Tyrone's Colorectal Cancer Story

After Expert Cancer Care, Tyrone Is Cruising In His Classic Corvette

In 2017, 59-year-old Tyrone Henson was increasingly bothered by abdominal tenderness, back pain, constipation and bladder problems. He had sought medical advice, but had received differing diagnoses of irritable bowel syndrome and a hernia. His symptoms only continued to worsen. “I couldn’t even sit for long periods of time and it got to the point where I could no longer work,” the retired firefighter and K9 police officer said. “That’s when I knew something serious was going on – and I needed answers.”

A friend recommended Tyrone go to the Emergency Department at Holy Cross Hospital, even though other facilities were closer to his Clinton, Md., home. After conducting a thorough medical history and physical exam, the ER team ordered a CT scan that revealed masses in his colon and liver.

Tyrone was referred to Rahul Gilotra, MD, Gastroenterology, who performed a colonoscopy that showed he had stage IV metastatic colon cancer, which had spread to his liver. Rami Makhoul, MD, Colorectal Surgery, and James Xu, MD, Hematology Oncology, were called in to lead Tyrone’s cancer team. “After a meticulous evaluation, we designed an aggressive treatment approach,” said Dr. Xu.

In 2018, Dr. Makhoul performed minimally invasive colorectal surgery on Tyrone using the da Vinci® Xi surgical system at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. The da Vinci Xi offers the surgeon unique advantages in terms of superior visualization, 3D depth perception and dexterity of the robotic arms. Dr. Makhoul said: “It is an excellent tool when operating in a narrow space to dissect a large colon tumor, as Tyrone had.”

Dr. Makhoul was able to remove the entire cancerous tumor and preserve normal digestive function without the need for a colostomy. Tyrone experienced minimal pain and went home a couple of days later. “The pain patients experience after robotic surgery is much less than when surgery is performed as an open or laparoscopic procedure. Robotic surgery causes less trauma to the abdominal wall, making the patient’s recovery much smoother,” said Dr. Makhoul.

“Not only is Dr. Makhoul an excellent surgeon, but he took his time, patiently explaining everything that was going on,” said Tyrone. “The modern, advanced medical care at Holy Cross is just unbelievable.”

After he fully recovered from surgery, Tyrone began a robust regimen of chemotherapy to shrink the tumors on his liver. Tyrone then had surgery to remove the liver tumors and he was able to achieve remission. “He had an exceptionally good outcome,” said Dr. Xu.

For the next two years, Tyrone was routinely monitored for any sign of cancer recurrence through the comprehensive cancer program at Holy Cross Health. In 2020, a scan detected a tumor in his lung, which was surgically removed. “The Holy Cross Cancer team are always clear with me about how my care is working. My plan is customized for my needs, and they are not afraid to make adjustments for the best results,” said Tyrone.

Holy Cross Health Cancer Center’s expert team, supported by leading-edge technology, have kept Tyrone feeling great for nearly three years. Today, Tyrone enjoys keeping healthy with exercise, spending time with his adult daughter, working on classic cars – and enjoying each day. He is grateful to Holy Cross Health for saving his life.

For more information about Holy Cross Health's cancer services, call 855-HCH-HOPE (424-4673).