Hi I was diagnosed with prostate cancer stage 3a and I’m two years into hormone treatment. What is my prognosis?

Hello and welcome to the club.

First of all, we don't have your full diagnosis (mine is Gleason 9(5+4) T3a N0 M0) and my treatment is HT/RT and is being given as curative so that a positive!

Secondly - If you've been on HT for two years is there any reason why you haven't already had any RT?

Thirdly - You don't say which HT treatment you are on. Yes some stop working and I am going to stop the HT after 3 years. At that point the cancer cells should be dead/subdued. If my PSA starts to rise at that point then there are further treatments available.

Fourth - 98% of people with Prostate Cancer die of something else.

So - I think you can defer writing your will before the kids return to school!!

If you let us know your full diagnosis, why you haven't had RT yet and anything else you think is relevant I am sure we can convince you that Mr Google is wrong!!!!!!

(if you want to be re-assured you can read my cancer journey by clicking on the icon of the beach).

Kind Regards

Brian.

i don't know where you got this info from but its bollocks !!

i've been on hormone treatment for 4 and a half yrs 

still working as a gardener although i can't work like i used too 

pma ( positive mental attitude ) works wonders 

Hi,

Agree with the other two posts. My husband has been on HT only as has many other health issues. He started it two years ago. His psa has gone up slightly recently, so they are planning to give him another tablet form of ht if it continues to rise.

His cancer has metastasised so is incurable, however it is definitely treatable.

Considering he is 78, has advanced pc, heart problems and certainly does NOT eat or drink healthily (except the meals I give him) he is still with us. He falls constantly and apart from ribs, has broken nothing and basically does nothing all day and does not even try and exercise. In short, he does nothing to help himself. We don't know your age but it is great that you are living a full and active life so keep this up.

Speaking to you as a wife of a man with pc, yes sexual activity is probably not possible. However, as we get older, even without prostate cancer, many couples I know find this activity limited to birthdays and anniversaries!!! Joking apart, as I was (a bit), if you wanted to, and also had the libido, then there are other ways to give pleasure. A cuddle works wonders if you are so inclined.

Keep positive, keep us informed and keep teaching. We need good teachers and work is the best distraction to your health problems. Nearly all men die with prostate cancer than because of it. Keep a positive attitude and you will be fine. The fact that you can still have an active life ON HT, then that is brilliant. Lots on here find that they have serious fatigue as a side effect, so there you are, another POSITIVE.

Best regards and keep us informed

Gina

I’ve had chemo radio therapy and surgery for a removal of a rectal cancer which was successful in that my recent scan reported an all clear. I do feel great. I am living a full and active life but I guess what I read knocked me back a bit and frightened me.  

It wasn’t a Google thing. I read an article in a paper. I will contact my macmillan nurses and get a complete diagnosis. I guess I just didn’t want to know. Then I read something and I got frightened. Frightened more than the actual time I was told I had cancer. My doctor said I’d been dealt a bad hand but he did say he was trying to cure me and that the combination of chemo rt and ht would kill it. He did say my cancer is dormant but as I said earlier what happens when I stop the ht or if the cancer becomes immune to it?

Sorry to hear about your previous encounters with cancer. That would be the reason why you are not having Radiotherapy for the prostate.

You are doing fine on HT. Yes at some point the little buggers (cancer cells) can sometime out-wit the HT treatment but not always and there are further treatments available if this happens.

You are doing great, as long as your PSA readings are being checked on a regular timeline and they are staying low you have nothing to worry about.

As one of my daughters says towards the end of the summer holidays (She's teaching year 4 this year) "Time to get my red pen out and back to the front line!!"

Keep up the good work - a full and active life is great ED is a small price to pay for the rest of your life and as Gina above says, there are plenty of ways to show affection - Mrs Millibob has no complaints!! 

Stick with us for your PC information - we are a good bunch and between us there's not much we haven't "been there done that".

Best wishes

Brian.

I guess I just got frightened. And I suppose that’s normal enough. I don’t want to die at 57 and anyway it’s not a prime number. I’ll worry about 59 and then 61 instead.