Arthur Quinby

Trusted Healthcare Close to Home: Arthur Quinby at Hunterdon

Had it not been for his wife, Denise, 53-year-old Arthur Quinby may have never gotten a colonoscopy. However, he had been passing blood, and Denise, a nurse, convinced him to make an appointment. Arthur decided to be examined at his local hospital, Hunterdon Medical Center. The retired Air Force senior master sergeant felt no need to go elsewhere.

The results of the colonoscopy showed Arthur had colon cancer. "At that point, I just followed the recommendation of my doctors and put my trust in them,” he said. “At Hunterdon Medical Center, I had a colon resection which demonstrated Stage III disease and afterwards went to Kenneth Blankstein, MD, a medical oncologist at Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, for chemotherapy.”

Arthur and his wife, Denise
Arthur and his wife, Denise

In further studying Arthur’s scans, Dr. Blankstein found lesions on Arthur’s liver and immediately scheduled a PET scan. These results showed the lesions were malignant—the cancer had spread. For the next six months, Arthur underwent chemotherapy. He responded well to treatment right from the start, and his lesions had shrunk significantly. However, Dr. Blankstein felt certain they would return and referred Arthur to Fox Chase Cancer Center.

At Fox Chase, Arthur benefited from an experienced team of surgical oncologists: Andreas Karachristos, MD, FACS, Jeffrey Farma, MD, FACS, and John Hoffman, MD, FACS. “Their plan of attack was to wipe out three sections on the left lobe of my liver. They did that through minimally invasive surgery,” explained Arthur. “Once they knew I responded positively, I had another surgery to remove the right lobe. They did the math and felt that would give me the best chance of survival.”

In the meantime, however, scar tissue had formed in Arthur’s colon. In between his two liver surgeries, he required a colostomy due to narrowing in his colon. After the surgeries were complete, Arthur then underwent an additional six months of chemotherapy and finally had his ostomy reversed. “It was a long road, and recovery took about a month,” said Arthur, who has since returned to work as a service manager for a construction equipment dealership. “I’m thrilled to return to my hobby of drag racing my two Ford Mustangs,” he added.

Arthur proudly showing off his prized Ford Mustang, which he regularly drag races
Arthur proudly showing off his prized Ford Mustang, which he regularly drag races

Arthur continues his follow-up appointments at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center. His oncologists at both continue to share records and communicate regarding his care. “Their communication is fantastic,” noted Arthur, who is now cancer-free. “Throughout this whole time, I must say my wife took very good care of me. She got me to get that colonoscopy in the first place.”

Learn more at
1-888-788-1260
hunterdonhealthcare.org/cancer