Prostate cancer diagnosis newbie

Hi Clarky and welcome to the club you didn't ever want to join.

Your quandary is the classic one - surgery or RT/HT. It's a really difficult and very personal decision.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the option - it was RT/HT for me, or nothing.

Had I been given the surgery option, I would have jumped at it, as all I wanted was this 'thing' out of me. I hadn't done any research and this, perhaps, would have been a mistake. I will never know.

My advice is to read up, as much as you can, all options available to you. Check all side effects - there are no options without side effects, and speak directly with the surgery consultant and RT consultant. They both may champion their speciality.  Don't make any decision until you have.

Good luck in whatever decision you arrive at.

Regards

Stuart

Hi Clarky . I think you might get better advice if you could share your current PSA . Unless it’s pretty low , you should maybe dismiss surgery . IMHO unless you are pretty sure that there’s no spread , you might be better with Hormones and Radiotherapy. I had a 4+3 and a Stage 2b , psa 11 . 2 years with no PSA , but the more I think about it , the more I think that I was at the upper end of where the advantages of surgery may outweigh the side effects . Totally personal and unsustantiated view . Bill

Hi Clarky

My thinking is that once a T3 you could be better off with HT and RT just to help clear up any residue outside the gland.

The other important thing is that the surgeon has indicated he has to remove some vital nerves which may cause ED issues.

Obviously you are still young so Def something to consider.

Do much research to consider the side effects for both treatment options.

Best wishes

Steve 

Good Evening Clarky1823  A warm welcome to our exclusive club.

If as you say you are a Gleason 7 and it's gone "walkabout"  then it's gone somewhere - I am going to assume - you may well be a T3a as the first stop is the Lymph nodes.

* Surgery isn't normally offered once the gland has been breached as it can't be sure to catch all the little beggers that have decided to go "walkabout". Plus at your age if it's not nerve sparing you don't want to spend the rest of your life with either a dribble or no erection!

* I would think Hormone Therapy/ Radiotherapy are the best options for you however as my good friend Scampidoodle says in fairness do your research and check out both options that are available to you. Both options have their drawbacks.

I didn't have a choice and went down - and still am on the HT/RT route. You can read my journey by clicking on the icon of the beach next to my user name (and yes I had my RT at The Christy in Oldham - they were amazing!!).

If you want to know anything ask away  -  no matter how trivial you may think the question is - it's all very personal - but you will get honest answers from people who have "been there - got the T shirt".

Best wishes - Brian.

HI Bill, my PSA is 1.2  thanks Michael

Thanks Steve, my thoughts exactly, the nerves are connected to ED so would be risky i suppose

Thanks Brian yes sounds like a good option, will look at your link, not sure if i will be oldham or manchester yet

Well that's a very low PSA reading BUT - if you have Advanced Prostate Cancer - then as far as I am aware it's "gone walkabout" and I am sure that surgery would not be an option - but I have been wrong before!!

Best wishes - Brian.

Thé 3a implies that the capsule is breached . It doesn’t mean there’s spread to lymph nodes ( that’s what the N in the TNM tells you ), so surgery is not necessarily out of the question . So you have a hard decision to make . But no huge rush  , so read everything . Best wishes , Bill

Yes surgery has been offered last Friday at Tameside hospital, Dr Cleaveland. the Tumor is restricted to the prostate but has breached giving me the T3, bone and ct scans are all clear. i mentioned the low PSA but he said that could mean its more aggressive. Removal is an option but would have to cut through the nerves on the right which may effect ED but not deffo. They said it would be a robotic keyhole procedure but as others have said on here it may be risky at 54. My worry with RT is that if it comes back in a few years my options are limited