I'm interested in conversations about and I want to talk about
Know exactly what you want?
Show search

Notification

Error

Looking for advice/others experiences…

Email this conversation Print this conversation
User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 16:52

My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April ‘22. He’s 68 and has been relatively healthy until he had a serious bout of pneumonia and pleurisy in December. He was being monitored for PSA levels for a year after having been referred to a consultant last year.  The GP decided to check his levels in Feb which had gone up to 7. An MRI and biopsy followed with Gleason scores of 4+3=7 MRI PI-RADS 4, T2 N0 M0. Biopsies showed 5/17 cores positive, maximum cancer length 8mm and target from left PZ. He had a PET/CT which showed the cancer has not spread and has been offered a choice if Radical robotic prostatectomy or RT with HT.
We’ve met the surgeon and the RT to discuss both options now. My husband has not been keen on surgery from the start whereas I felt it would be better to get it out, recover and get on with life. The decision is of course his - we’ve had some friends experiences of having had surgery but don’t know anyone whose had RT/HT. 
I’d be really grateful to hear anyones experience of having a similar diagnosis whose gone through RT/HT and anyone who went with surgery and reasons for your choice if you’re happy to share. We’re feeling very overwhelmed when looking at side effects and he’s now unsure which treatment to go for as originally there was no mention of HT. 
Thank you in advance. Having read some of the posts on here has been really helpful as I’ve  learnt so much.

Jennie

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 17:11

Hi...there is a lot of useful information and different experiences on this site. The decision on RT or surgery is for you and your husband to make but read up as much as you can . My husband was diagnosed  last October/November with Gleason 9 T2 NO MO, 7 mm long tumour. He had no symptoms whatsoever and was 69 at diagnosis. He opted for surgery on 12 April and has done very well since the op. Drain and catheter came out two weeks after the op and we are just praying and hoping that the histology results in June are good. My husband opted for surgery as should the cancer come back,there is the option of RT but if R T doesn't work then many surgeons are reluctant to take the prostate out after RT. There are lots of men pro the RT/HT route and others pro surgery.....it really is a case of getting as much information as you can and then moving forward. Keep reading everything on this site. There is a lot of support. Best of luck

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 18:53

Hi Jennie,

I'm in a very similar situation to your husband in regards to age, Gleason score, etc and having been given the diagnosis nearly 3 weeks ago with the choice of surgery or HT+RT.

My wife and I had meetings with surgeon & RT Dr last week. Having read up on the 2 treatments I was quite clear I wanted surgery. My principal reason was to have the offending item out.

The side effects from HT&RT seem to be many and the treatment long lasting. Surgery can be followed by RT, less likely the other way around.

The same evening I attended a local support group. 5 of the 7 guys had had surgery, one in Feb '22 two others late last year but all looked great and were very positive about the experience.

Both routes terrify me but, for me, getting the prostate out and the treatment out of the way was a no-brainer.

From my own brief introduction to this I can only advise your husband to read up on both procedures, find a support group and speak to others who have been through it.

Gordon

 

 

Edited by member 10 May 2022 at 18:56  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 20:45

Cheshire Chris makes a very valid point about the risks of subsequent SRT (salvage radiotherapy). Your T2 diagnosis indicates the cancer is confined to the prostate and hasn't spread which means the prospects for getting it all out with radical prostatectomy are good. However the cancer stage at diagnosis is not always 100% accurate. The histology of the removed tissue may show it to be greater or less than the diagnosis, so there is always a risk the SRT might be needed. It's just one of the risks you either take or don't take. In my case with a T3bN0M0 diagnosis the chances of SRT were much higher. The subsequent post op histology and PSA readings proved that to be the case. But at least I'm rid of most of it.

Chris

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 17:31
I went down the HT/RT route (strongly recommended in my case) and found it all pretty plain sailing. Takes a long time of course (18 months in total on HT for me; six and a half weeks RT five days a week), but there were no particularly dreadful side-effects.

I would have chosen RT even had I been given the choice, and have no regrets about going down that treatment route.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 19:23
Hi Jennie, our experience is similar to Paulit. My hubby is 7 weeks post op and doing well. We received the histology last week and the results were good. What a relief! He had 2 tumours, Gleason 7, N0, M0. 16/22 cores positive. It really is a personal choice, my hubby wanted it out with the option to have rt if required. It’s an ordeal that’s for sure. Read up, ask the questions, speak to the professionals and once the decision has been made, hopefully, you will feel slightly better and more in control. There is great support and advice on this forum. X
User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 19:58
The long-term success rates for surgery and RT are basically the same - both very good. One thing to consider is that roughly one third of men who have surgery go on to require salvage RT and so end of with the side-effects of both surgery and RT. With odds like that I considered it preferable to go for RT in the first place.

Cheers,

Chris

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 22:51

I went down the same route as Cheshire Chris. No problems. With the treatments being equally effective and the chance of serious side effects being much less from RT I'm glad it was the only option open to me. 

Dave

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 23:38

Hi Jennie,

My husband had surgery last December and is doing really well. He chose the surgery option for many of the reasons stated above.  Our situation was slightly different though, in that it had spread out of the prostate into atleast 1 lymph node. He was initially diagnosed advanced because they said it was in his pelvic bone too….so he was never offered surgery as an option at our local hospital. We sought a private second opinion and found a great surgeon who removed his prostate and 14 lymph nodes. The post histology was really encouraging, and although we went into it expecting RT later, there is now a slight chance he may not need it 🤞🏼🤞🏼
He’s slightly older than your husband but continence wise he has been great. ED wise is still a work in progress. He initially started on HT so he has very little interest at the moment in trying to get things working again! Hopeful that will change when testosterone returns. More details on my profile.

