Extended Medical Listings

KNOWLEDGE AND PERSPECTIVE

At Arnold Palmer Prostate Center, medical director Dr. Paul W. Adams stays at the forefront of cancer care and treatment



Paul Adams was 10 years old when he witnessed a car careening into a friend riding his bicycle. He was awestruck watching the paramedics in action in the back of the ambulance en route to the hospital.



The story ends well, with his friend surviving the life-threatening ordeal and Adams gaining interest in practicing medicine.



Years later, Adams earned his medical degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, followed by an internship and residency at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He was drawn to oncology — radiation treatment in particular, fascinated by what he calls “a powerful tool to help patients with cancer.”



Today, as medical director of Arnold Palmer Prostate Center at Eisenhower’s Lucy Curci Cancer Center, Adams’ interaction with his patients deepens his knowledge and widens his perspective built on two decades of working as a radiation oncologist. “What brings me to work now is that I’m given the privilege of witnessing firsthand the bravery of patients suffering from cancer,” he says.



Adams, a licensed pilot who flies in his off time, stays on the cutting edge of his field, implementing technical and medical advances and participating in clinical research. Over the past 20 years, advances in research have reduced side effects that come with radiation treatment. He now participates in a study focusing on implants for prostate cancer and explores the use of multiple treatments for advanced prostate cancer.



Adams acknowledges that the limits of medicine go only so far. “I do all I can for patients,” he says. “We can’t solve every issue, although we certainly try.”