45 year old husband diagnosed last Tuesday with Prostate Cancer

Hi Angela, sorry to hear about your  OH. Still Gleeson is quite low, u didn't say what the psa is but I presume that it's lowish and the cancer contained within the prostate.

Should be curable with either surgery on Radiotherapy.

Potentially more side effects with surgery but not everyone is the same and some just want it out and over with .

I had RT 2 years ago and pyhsicaly I'm ok now, just a few side effects at the time of treatment and for some time afterwards.

It's definitely worth researching online and perhaps others will post as well

Best wishes

Steve

2nd paragraph, should read surgery OR radiotherapy

Hello Angela,

Welcome to McMillan, the prostate cancer group, and the rollercoaster world of cancer, and my best wishes go out to you and your husband for a positive outcome.

As you say, at 45, your husband is young to have prostate cancer, however what were once considered to be cancers in the old are being discovered in people younger than first thought. Being young, and hopefully  fit, will put your husband in a good place for whatever treatment is proposed. 

Whilst I’m older that your husband at 60, I’m in good health which is helping me deal with Hormone therapy, and radiotherapy which I’m presently undertaking.

You’ll find the group here a friendly and helpful group so feel free to ask any questions of us you wish. Explore the documentation on this site, and that on Prostate cancer uk. There’s a lot out there. Finally where ever you find help in the world of cancer, take it.

Best wishes to you both 

Chris

Hi Angela and welcome to the forum.

I am 71 and, after a long delay from referral by the GP, was finally diagnosed with PC (PSA 14, Gleason 4+5=9) in August 2018. Following further tests it was confirmed as T3A N0 M0, so contained within the prostate but at the edge of the capsule with no metastases. I started hormone treatment (HT) in October 2018 and had 20 sessions of radiotherapy (RT) in February and March this year.

I was very fit for my age before starting treatment and am coping well with the HT (assisted by various supplements). The first two weeks of RT were also a breeze but the second two were not so rosy. I was also pretty bad for about a week after finishing RT but am now back to all my usual activities now; rowing several times a week, walking several miles every day, climbing mountains and attending a weekly aerobics class.

There will be a lot of emotional stress but you will get through it and there's lots of help here.

Good luck with your husbands treatment.

Hi Ang,

Welcome to the club nobody wants to join. 

45 is way too young to be even thinking of prostate cancer.  Due to his age, its very unlikely he will be offered radiotherapy as the radiation can do damage that may affect him in later life.  With a Gleason of 7 and hopefully a low PSA indicating it is all contained within the prostate capsule and no invasion anywhere else, then he is a good candidate for a prostatectomy (the op). 

If the scans indicate all contained then there is a good chance of nerve sparing.  This is essential if he is not to suffer from erectile dysfunction.  This is a question you must ask the surgeon when you next see him/her.  If all the cancer cells are removed then his chances of a cure are really very good.

Regards

Hi, thanks for all the reply’s, they are really helpful, we’ve been told his prostate cancer is contained in his prostate and his PSA is low around 4.3, we were told he’s grade 2.

The main types of treatment available to him seem to be:

prosectomy

HIFU

Watchful waiting 

we were told to avoid radiotherapy due to scar tissue and not being able to operate after. 

Ww were told about nerve sparing if he had the op, but seems like a lottery for success rates. 

Can anyone shed light on success rates of the above and likelihood of side effects. 

I can imagine emotionally staying positive and being physically fit going into a procedure will make a difference?

It does look like pot luck with surgery in terms of ED as a major side effect.  Trying to find a surgeon with lots of nerve sparing experience seems to be the best option but the risk is still there 

For the moment active surveillance is probably the best option, try and find out the size of the tumour.

If it's only about 3 or 4 mm and not near the prostate capsule edge then he could be on AS for years, obviously with close monitoring.

Looks like time is on your side, do lots of research, perhaps get another opinion and dont rule out anything, even radiotherapy. Yes I know that surgery is difficult after RT but hopefully he would be cured after the one style of treatment.

Hifu.  Yes that could be another option but not easy trying to find stats regarding success rates.  At least with surgery and RT success rates are similar st something over 70%.

Steve

Hi Steve, thanks for your message, my husband had 25 biopsies taken, as his MRI showed a horseshoe shadow on his prostate, turns out the shadow isn’t where the cancer is, it was found on the left anterior. He had 8 biopsies the bottom left, 11 biopsies bottom right (which covered the horseshoe area) then 3 biopsies from both the top left and top right and the cancer was found in the top left. The biopsies they took in the top left were 8/10mm, 5/17mm and 3/14mm which all contained cancer cells 3+4, one of my other worries is that they only took 3 biopsies, if they took more would the cancer cells still show 3+4 or could there be some more with different cells (growing at a faster rate?)

we have an appointment this Saturday to discuss a radical prosectomy. I feel alarmed about the whole process, my husband has private health insurance through work and we’ve been told that at these appointments they try to sell you their treatment...we are waiting for an appointment for the HIFI too, but again I am aware they will sell you their treatment. 

I don’t want my husband to be used as a way of making money, we need unbiased, sound advice. I don’t like that it seems they try to get you at your lowest. The thought actually makes me feel really anxious!

Oh and the longest tumour length from the three was specimen B 8mm, there is no perineural invasion, thanks for your info it’s very helpful, any other thoughts you have would be most welcome!

Angie

I understand your anxiety ref 'sell u their treatment'. If u go and see a surgeon, he will obviously only be interested in surgery. Take your time and don't get pushed into anything that you feel unsure about  You can come on here for advice anytime.

Steve