New to group

Hello Anonymouse wife and a very warm welcome to the forum, can't offer any personal advice as my situation is different to yours, though I am sure many of the guys and ladies will be here soon to share their experiences. best wishes to you both.

Eddie xx

Many thanks Eddie

Best wishes x

Hi Anonymouswife 

you have come to the right place. First of all, your husband’s staging is T3a, N0, M0, which is curable.  He is being steered to surgery because he is only 55, as radiotherapy used to have a higher chance of additional cancers being caused by the overspill of radiation.  However, the new modulation and computer guided LINAC machines are MUCH better at accurately targeting the cancer only nowadays, so later cancers are less common (I’ve been papers suggesting 1-2% chance, about 20 years down the line).

I have tolerated the alternative route to cure very well (so far) and you may wish to view my bio Alpine Wanderer . I was offered surgery (I’m also T3a) and the very experienced surgeon said that there was a 30% chance of needing salvage radiotherapy.  I didn’t fancy two sets of side effects.  Also, the links in my bio explain the effectiveness of brachytherapy boost, which is why I chose it.  They didn’t do it at my local hospital, so I asked to be referred to NHS Addenbrookes.  Hope this helps assuage your initial anxiety.  Take a look at the links I mentioned.  Your husband would probably be an excellent candidate for BBoost.    AW

Thank you so much. That has really helped. I will look at your links x

Anonymouswife said:

(His dad aged 75 at the time was diagnosed 8 years ago and made full recovery with radiotherapy

I noted this - and this was using the less capable radiotherapy technology.  Please remember that your husband has a very early diagnosis and you have time to consider all the treatment options.  Just because he is being steered to surgery (10 days to pre-op, etc), don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Also, I believe that it is NHS protocol to ensure patients see consultants of both disciplines: surgery and oncology, before they make their decision.  AW

Hi A

There is an argument that once broken through the gland (T3) could possibly be better off with Radiotherapy.

Could be better at mopping up stray cells than surgery.

Potentially more side effects including ED and urinary issues with surgery although obviously not everyone has issues, some of it relies on expertise.of the surgeon.

Best wishes 

Steve 

Hi Anonymous Wife

Sorry you find yourself here but it’s a great place for advice and support. My OH had robotic Da Vinci surgery 3 weeks ago tomorrow (time flies). He recovered very quickly with no incontinence. We are out walking daily and he is chomping at the bit to get back in the gym (he’s 60). He’s just waiting for Monday when we have follow up appointment with his surgeon to give him the ok. His scars have faded very quickly. Re ED, his nerves were spared during surgery and he has feeling in his penis so hopefully that will also be fine once his body has rested. He was T2c (don’t know if this will change after review).  If you want to know more I’m happy to answer any questions. I’ve posted under New to Group and Robotic surgery. I’ve also written our journey so far on my profile. Big hugs to your family. My OH also wanted minimal info so he could process things a bit at a time. I found it very helpful (for myself and him) to have answers in the moments when he felt ready to ask things xx

Yes, I should point out that I had some aggressive traits (cribriform and AIP) that drove me down the radiotherapy route - but every patient is different and some do, indeed, suit surgery.  I put my details down as an alternative which you may want to consider only: your consultant will know best and - of course - biopsy histology is king.   AW

Hi there, I can only speak as a pre-op myself. I have recently been diagnosed as Gleason 7 (3+4) stage 2c and was offered the radical protestectomy or the hormone treatment with radiation therapy.

The hormone / radiation therapy as it was explained to me was two months of hormone treatment which suppresses testosterone as this is the food of the cancer effectively, followed by targeted daily radiation therapy, then a further 15 months of hormone therapy. The hormone therapy on a man, will reduce their ability to have or even have a libido. can or will put them into what amounts to a female menopause by having hot sweats, mood swings, loss of body hair and possibly grow breasts as well as possibly damage the bowel and / or bladder.

Yes, the operation as you’re aware comes with its own risk of complications but for me, choosing the operation was a no brainer as I don’t want 18 months of what I’ve described, plus I was also told that if the hormone therapy didn’t work, I would then be unable to make the operation my second choice of treatment due to the damage the radiation does to the area. So I thought, why would I choose to lose an option of getting past this, at least if the op doesn’t work, the hormone & radiation therapy is still there for me to do next.

of course every guy who finds themself in our position will be different due to things like age and stage of cancer that they’re at, but for what it’s worth, I thought I’d let you know why I chose the operation route.

best wishes to you & your husband

John

Thank you. He has a telephone appointment with the private oncologist who he first saw nearly 2 years ago to ask his advice on treatments. X