Active Surveillance

Hi Phil

I was on AS for 4 years from 2013.

It went ok but u just need to keep on top of things IE PSA every 3 months , u don't give any PSA figures?

Also MRI pref every year.

Keep your eye on tumour size in case getting near the the capsule edge which is what happened to me.

So my largest tumour went from. 3mm to about 13mm over the 4 years.

Treatment options are obviously always there so probably start thinking about if going for surgery or RT.

All the best

Steve 

Hello Phil (SheffieldPhil794ea6) 

Welcome to the group - let me say at the outset I am not a fan of AS, whilst Prostate Cancer is slow growing it's not going away, so my view is to treat it whist you are younger and fitter.

As Steve (Grundo) said if you let us have some more details perhaps we can help you better, and is your Gleason 7 a 3+4 or 4+3?

Treatment also removes the anxiety of waiting for scans and results.

Best wishes - Brian.

hi, i was diagnosed late last year, gleason 7. 3+4.   I was offered everything, and as much as AS seemed good, i know i would not have handled it well and would have felt at some stage it would rise and then force another decision, i didnt fancy having ED issues nor incontinece risks so i opted for ldr brachytherapy and nothing else. that was Feb 14th this year and at this point i am almost fully back to normal with some still urgent rushes to the toilet, but not had one accident yet on that front but a few near misses.  see my biograpy 

I was on AS for 2 years from March 2022, and for me the decision was simple. I always assumed that I would need treatment at some stage, but the chance of another couple of years living life as normal (before the risks of side effects from the treatment) was a no brainer.

I always remember the meeting I had with the specialist nurse when I received my diagnosis. She said men fall into 2 categories:

• some can't stand the thought of having cancer and want it removed immediately
• others are more relaxed about low level diagnosis, and are happy to be guided by the medical team

Hi Phil

I've been on active surveillance for over 7 years now and am aged 64.

For me it's a matter of hearing the medical advice and questioning the facts, bearing in mind that my view is that medics tend to want to find an answer, cure and move on when blitzing the prostate may not be necessary yet.  Particularly given the incontinence and impotence side effects.  Take a look at my biography that I have just written.

New procedures and trials are constantly in the offing.  In the time I have been on active surveillance these focal therapies have come on stream with greatly reduced side effects so I am currently pleased to have pushed back and waited.

Feel free to give feedback and ask questions.

All the best.

Nigel  (don't know how to change my profile name from Bobil!!)

Hello Nigel (Bobila52ab5) 

Thank you for your post, you look to be doing well on AS although treatment is looming. As you may be aware I am not a fan of AS (nor surgery unless it's necessary) 

Two pieces of information for you:

* Here's a link to our help pages where you can find out how to change your user name:

 Help Pages 

* Here's  link to our Bladder group should you wish to join them (or just have a browse)

Bladder cancer forum 

Best wishes - Brian.

Thanks Brian.  Just skimmed through you journey so far and it's very different from mine.  If I have understood correctly you additionally had a very enlarged prostate also causing issues.

Glad you have got things under control and thank you for contributing to this forum.

I guess each man's journey has a uniqueness that means one's approach may be different from another.

All the best, Nigel

Hello Nigel (Bobila52ab5) 

Yes, the enlarged prostate caused the bladder not to empty properly and then tried to kill me by crushing my kidneys!!

Everyone has a different journey and prostate treatment in the UK varies from hospital to hospital and health trust to health trust. Some treatments are not even offered in some areas!.

For your information the reason I am not a fan of AS is in the 4 years I have been here I have seen 2 Community members go from AS to T4 .

I do what I do for the Community as I don't want to see any man where I was 4 years ago - being told they had cancer but not being given enough information about their future journey.

Best wishes - Brian.