Hello. Dh has the brca2 gene. We found out because his daughter had breast cancer at a young age. So they screened her, she was positive, so dh was tested too (hers was caught early and she’s fine) We had no idea dh carried the gene when he was first diagnosed 9 years ago. He had brachytherapy for a Gleason 6 prostate cancer. Gleason 6 being a slow growing cancer. His psa remained very low for many years. We have now found out he has prostate cancer in his lymph nodes. There is no cancer in his prostate so the original treatment worked. However at some point it went into his nodes. The fact that there is no cancer in his prostate now means it was in the nodes from before his first treatment. So it can’t have been an aggressive form to have remained there all these years with very low psa. At some point it has woken up and started to spread further.
Now that we know dh has the gene mutation his treatment will be different. He is on the same hormone therapy as any other man with the same diagnosis, eventually the drugs will stop working, they do for all men, apparently there is nothing to say the time until the drugs stop working is any different to that of a man without the gene mutation. But, we have been told chemo doesn’t work for those with the gene. So he’s not being offered that. There is another drug called a PARP inhibitor that he can take once the hormone therapy stops working. This drug is only for those with gene mutations. So there are options.
I don’t think the gene mutation means the cancer will definitely be aggressive. But it can be. It also doesn’t mean that others with the gene will definitely get cancer. Any children who have a parent with a gene mutation are 50% likely to inherit the gene. DH’s has 5 children. 3 with me, 2 from a previous marriage. His daughter has the gene, his oldest son won’t get the test. My 3 boys want the test done when they are older.
I hope that answers some questions on the gene mutations.
As for your father. There are men on here that have lived many years with a similar diagnosis. No one can tell how each person with react to treatment.