Brother just diagnosed

Good Evening Bg65 

A warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Prostate Community - I am so sorry to find you here. I am Brian one of the Community Champions on the group and yes I have Prostate Cancer.

So the biopsy results will give your brother his full diagnosis. T3B means the cancer has left the actual Prostate and can be found in the seminal vesicles, N1 means the cancer can be found in his lymph nodes and MX means the full spread is unknown or the results of the scans were unclear.

The answer you are looking for is that he is starting a Prostate Cancer journey and he is treatable - the treatments he will be receiving will take it out on his body and he need to be as fit as possible going into treatment.

We aren't medically trained on the Community - so from what I know once he has his biopsy results he will be moved from urology to oncology to receive a treatment plan.

I hope this helps to answer your question - feel free to ask anything - we will try and answer, no question is to trivial.

Here's a link to our guide to Staging and Grading of Prostate Cancer.

Best wishes - Brian.

Thank you so much for your quick reply I really appreciate it . My brother is so fit and is so possitive saying he’s going no where and this cancer not going to beat him . I know this attitude is the right attitude but I’m so upset and in his company I’m getting upset which is last thing he needs . Is his cancer advanced prostate cancer ? I’m just so unsure of anything . 

Hi BG

Difficult one really, how much has it  spread, will help when U get biopsy results to show if aggressive or not.

It looks like broken out thru the gland and in , hopefully, nearby nodes (s) not distant.

So if in a nearby node (s) it is still potentially curable.

So fingers crossed Gleeson  6 or 7 which would indicate slowish growth.

Have they talked about starting HT to stop growth until treatment starts.

Best wishes 

Steve 

Hello and again thank you so much for quick reply . No they haven’t started him on any hormone therapy this is something that has been puzzling me why wouldn’t they start him on HT straight away ? Just to get it started would there be a reason for that ? And on Tuesday when they give him biopsy results would they at that appointment start him there or does he have to wait to refered to oncology ?

thank you 

Yes surprising, perhaps they were waiting to give biopsy results first and didn't want to give the HT before doing the biopsy.itself

When they give the results Def ask about treatment and in particular the HT to put it under control.

Good luck

Steve

Hi grundo

one more question if that’s ok . Because his cancer has come out the prostate dos this mean that it’s going to be an aggressive cancer ? Is that an indication it is ? Sorry I’m asking so many questions .

thank you 

Hello Bg65 

This is where the NHS is quite different. Take me - PSA182 placed on Hormone Therapy 5 days after my initial blood test (you can read my journey by clicking on my name or avatar). Other Consultants are reluctant to start medication/ treatment until after the biopsy, MRI and bone scan and will wait until the MDT meeting. Most Prostate Cancers are slow growing - but the earlier the treatment starts the better.

If his biopsy results are next Tuesday I would have some one go with him with a full list of questions. This link Questions for your Team will help you start off your list.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hello Bg65 

It may not be an aggressive cancer - even though it's outside the gland. The Gleason Score from the biopsy will answer that question.

Best wishes - Brian.

Thank you so much for all the help I have had tonight being my first time in here . I was nervous about joining as I thought I was going to ask silly questions seeing this is all new to me but yous have been amazing in getting rid of some of my worry’s thank you so much it’s been the best thing I did joining as it’s made me feel so much better and will relay all you have told me to my brother . Once again thank you so much and will let you know results of his biopsy on Tuesday .

bg 

Good morning Bg65 and welcome from a wife. At the start of this journey there are so many new terms being thrown at you and it can be difficult to understand what they mean. Can I suggest you download this free book which will help you understand what tests are carried out and more importantly what they mean. It will give you a better understanding of terms like 'locally advanced' and 'aggressive' as well as identifying 'risk factors' all of which will feed in to the treatment pathway recommended to your brother.

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

There is a bone scan which is often carried out before hormone therapy starts - this is usually just to confirm that there is no bone spread and not that they suspect there is. He may also be given a CT scan to confirm whether there are any distant mets - the M bit in the TNM score. As hormone therapy starts working very quickly it can affect the results of these scans.

There is a very good statistic which says that 98% of men die with prostate cancer, not of it. Prostate cancer is usually slow growing so there is a little time to sort things out although our natural instinct is to want to start treating it immediately. There are different types of hormone therapy available so it is important to be put on the right one from the start and it needs time to gather the information to determine which one it will be for your brother.

Keep asking your questions, nothing is silly as we have all been where you are now and know how frightening it is.