Which treatment??

User

Posted 12 Aug 2020 at 15:35

I have recently been diagnosed with the cancer which is in early stage. I am 59 and active in terms of exercise. I have been offered removal and Beam Radiotherapy. Would realy appreciate some views and considerations. Thanks

User

Posted 12 Aug 2020 at 17:19

Hi Bellenfante,

Sorry to hear you have joined the club. Good luck with your treatment choices. Can you provide details of your diagnosis?- Gleason score, biopsy results, staging would help everybody understand your situation and share experiences.

User

Posted 12 Aug 2020 at 20:12

Thanks for geting back. Gleason is 3 +4, biopsy was 11 0ut of 15 samples and T2 although apparently the cacer is on both sides so the nurse was unsure why it was written up as T2 without any other marker. Had really great chat with nurse from here today which has helped - i think but also just given me more to try to get my head round. Any thoughts or shares would really be appreciated.

User

Posted 12 Aug 2020 at 21:47

It is horrible having a choice. My oncos had only one plan for me so that is what I had. I think in hindsight it is as well that I did not have surgery, I have not suffered too badly with side effects of HDR and EBRT. Of course it is early days yet, only two years. I may be cursing my treatment in a few years. But for the time being I am happy.

Dave

User

Posted 12 Aug 2020 at 21:58

Men here will generally suggest the treatment option they selected from the choice given and although this can be useful their situations may not be representative of yours and additionally they may have come to different conclusions having considered all the pros and cons of various treatments. I recommend that for authoritative and impartial information you start by downloading or obtain a hard copy of the 'Toolkit' which gives a run down on various treatments as well as other useful basic information on PCa. https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/our-publications/publications/tool-kit?_ga=2.206109653.795867346.1564408880-1013787081.1564408880

Edited by member 12 Aug 2020 at 22:01 | Reason: Not specified

Barry

User

Posted 12 Aug 2020 at 22:20

One thing to clarify with the urologist before you decide is whether the prostatectomy would be nerve sparing on one or both sides, or non nerve sparing. You should also see an oncologist to talk about the radiotherapy, how long you would be on the hormones, and whether you might be suitable for brachytherapy instead.

All things being equal, surgery and radiotherapy have almost identical success rates in terms of remission at 5 and 10 years but are quite different for side effects - side effects of surgery are immediate but hopefully improve with time while side effects of RT tend to develop years later.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 13 Aug 2020 at 08:51

Good morning Bellenfante

As you say you have been diagnosed at a relatively early stage and that gives you a wider range of options to consider which is great news for you.

The toolkit is very handy and help you balance your priorities against potential side effects of treatment

if the cancer is contained within the prostate and the edge of the prostate is cancer free then you should have every chance of a nerve sparing radical prostectomy. That was the route I chose back in March and if you click on my profile you can see how I got on ( I've been very happy with the outcome)

There will be plenty of advice on here so just ask away

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