Recently diagnosed prostate cancer Gleason 7

Good Morning Again Weezie1982 

Welcome to the Macmillan Online Prostate Community - we are a decent bunch!!

Yours is the $64000 dollar question and as a Gleason 7 with no spread you should have the choice of 3 treatment routes - Surgery to Remove, Hormone/Radiotherapy and Brachytherapy (this isn't available everywhere).

The honest answer is the choice of treatments is personal to you and how you see the side effects affecting your life. The best way to decide is to get your self a pen and paper (or I-Pad as you are young) and list the pros and cons of each treatment as to how they could affect YOU. 

Use trusted sources for your information, Macmillan - Prostate Cancer UK and the Community (Never Dr Google). Here's a few links to get you started:

Surgery - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatments-and-drugs/prostatectomy-for-prostate-cancer

HT/RT - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatments-and-drugs/hormonal-therapy-for-prostate-cancer and https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatments-and-drugs/radiotherapy-for-prostate-cancer

Brachytherapy - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatments-and-drugs/brachytherapy-for-prostate-cancer

Many Community members have a diary of their personal treatment and you can read my HT/RT journey by clicking on my avatar or user name (I had a few other issues on the way!!).

Community member Alpine Wanderer will be happy to share his Brachytherapy journey.

We are all happy to answer any questions you may have - however trivial they may be.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi !

I think Millibob summarize the different treatment paths very well and also that the final choice is extremely personal and all treatments have pros, cons and side effects that you have take into account when doing your treatment.

I see that you have a Gleason score but have they done som scans to verify your diagnosis (T1 -> Tx)? I suppose that, because of the fact that you can go for prostatectomy or radiation you have a localized PC diagnosis.

That diagnosis together with the Gleason score gives you a chance to choose how aggresivily you feel you need to be treated and then if you choose prostatectomy or radiation, you need to remember there is always other possibilities for other treatment IF primary treatment don’t do the work (e.g. recurrence)

Apart from prostatectomy and radiation; if you have a localized prostate cancer there is also focal therapies (Cryo, HIFU and etc.) that might fit your diagnosis so that could be worth checking up

Best wishes - Ulf

Hi Weezie1982

I’m one of the group of us have been down the op route in July this year, I wrote a thread on here spanning my experience of arrival at hospital on July 5th to getting the all clear on Op Day +80 just last week, if you look for the thread it’s titled “post surgery”. There are a couple of others on here who can provide a direct link to it, but unfortunately that’s not me. If you decide to read it, it’s important to remember that it’s my experience, and as everyone is unique in their own way, theirs will likely differ in ways to mine.

The most, most important thing is to be fully informed so you can make the decision that is right for you, but do your self a big favour, get the information you need from your hospital, your GP, prostate cancer UK website and on here at MacMillan, do not go down the rabbit hole with Dr Google, that way can lead to a deep dark hole.

Now I’ll tell you why I chose the op route, I was Gleason 7 (3+4) at T3a and the cancer was contained within my prostate albeit more so in the right side than the left.

I was given two routes, radical prostatectomy or hormone therapy with radio therapy, in the early stages I flip flopped about between which one I considered best for me. After further discussions with those who know more than me, I plumped for the operation as a no brainer for me.

I was 57 at the time, physically fit, active & enjoying my life and I didn’t want that to change, or if was going to, for as short a time as possible. I was told that the hormone & radio therapy route would take 18 months and come with a range of possible side effects, second, for me, I was told that if that didn’t work, I would no longer be eligible for an operation. Well those reasons did it for me.

a) op route - my op was on July 5th and I was back at my desk by the 19th August

b) on September 23rd I was given the all clear

c) why would I take a route that if it didn’t work, would also take one of the other options away from me

So that was it, 80 days and i’m done, if I’d gone to the therapy route today I’d be at around the 4 month mark now with another 14 months to go.

Sure I’m slightly incontinent and I suffer from ED but both of those things can be worked on, but at the end of the day, if that’s as good as it gets for me on that score, so be it, I’m still amongst those that I love & who love me and I couldn’t ask for more. 

Best of luck with everything and if you have any questions, just look me up.

John

Here is your thread.

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/prostate-cancer-forum/f/diagnosis-and-treatment/279754/post-surgery?pifragment-13906=1

Sorry this is all new to me. My score is 3+4 (7). I have a meeting at hospital on Monday to discuss options and really appreciate the links you sent above.

Thank you 

Hi Johnboy

really appreciate your insight and tbh it really helped me. Had a bit of a wobble yesterday. Our scores are like for like (from what I understand) mines also a 3+4 (7). Thank you! My thought process is to go down the surgery route. I’m 42 years old with three kids and want to be around for as long as I can. Thanks!

Hello Weezie1982 .

Can I suggest you download this free book which gives a lot of additional information to the good advice that Brian has offered.

https://www.jyotishah.com/fighting-prostate-cancer-a-survival-guide/

Weezie1982 said:

Sorry this is all new to me

Don't worry, we have all been where you are and know how hard the start of your journey can be. 

Weezie1982 said:

Had a bit of a wobble

Again we have all been there.

Things will get better and much clearer once you are on a formal treatment path. We are all happy to help with any questions you have.

Best wishes - Brian.