Advice on 2nd time

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User

Posted 28 Jun 2020 at 07:52

Hi my dad had prostate cancer in January 2019 of 7.3/4 or 7.4/3 I don't remember exactly which one without double checking but it was the 'better' one of the two if you could even say that.

So he had his prostate removed, he was given the all clear in January for a year free of cancer... Then a blood tests have come up as 0.1 and then the next one 3 months later was 0.2.

He has been told his cancer will of returned but he obviously has no prostate now, he has spoken to the specialist over the phone, and then he has an oncology appt on Wednesday, but they haven't mentioned an mri scan yet to see where it is or how bad, has anybody had anything similar and can you help me with what the outcome was where it was etc is it stm curable at this point!? Thankyou

User

Posted 28 Jun 2020 at 10:39

Hi welcome, rest assured things are far from over. There are plenty of people on this forum whose primary treatment has failed. Follow up treatment is usually called salvage treatment. Some are living lives post salvage treatment with no evidence of cancer, others sadly are living lives where the cancer is being managed but is not curable.

With cancer there are no guarantees, but salvage treatment can work and it can irradicate the remaining cancer. It is impossible to know if any treatment for PCa has 100% worked, so if your lucky your dad may yet be cured, even if he isn't he may have many years ahead of him with the cancer managed and under control.

I'm sure some of our members with direct experience of salvage therapy will post shortly. Please remember people tend to be on this forum because they have on going problems, those who are cured move on, so don't be disheartened if you seem to read more replies about failure than success, we do not represent the average.

Dave

User

Posted 28 Jun 2020 at 19:13

Quite common to have a few cancer cells left in the prostate bed (the place where the prostate used to be), and the slow rise in PSA suggests that it may well be that. If it is, and scans show nothing more amiss, a course of radiotherapy is the treatment most likely to be offered. That would still be given with curative intent.

Next stage will probably be scans similar to the ones he had during initial diagnosis.

Try not to worry. This is a not uncommon situation.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 28 Jun 2020 at 22:45

Skellyt

From my experience, following surgery, men have been given SRT (with or without HT), based on a very educated guess that the cancer may still be in the prostate bed area. PSA rises and rates give guidance to what is possibly happening.

More recently some men have had scans that may and it only may detect where the cancer may be. With such a low PSA detection success varies.

I was told if they gave me a scan and found cancer in the prostate bed and out side of the Prostate bed I would not get SRT.

I had SRT and my PSA has started to rise again.

Thanks Chris

Edited by member 28 Jun 2020 at 22:46 | Reason: Missing word

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