Dad's recent diagnosis - advice on treatments

-Hello Toni . I am so sorry to hear about your Mum and Dad. You are certainly having more than your fair share of cancer troubles.

when we were going through the tests , results etc I found lots of very useful information on the following website

https://prostatecanceruk.org

There is a treatment you have not mentioned which is the combination of external beam radiation and hormone therapy? Perhaps this is because your Dad is, for prostate cancer, relatively young? I’m not a medical specialist so am not sure!

my husband had his rising PSA monitored for several years before it reached a point when action was needed. It wasn’t formal, set out active surveillance that they now do. We therefore just got on with enjoying our lives. This also had the downside, though! It meant that he was older when he needed treatment and physically less able to withstand the side effects of the treatment. 

I think you will get lots of comments as people will be able to tell you about their own experiences and what worked or didn’t work for them.

I wish you and your Dad all the very best on this journey.

Thank you so much for this, I have read about hormone treatment and external beam radiotherapy but this wasn't one of the options they offered us (I'm hoping that means, as you say, its in the early stages) 

I am nervous about the Active Surveillance in case it does grow and spread. I think mums was so progressive it scares the life out of me with the tumour just sitting there. 

I really appreciate your kind words, thank you xx

Hi Toni

A few stats would be helpful IE.  PSA, Gleeson, is tumour still contained.

If stats are low then active surveillance could be worth considering.

I had RT which was ok ,brachy similar, not a surgery fan but there are people on here who are happy with the procedure/result.

Best wishes

Steve 

Hi Steve, thanks for replying to me so quickly. His PSA was 4.8 when tested a couple months ago and his MRI and biopsy showed moderate PC. To my knowledge they havent mentioned what his Gleeson score is. Yes the tumour is still contained. 

I just worry if we go down the Active Surveillance route, by the time it comes to treatment he will be older and less able to deal with the side effects. 

Did you find the Brachy had many side effects? And was it painful? Thanks again.  

Hi Tony

I was on AS for 4 years , it went ok but u do have to keep monitoring.

Also Gleeson needs to be low and tumour size not too big.

I didn't have Brachytherapy, I had external beam.

EB and Brachy have some side effects but these tend to go away after treatment is over.

Regards

Steve 

Hi Toni

I am so sorry to find you here with all the other issues you have been through and notice you are a member of the other forums, but welcome to this one - we are a decent bunch.

I can only suggest at this point researching the different options and reading people's experiences of the different treatments. I went down the Hormone/Radiotherapy route but wasn't given a choice.

I can see from your post your anxiety and in that case I would think the active surveillance to be out. Brachytherapy isn't offered everywhere - I do have a friend here in Manchester who had this treatment, it's simple, it's worked for him and there are no side effects to mention. I am aware of posters on here who have been through this and I sure someone will give you the benefit of their experience.

There is no right and wrong choice of treatment - it's very personal to you! I wish you and your Dad all the best with his treatment.

Anything you want to ask (however trivial) please free to post.

Best wishes

Brian.

Sorry to hear about your dad, especially having his diagnosis so close to you losing your mum.l. If you look at my profile you can read our journey going down the surgery route, that my husband chose.

Hi Toni. Sorry to hear about you and your dad.

I  was diagnosed with PC at age 56 and went on active surveillance for 2 years before starting hormone therapy last year. I went on to have radiotherapy in February and March.

The path to choose is a very personal one - there is no right or wrong one but you have to research every option and decide which would be best for your dad.

You can read my journey by clicking on the picture of my cat.

I wish you all the best on your journey.

Regards

Peter 

Hi Brian, thank you so much for responding. I completely agree with surveillance being too much of a trigger but ultimately it’s dads decision. I’ve done a lot of research today and all 3 options seem positive. Thanks again for reaching out xx

Hi Peter, I just read your blog and it looks like treatment has worked wonders for you. I am so pleased. It’s also given me hope that he will be fine. Your diagnosis sounds very similar to my dads and is definitely something to think about. Thank you again, so pleased you’ve almost best this awful disease