Prostate Cancer stage 2 Gleason score 3+4.

Hello Bluecloud1 and welcome. That is a good question but the answer is not necessarily. There are different protocols for radiotherapy depending on the capabilities of your health authority and the pressure on the equipment. Firstly you need to look at the different types of treatment available to you based on your histology and the position of the lesion in the gland. Radiotherapy is normally accompanied by hormone therapy and it is the HT which tends to come with greater side effects for the time you are on it. There are different protocols for the radiotherapy from 6 x 6 Gy on alternate days, 20 x 3.5Gy daily or 37 x 2Gy daily. There is then 3 types of Brachytherapy where radioactive seeds are implanted either temporarily or permanently which you might be eligible for with your statistics. What I would initially suggest is that you download this free book to give you a better idea of your options. The other thing to say is that techniques have improved over recent years so yes, there is a risk with all of them but this can be mitigated if you check out what machine is used and the expertise of the radio oncologist.

Active Surveillance may be an option but the same criteria apply as to position and histology. Your attitude to AS will also play a part.

Please come back with any questions and feel free to join in any conversation.

https://issuu.com/magazineproduction/docs/js_prostate_cancer_guide_for_patients_ezine

Thank you.  I will ask the specialist nurse whom I have been talking to those questions as none of that was discussed with me, and thank you for the booklet… 

Hello Bluecloud1 and welcome to a place where none of us wished to be.

Those with much more knowledge and expertise than me have give you wonderful advice above. 

A year ago I was in a very similar position to you and opted for radiotherapy along with hormone therapy with much trepidation as to what the future held for me and my family. If you care to read the almost day to day diary of my journey through the treatment in my profile you will see that there is by no means always a dark side to all of this. My profile can be seen by clicking on my avatar to the left of this entry.

I am well aware that we are not all the same and we all react differently to treatment but I can assure you that many successful complete this journey relatively unscathed.

The very best of luck with however you decide to tackle this horrible disease.

Rod 

Hi BC

In answer to your main question I think  that the RT is the same although can differ on number of days given and the strength accordingly.

But one point, in theory easier to get rid of if. stage 2 rather than 3 or 4.

Side effects prob the same although if escaped  the gland could give more issues.

I had the Radiotherapy and no real issues so maybe u could go on AS initially but looking for treatment while still at stage 2, 

All the best 

Steve 

Wow`, that was some journey… thank you for letting me read it..