MRi Scan two lesions in prostate

Yes thanks

Had Radiotherapy in 2017, thankfully no issues since.

Only thing is always dread having a PSA test in case it goes up and the cancer returns, always at the back of your mind

Steve 

Thanks good to hear 

I can imagine the worry with the PSA test

Take care 

Peter

Hello Peter. Just to clarify. Your report says that you have one lesion of 17mm and the other of 5mm (which is the one associated with the T3a). A lesion is an anomaly and doesn't automatically mean cancer, similarly a Likert 4 or 5 is a probability but it is not definitive - you will need the biopsy for this. A 17mm lesion is often indicative of a greater likelihood of being close to the capsule edge, simply because it is taking up more space. The lesion is calculated by multiplying the length by the width e.g. yours could be just over 4 x 4 mm.

Hi ya 

It's all very complicated, thanks for explaining everything because I haven't got a clue. 

Hi Peter, we did not think to ask whether the biopsy would involve taking samples from outside the prostate where there is a suspicion the cancer has spread through the wall. I wish we had done so.

We did ask afterwards and we were assured that samples had been taken but was not reassured that wwe were not being fobbed off as it was a bit of a 'wooly' response.

HTH

Hi ya 

Do you think I should be asking the question  ? As this is very new to me ,I'm trying to learn as much as possible but it's all a bit of a haze at the moment. 

Hi WW. Think of the prostate as an orange. When they take a core (like a small straw) the sample includes the skin, pith and pulp so a length of tissue is extracted each time and a core is taken. Each core is fixed with a stain and put into a paraffin block. The paraffin block is then sliced very thinly and each slice is looked at to see what the cells look like compared to the normal. Basically where the abnormal cells are seen will tell the experts whether they are close to the edge or nearer the centre of the prostate. The morphology of those cells can indicate the type of cancer and how aggressive it is.

Knowing what I know now, I would ask the question but on this forum, we always acknowledge that every one is different so others might not agree with me

Hi AH, thank you, yes. But are samples taken from outside the prostate in potentially suspicious areas where the cancer may have broken through the wall? I only really received half an answer after the event!

From my understanding the samples are taken from the outside into the centre for a depth of half an inch in each core so if it is suspected that there is a lesion near the edge then this would be sampled. There is an area in the prostate which can be difficult to sample so it is possible that this might be missed.