Prostate Biopsy Results tomorrow

Hi all 

We had the appointment and my husband has Prostate Cancer - We were not shocked really, and we were glad to have a result after all the anxious wait.   They said it’s low level and have offered ‘Active Surveillance’ rather than treatment.  Does anyone have experience of the early days - is my husbands cancer likely to spread quicker if he does nothing? I know what the leaflets and ii do says but what is others’ experiences? Thanks for all your replies thus far. 

Hi Cazzd, glad you finally got your appointment . I couldn’t answer regards active surveillance. This  fabulous group of people will give you their experience and hope it helps you make a decision to suit you .  Best wishes Liz & OH XX

Hi Cazzd - for tomorrow- I had my biopsy 5th December 23 - waited 6 weeks and was diagnosed on January 17th this year.   Worst time ever especially over Christmas!   I was told it was down to shortage of Pathologists and sheer weight of numbers of people getting checked out for PCa.  I was G9 T3a N0 M0 but the process went super fast afterwards and I’m now post RT and on a curative pathway - . Check out my bio and activity for the full story.   All the very best!

Just seen your update- sounds really positive but I would also bow to the experience of others on here.  Sorry to her the diagnosis but sounds like you are  on front foot which can only be good as it has been caught super early. 

Hello Cazzd

Hmm! You ask a difficult question! Every decision about treatment or active surveillance is a very personal decision with, it seems, often no right or wrong.

my husbands PSA was being monitored annually for several years due to a strong family history of both breast cancer and prostate cancer. His PSA was on an upward trend but he was not symptomatic and there was no evidence of cancer on examination. This was in the days before MRI scans and template biopsies were in force. He refused the old fashioned biopsy without MRI based on this and the understanding that a biopsy done like this could potentially miss cancer cells anyway.

as his PSA crept up, they recommended 6 monthly PSAs and action if it reached 10 - which it did in summer 2022 aged 75. So, he had had 10-15 years of PSA testing - always at the higher end of normal for his age and then climbing above normal - all very slowly. He was diagnosed as T3a, N0, M0 Gleason 4+3=7. He was treated with hormone therapy (18 mts) and radiotherapy with the intention to cure.

So, his cancer might have been slowly growing all those years? During that time, proper active surveillance as it is now carried out was not offered.

during that time we had some really good quality lives - lovely holidays, grandchildren arriving etc etc.

looking back ( far easier than being able to see into the future) I think he might in the earlier days have been better able to withstand the treatment than at age 75. We were certainly fitter and healthier and younger then than now! However, we would have been living under the shadow of cancer all this time rather than having a more carefree retirement until 2022. Would treating earlier have been too early, though or would it have been easier to be sure to ‘get rid’ ? I don't know. 

The one thing I do know is that Active Surveillance is far more rigorous and far more ‘watchful’ ( for want of a better word) than it was 15 years or so ago. Your husband should be monitored more closel

y than my husband was.

Also, do bear in mind that some prostate cancers can be very slow growing - to the extent that some men die with it rather than of it. On the other hand, some cancers are aggressive and nasty. The Gleason score tells you the risk level of the cancer.

im sorry that this does not answer your question but our journey might show some of the pros and cons of active surveillance from the position of ‘looking back’. I hope all goes well for you, whichever decision you reach

Hi again Cazzd , great that you have the results and that it is low grade.  Worriedwife has given you a great insight and I really hope that helps.  Hopefully others will be along to share their experiences. Best wishes, David

Hello Cazzd 

Well results back and "Active Surveillance". It's a hard one this and is down to personal choice I think. I will throw my hat into the ring for what it's worth but this is a personal opinion having been around for a couple of years and read a few posts:

* I agree with Worriedwife - The younger you are, if you need treatment you are in a better place to come through it with less side effects.

* They have found it - it's not going away any time soon.

* I had my biopsy December 2021 - I was diagnosed Gleason 7. November 2022 when I had my TURP operation the "chips" were checked and I was "upgraded" to the Gleason 9 club. This cancer can change and go from pretty passive to aggressive!

Yes, your husband is "low grade" I think I am trying to say, keep an eye on it and do something about it earlier than leaving it until too late.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes - Brian.