17 biopsies, must be a record. Hi Tony. You have lowish stats, hopefully tumour confined to the gland
Check up online with regards to side effects for both treatments and see which u fancy less
Radiotherapy is simpler although u do have side effects from HT to tolerate , these should go away when treatment is finished. Radiotherapy itself normally only has short term side effects but be careful if your already have bowel or urinary issues.
Surgery is quicker but is a major op and urinary or ED side effects r always a possibility with this treatment , obviously not always.
Hello Tony, at my diagnosis the Urologist gave me a choice of surgery or Rt/Hormone therapy but I needed a bone scan first. Bone scan showed cancer was in my hip bone so it was Rt/Hormone therapy. I was going for that anyway. Have ongoing side effects from the 6 weeks Rt and monthly Prostap injections which to be honest are somewhat debilitating. I have a great Cancer care-ordinator who I can contact anytime and has been a great help especially liasing with the Oncologist. Gather all the advice/information you can before you make any decision, loads out there. My treatment was decided due to the bone metasis. It's a big decision and hope all goes well for you. With best wishes, Graham.
Have you had an MRI scan yet? These should be done before biopsy but I had mine after. It doesn't really matter if the biopsy has already confirmed cancer but would be helpful to see where the tumour is exactly and where to target the biopsy. It will also show the position of the tumour so if the tumour is still inside and not pushing on the capsule of the prostate or already broken through the capsule you will still have the choice of both treatments if it is pushing on the capsule or already outside then Hormone Therapy and Radiotherapy is the way to go. This happened to me so in the 4 weeks between biopsy and MRI I had both options and then after the MRI Scan I only had the option of Hormone Therapy and Radiotherapy as the tumour was pushing on the capsule near the rectum and they were worried that some cancer cells may have escaped. As I already had both bowel and bladder problems I had fiducial markers implanted into the prostate (3 gold seeds about the size of a grain of rice) to help target the radiotherapy and avoid collaterol damage. This worked extremely well and here I am nearly 6 years later with undetectable PSA and living a normal life. Because of the fiducial markers I had very few side effects from the radiotherapy and I believe because I exercised as normal all the way through treatment going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, walking, cycling etc. That I hardly had any of the fatigue side effects and weight due to the Hormone Therapy and it probably also helped with any emotional problems too. Also, really enjoyed my month of radiotherapy as we moved into a Local Cancer Charity run bungalow near the "big city" where my cancer centre as we lived at least 2 hours drive away and went to the theatre, exhibitions, sports events etc during our stay. I made a really good contribution to the Charity and still visit and help them out with campaigns.
As to the side effects I did have - I had one night of getting up more than usual to urinate about half way through the radiotherapy and never had a bowel issue - others I chatted to in the waiting room had varying degrees of problems with both. Within a few months of finishing Hormone Treatment my sex life was back to normal too which I didn't expect and even asked my oncologist if this was alright as it was so unexpoected.
It may be a good idea for you to have a look on the Prostate Cancer UK website and look at their folder called The Prostate Cancer Toolkit where you will find leaflets on what to expect at diagnosis and progression to treatment. You can either download copies of the leaflets or read on line. You can also telephone the Prostate Cancer Specialist nurses on their helpline 0800 074 8383 their hours of operation are Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri. 9am - 6pm and Weds, 10am - 8pm. they were invaluable to my wife and I at this point as I could hardly ever manage to get in touch with my nurse keyworker. Indeed got more help from my urologist's and oncolgist's secretaries then my key worker but she was so obviously overworked - that is not a reflection on her.
Met radiotherapist last Friday, the side effects they talked about with radiotherapy and the hormone treatment shocked me, as did the 75% survival 5-10 years, but feel like they have to tell you this
I was in a similar position 2 months ago but with PSAof 50. My capsule had been breached and seminal vesicles were involved on MR.
im now 3 weeks post radical prostatectomy. I chose this even though I may well already have micro metastases as unlike most cancers there is good evidence that taking away the primary source is still effective,
it also means I can still have radiotherapy if necessary.(when I get the histology and post op PSA results). The other thing that swung it was that having surgery seemed to give me the least chance of long term catheterisation when I’m older (61 now) the biggest down side to surgery is incontinence but I’m fit and slim so odds are good I’ll get it back. My catheter came out a week ago and I’m dry at night, starting to gain control during the day but it’s a long road and a bit daunting
I was on HT for 3 years, some of my side effects (hot flushes and fatigue) significantly reduced within the first year of starting treatment. Sex drive and erections returned, probably about a year after I completed the HT. I’m probably back to my fitness level pre cancer diagnosis.
Hope this helps
best regards
Don't let your good days be spoilt by the worry of a bad day, that may or may not come along.
