Diagnosis of both bladder and prostate cancer

Hi Otley.

I have been delving into having concomitant bladder and prostate cancer and hadn't realised how common it is. I have attached an article which you might find helpful. Most of us on here only know about the prostate side of things, even though we are not medically trained we have managed to glean information from each other. From what I have read your prostate cancer side of things will be monitored in the normal way via PSA tests once your initial treatment has been completed. From the stats you have supplied a prostatectomy may have been one of the options given so a question to ask is whether it would be nerve sparing (to try and limit possible ED) and whether any lymph nodes would be removed. The outcome from both prostatectomy or radiotherapy, particularly with Brachytherapy if possible, is very similar and would offer a curative pathway. Many men have the attitude that they just want to get the cancer out by surgery, others don't like the idea, it is a very personal decision. Having a prostatectomy gives you the option of radiotherapy at a later date if you have a recurrence of prostate cancer, whereas it can be difficult to have surgery after radiotherapy. Another question to ask is, if you go down the radiotherapy plus hormone therapy route, how long would you be on hormone therapy for? What the hormone therapy does is to put the cancer into hibernation, weakening the cells and making them more susceptible to treatment by depriving them of the testosterone that they feed off. This does have side effects for as long as you are on it but the degree to which you will experience them is variable although most men have to combat fatigue so keeping as fit as possible is important. Please come back with any questions and the friends here who have been there, done that, and worn the T-shirt will help with their experiences. Emotionally we are with you in knowing the shock and fear that a cancer diagnosis has but a statistic to remember is that 98% of men die with it and NOT of it.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1078143916303702

Hi Alwayshope,  as a fellow sufferer of bladder and prostate cancer thank you for the info it's much appreciated

All the best Duncan  

welcome I am unable to help you with your question but just wanted to say hello and to let you know what a great supportive group you have joined. Never feel afraid or embarrassed to ask a question.

Hi Duncan.

A warm welcome from me as well. This is why these forums are so brilliant, they bring people together with a similar diagnosis and hopefully share their journey. From having no one with a concomitant bladder and prostate diagnosis we suddenly have two. Your stats are similar to those of Otley so I am sure it would help all of us know why you have chosen your particular treatment route of BCG and separate prostate cancer treatment. Please come back with any questions.

Guess l should come out of the woodwork 

l had psa 3.2 Gleason 6 told to do active surveillance only 53 had to get it out of me

2 months later got it removed pathology report 0.02 but bladder metts tumor size 27 mm perennial invasive within prostate l was told that l made the right call in listing to my brain my surgeon said l was lucky

last 15 months 0.02 so all good 

but allways thinking of the next treatment with the outer bladder muscle wall

Have been told they can radiate it

Then been told they can not

anyway following this thread

Good Morning Needing luck  A warm welcome to the Community - even though you have been "lurking"  for a while. You appear to be another member of the "lucky boy club", and I am please it's going well for you.

The good thing about this forum and others on the Community is that they are read and provide information for people who are not Community members and are just "ghosting" through. Last year the Community had over 6 million page views so we must be doing something right!

Best wishes - Brian.

Thankyou

Hi Needing Luck.

Welcome. Please feel free to contribute if you want to or just to glean information. It is our group and everyone is a valued member of the community. You have a different pathway of treatment to Otley and Drunkley as your mets are being controlled by treatment to of the primary prostate cancer which is brilliant and long may it continue. My husband also has metastatic prostate cancer but his is behind the pancreas and difficult to treat. We were also initially told he could possibly have RT , now they are not so sure.so it is 3 monthly scans and PSA tests to check status of the cancer and get scanxiety until we know the results. Keeping positive helps release your bodies own healing mechanism so keep well and active.

Thanks again Alwayshope, I have been lurking for a few weeks but not posted before,

My consultant advised me to try this route to try and save my bladder ,but now after 2 TURBTs and the initial 6 bcg treatments just found out cancers back so back to square one really.  

Now waiting for another TURBT then wait for results and another meeting of MDT to see what's next , it's the waiting that  I don't like

But this platform really does help thanks again  

Dunkley, I am so sorry that you are still on a rollercoaster with regards to your bladder cancer but it sounds as if you have options. It is good that you are on hormone therapy for the prostate cancer as this is starving the body of testosterone and giving you time to sort the bladder cancer first.