Curious as to what the timescales are from the GP referral to actual treatment?

Hello Murphy22 

The issue here is the NHS has around 215 different Trusts. Take off the ambulance and mental health trusts that leaves you with about 185. They all act differently - some are pretty fast and keep within the guidelines, most are way behind and none differentiate between a Gleason 6 and Gleason 10 - all are on the same waiting list!

You are lucky!! () - you have the lower of the Gleason 7's (3+4) as opposed to (4+3) so it's slow growing, the delay should not affect the final outcome.

If you are worried and you can drop everything at a moments notice you could contact the hospital and tell them you are available to accept a short notice cancellation if one come up.

I hope the above helps, if you require any further details or information regarding the above please don't hesitate to get back to me.

Best wishes - Brian

The pathway is different in every case. You will be fitted in as son as practically possible but the guidelines are not set in concrete.

This prostate cancer is a slow growing cancer so don’t worry. The choice is yours and the timings will be what they are.

Don't panic.

Good luck

Hi Murphy22 the initial tests have been carried out quite quickly. My take on the current delay is that you are relatively low risk and other Gleason 7, 8 and 9’s are getting priority.  I presume your PSA was fairly low as well.  The key is starting HT and I assume you will be on that soon after 28 May.  Usually a gap to allow the HT to work and then have RT a few months later.  Try and forget PCa for a while and enjoy your holiday (hope you are going somewhere nice).  

here in scotland I was around 150 days from urgent referal to first ADT Treatment. The target in Scottish NHS is the same as the rest of the UK which is 62 days.  Diagnosed end July last year and this coming friday is my first radiotherapy treatment of 20 fractions.. Dave

Hi Murphy22  it’s totally dependant on a postcode lottery am afraid. Where w live my husband was diagnosed in March 2024 but didn’t see a consultant until July 2024 best wishes 

liz & OH xx

Hi Brian, Thanks for the response and to everyone else who has posted a reply. I am as you say relatively lucky in that the Gleason score is a 3+4 with a 90% bias towards a 3, but to offset that is a Pirads 5 tumour which measures 15mms on a 32cc prostate (ping pong ball size apparently) and where some of that tumour is against the capsule wall. The last thing I want is to get to treatment and find it is now not contained within the capsule. I guess the hormone therapy will prevent that by slowing its progression?? Am I  over thinking all of this??

Hello Murphy22 

You should be fine - it's a low Gleason Score, you will also have a TNM score too - details of what these mean is here:

Staging and grading of prostate cancer.

PI-RADS 5 - this means they had a clear view of the tumor on the MRI and it's likely to be cancer. A 32cc Prostate is just above the average size and 15mm is about half it's size so it should be growing very slowly.

Once you start on Hormone Therapy this will remove your testosterone (the cancer's food) and will stop any further growth in it's tracks - the radiotherapy will kill the cancer off. Job done.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Brian, once again thank you.

Yes my score is a T2c N0 M0. So, based on the MRI there a no spread outside of the prostate. I did ask if they needed to do a PSMA pet scan or bone scan. The response was negative to both.

Hello Murphy22 

All sounds good and you will be heading down a "curative pathway" (I love those 2 words).

To help us help you can you please add your journey details to your profile (then we don't have to ask repeated questions). To do this on your home page, click on the chair -top right, then "profile" then "edit". once you've written something remember to click on save. (If you click on my user name or avatar it will give you an idea, although you don't need to write a book!).

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Murphy22 ,

Maybe my experience will reassure you that a good outcome is quite possible even when the journey through treatment is remarkably slow. Please feel free to read my rather protracted profile by clicking on my avatar above this message.

However please remember that we are all different though we all look forward to a positive outcome even if side effects from treatment do continue to torment some of us.

You will notice that I was on hormone therapy for ten months before my twenty session radio therapy began and even then I had to press my hospital for the start date of the RT.

I wish you all the best on your journey.

Rod