'For me, cancer remains a silent killer: by the time you have problems, it's usually too late. That's why I want to keep a close eye on my body every two years. At Prescan, this can be done easily and professionally. In June 2011, kidney cancer was discovered during a preventive scan. I had surgery at Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland in Rotterdam, and I was under periodic monitoring there for years.
Comprehensive examination
In 2019, I went to Prescan again, and everything was fine. On November 4, 2020, I visited once more. I arrived at nine in the morning for a bodyscan plus and an IMT measurement, and I was informed about the day's schedule. The examination program was very comprehensive: laboratory examination of blood, urine, and stool, MRI examinations of the skull and brain, neck vessels, chest, upper and lower abdominal organs, and a cardiological examination with an echo, bicycle test, heart film, and an IMT measurement.
Spot on left lung
In the afternoon, after all the examinations, the cardiologist was able to tell me that I was perfectly fine. The radiologist also indicated that almost everything looked good. There was only a spot, smaller than a centimeter, on my left lung. It was too small to detect, but considering my medical history, he thought it wise to have it checked again within a few months. Or he could put me in contact with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, the cancer-specialized hospital and research institute. There, I could have an examination done right away.
Two days later, a medical specialist from the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek called me for an intake interview. He had received my scan and reports from Prescan and thought it wise to perform a CT scan. It showed the same thing. He advised to remove the spot through robotic surgery. 'We'll culture it immediately,' said the medical specialist. 'If it's not good, we've removed it right away.'
Quickly operated
On December 14, 2020, I was fortunately able to be operated on, and a few days later, on December 19, I was allowed to go home. One day before Christmas, I got the results: the spot turned out to be malignant, but the good news is that they were able to remove everything. The lymph nodes and lung membranes are clean. Therefore, I had a good glass of wine at Christmas to toast to life.'
