Photograph by Philip Channing.

Richard Duran is a man of many roles. He is a husband, a great-grandfather, a student, an artist, a world traveler, and a film and television extra. And now, thanks to Parvesh Kumar, M.D., and the radiation oncology team at USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, he is a cancer survivor.

Duran was initially diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer in 2002. A resident of Simi Valley, Calif., he had a prostectomy—surgery to remove the prostate—at a local medical center. But when the cancer returned in 2005, he and his wife decided to visit USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles.

“I got a really good feeling about the whole program,” says Duran, of his initial impression of USC/Norris. “I could see that it was truly a team effort and that many people were involved in each individual case.”

After a consultation with Jacek Pinski, M.D., Ph.D., he was referred to Kumar, who is also chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Kumar says that since Duran was experiencing a rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA)—a substance produced by the prostate that may be found in an increased amount in the blood of men who have prostate cancer—post-surgery, he decided to treat him with 3-D conformal radiation therapy. Conformal radiation uses targeted information to shape radiation beams to match the tumor. This avoids harming healthy tissue surrounding the tumor, making it possible to use higher, more effective levels of radiation.

“My dealings with Dr. Kumar have been unbelievably great,” says Duran. “He is very uplifting and very positive and he explained the entire procedure, reassuring my wife and me instantly that we made the right choice.”

Duran underwent almost two months of daily radiation. Through the entire process, he says he did not experience a single side effect.

“Dr. Kumar told me there would be no side effects and it was hard to believe,” says Duran. “But what he told me was true.”

He completed treatment in January 2006, when the cancer had been eliminated. Two years later, Duran continues to be cancer free. He still visits USC/Norris every few months for follow-up, and, he says, to catch up with Dr. Kumar and share stories about their travels on the Los Angeles regional train system.

“I think we’ve developed a nice little friendship,” says Duran. “I started taking the train to my daily radiation treatments to avoid freeway stress and found out that Dr. Kumar uses the train as well. Our train travels often become the topic of conversations.”

In addition to traveling around Los Angeles, Duran has found a passion for international travel since his cancer diagnosis. He and his wife took their first cruise—to Tahiti—after his initial surgery and are planning an upcoming trip to the South of France.

“I’ve never had the desire to travel before, but we are both healthy so if we can do it, we are going to do it,” says Duran. “Now is the time to appreciate that life is good and precious and something you need to enjoy."

For more information on radiation oncology and other medical services available at USC, visit The Doctors of USC at www.usc.edu/health/usccare, or call (800) USC-CARE.