Everyone is different in terms of side effects for both options which does of course make it a really difficult decision. Best of luck to you both.

Show Most Thanked Posts
User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 17:11

Hi...there is a lot of useful information and different experiences on this site. The decision on RT or surgery is for you and your husband to make but read up as much as you can . My husband was diagnosed  last October/November with Gleason 9 T2 NO MO, 7 mm long tumour. He had no symptoms whatsoever and was 69 at diagnosis. He opted for surgery on 12 April and has done very well since the op. Drain and catheter came out two weeks after the op and we are just praying and hoping that the histology results in June are good. My husband opted for surgery as should the cancer come back,there is the option of RT but if R T doesn't work then many surgeons are reluctant to take the prostate out after RT. There are lots of men pro the RT/HT route and others pro surgery.....it really is a case of getting as much information as you can and then moving forward. Keep reading everything on this site. There is a lot of support. Best of luck

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 17:31
I went down the HT/RT route (strongly recommended in my case) and found it all pretty plain sailing. Takes a long time of course (18 months in total on HT for me; six and a half weeks RT five days a week), but there were no particularly dreadful side-effects.

I would have chosen RT even had I been given the choice, and have no regrets about going down that treatment route.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 18:53

Hi Jennie,

I'm in a very similar situation to your husband in regards to age, Gleason score, etc and having been given the diagnosis nearly 3 weeks ago with the choice of surgery or HT+RT.

My wife and I had meetings with surgeon & RT Dr last week. Having read up on the 2 treatments I was quite clear I wanted surgery. My principal reason was to have the offending item out.

The side effects from HT&RT seem to be many and the treatment long lasting. Surgery can be followed by RT, less likely the other way around.

The same evening I attended a local support group. 5 of the 7 guys had had surgery, one in Feb '22 two others late last year but all looked great and were very positive about the experience.

Both routes terrify me but, for me, getting the prostate out and the treatment out of the way was a no-brainer.

From my own brief introduction to this I can only advise your husband to read up on both procedures, find a support group and speak to others who have been through it.

Gordon

 

 

Edited by member 10 May 2022 at 18:56  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 19:23
Hi Jennie, our experience is similar to Paulit. My hubby is 7 weeks post op and doing well. We received the histology last week and the results were good. What a relief! He had 2 tumours, Gleason 7, N0, M0. 16/22 cores positive. It really is a personal choice, my hubby wanted it out with the option to have rt if required. It’s an ordeal that’s for sure. Read up, ask the questions, speak to the professionals and once the decision has been made, hopefully, you will feel slightly better and more in control. There is great support and advice on this forum. X
User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 19:58
The long-term success rates for surgery and RT are basically the same - both very good. One thing to consider is that roughly one third of men who have surgery go on to require salvage RT and so end of with the side-effects of both surgery and RT. With odds like that I considered it preferable to go for RT in the first place.

Cheers,

Chris

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 20:45

Cheshire Chris makes a very valid point about the risks of subsequent SRT (salvage radiotherapy). Your T2 diagnosis indicates the cancer is confined to the prostate and hasn't spread which means the prospects for getting it all out with radical prostatectomy are good. However the cancer stage at diagnosis is not always 100% accurate. The histology of the removed tissue may show it to be greater or less than the diagnosis, so there is always a risk the SRT might be needed. It's just one of the risks you either take or don't take. In my case with a T3bN0M0 diagnosis the chances of SRT were much higher. The subsequent post op histology and PSA readings proved that to be the case. But at least I'm rid of most of it.

Chris

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 22:51

I went down the same route as Cheshire Chris. No problems. With the treatments being equally effective and the chance of serious side effects being much less from RT I'm glad it was the only option open to me. 

Dave

User
Posted 10 May 2022 at 23:38

Hi Jennie,

My husband had surgery last December and is doing really well. He chose the surgery option for many of the reasons stated above.  Our situation was slightly different though, in that it had spread out of the prostate into atleast 1 lymph node. He was initially diagnosed advanced because they said it was in his pelvic bone too….so he was never offered surgery as an option at our local hospital. We sought a private second opinion and found a great surgeon who removed his prostate and 14 lymph nodes. The post histology was really encouraging, and although we went into it expecting RT later, there is now a slight chance he may not need it 🤞🏼🤞🏼
He’s slightly older than your husband but continence wise he has been great. ED wise is still a work in progress. He initially started on HT so he has very little interest at the moment in trying to get things working again! Hopeful that will change when testosterone returns. More details on my profile.

Everyone is different in terms of side effects for both options which does of course make it a really difficult decision. Best of luck to you both.

User
Posted 12 May 2022 at 14:32

Hi Jennie,

I am not sure if your Husband was offered Brachytherpy as well but if it helps you could look at my Avatar for my journey.

I had PSA 2.19 and Gleason 3+4=7 and 5 samples out of 20 positive at the age of 70. I have had a good reduction of PSA down to 0.05 in January 2021 and signed off by my Specialist at the same time.

I had no great lasting side affects over the last 5 years but you must decide if Brachytherpy is suitable for him.

I went for Brachytherpy as i felt it was the less invasive option for me.

Good Luck John.

Edited by member 12 May 2022 at 14:33  | Reason: Not specified

 
Forum Jump  
Email this conversation Print this conversation

Join the online community now.

Click through to become a member and gain access to support, information and real time replies.




MenuTop ▲
©2024 Prostate Cancer UK