen mentioned that there are many studies on why blacks are worse than whites in terms of prostate cancer, but there are not so many studies on how it affects Asians. He said that data shows that Asians suffer from fewer prostate cancers than blacks and whites, which may be caused by genetics and the environment.
Some studies in Asia indicate that Americans eating more red meat and processed foods may lead to an increase in prostate cancer cases.
Chen also said that Asians are often diagnosed at a more advanced stage than whites.
However, he said that studies have shown that Asians seem to respond well to treatment, so you need to be screened, diagnosed, and then treated when needed.
The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is unique because it is one of 35 proton therapy centers in the United States and the only one in the Pacific Northwest. They provide a newer form of radiation therapy that is more targeted and exposes healthy tissue near the tumor to less incidental radiation exposure. For some cancers, this means reducing side effects and increasing the chance of curing the cancer.
What are the most common cancers in radiotherapy? For women, it is breast cancer, and for men, it is prostate cancer, and men can choose radiotherapy or surgery.
Chen said that radiotherapy is like a part-time job, different from surgery. Once patients start radiation therapy, for prostate cancer, they will be treated for up to nine weeks from Monday to Friday.
“This is not done once and for all, because it is slower than surgery and it takes months.”
He added: “Usually we can judge how it works within the first 6 to 12 months after radiotherapy.”
Nina can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
