My dad has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer

Hi Kerry

Sorry to hear about your dad's situation, hopefully it's been caught early and therefore easily treatable.

Try and find out what the Gleeson score is and also what the MRI report says ie is the tumour confined to the prostate?

Don't worry yourself too much about hormone therapy side effects,  not everyone who has HT has big issues with them.

Regards

Steve

Hi Steve

Thank you for your reply. It's not the side effect that I'm worried about. I just have a feeling the type of hormone treatment (medication) he has been given is for more advance cancer and it scare me. I hope he finds out Gleason score ect next time and hopefully bone scan this week will be ok. Thanks 

Hi Kerrygirl

Think we're in a similar position with our dads although mine seems to have more advanced.  I've sent a friend request to you wondered if you wanted to chat privately?

Robbo

Hi Kelly

I understand your concern, when u get the Gleeson and other details hopefully it will be clearer, let us know in due course

Steve

Just accepted it now

My dads bone scan was clear phew... awaiting ct scan now on the 16th of July. 

Great news Kerry! Such a relief! (I remember when my own scan came back clear).

Finger crossed for the CT scan.

Very best wishes,

Jonathan x

You or your Dad should call the Doc who did the biopsy and ask him or his secretary  for his Gleason Score and T numbers.  This will tell you more about the cancer he has. Maybe by now your GP will have this information - usually takes 2 weeks to get to the GP.  It is usual to start someone on 2 weeks of Casodex and then go on to hormone injections for everyone who is going to have radiotherapy.  Radiotherapy can be of 4, 6 or 7 weeks duration but the same amount is given in the end so in 4 weeks a higher individual dose is given every day than in the 6 and 7 week course.  The medication and the length of the radiotherapy course and the amount of time you stay on hormone injections will depend on the individual consultant and the cancer centre where he gets his treatment - sometimes the cancer centre rely on the GP to sort out the hormone treatment so it will be the usual hormone therapy that that GP's surgery uses.  Once you have your Dad's Gleason score and T numbers things will be clearer.  One thing you do not mention is your Dad's age and general health and any pre existing conditions of bowel and bladder or previous operations on bowel and bladder and prostate as this also will have a bearing on what treatment it is thought  best to give him.  I had a PSA of around 13, and a gleason score of 7 (3+4) (it is important to know which way these numbers add up to the overall gleason score as (3+4) is better than 4+3).

Do not rely on Dr Google have a look on the Prostate Cancer UK website where you can download lots of leaflets on prostate cancer.  Most suitable for you and your Dad will be the Prostate Cancer Toolkit which is a folder of leaflets dealing with the beginning of treatment.  As I said you can download them, read them online or call the Prostate Cancer Nurses on the Prostaste Cancer UK help line and speak to them about sending you hard copies of the leaflets.  The telephone number is an 0800 number so free and you can talk to the nurses about any concerns either you or your Dad have.  It is also a good idea to go along to a prostate cancer or Cancer Self Help group such as a Maggies centre if your hospital has one where you will find a great deal of help and support. 

Take care

Des

Thanks Des for your reply. My dad is 67yrs and in good health in general. He got a call for an appointment with the radiation consultant on Monday. So hopefully things will be more clearer then. I'm hoping he will advise the Gleason score and the T number ect. But maybe that's up to the urologist consultant? I will update again on Monday. Thanks again 

Tell your Dad to ask for these at his appointment and to write them down.  Every Doc he speaks to will have these results or have access to these results.  I found that quite often these were only given if you ask as I think a lot of Docs think you just don't want to know details as they are scary and you are in shock and just get on with treatment so if you don't ask you don't get.  With every other ailment I have been allowed to look at scans but only when I asked at about my 5th appointment with the rad.onc did she show me the scan and talk me through where the cancer was, size and show me where it was pushing out at the back of the prostate which had a big bearing on my choice of treatments.

Take care and look forward to hearing from you.

Des