Recently Assessed by Specialist Nurses

Hi Mike, sorry to hear about your story so far.

There is a lot to learn in a short space of time whenever problems like this come up.

Some places do a biopsy first and then an MRI scan, which seems like putting the cart before the horse to me. But that's the way the NHS works.

It's by no means mandatory to have a biopsy after your scan, I am having my biopsy on Tuesday after MRI revealed anomalies in my prostate. They asked if I wanted to proceed with a biopsy and I said yes. It's not a risk free procedure,  but then nothing is 100% safe. So I can't imagine why I would have said no.

But it is down to your choice, and knowing as much as you can will help in making these decisions.  No one can do that for you, just advise you.

I'm in very early days and it still feels surreal and daunting to consider things I never thought I would have to. 

I hope the MRI goes well and that if you need a biopsy you will think about it carefully. 

This is a great site, but it does give you so much information and experience that it can overwhelm you at times.  Ignorance is bliss they say, but in this instance I think it's more a case of knowledge is power. 

Take care and stay strong.

Mick 

Hi Mike,

Be aware that MRI scans do not always show tumors or their extent, The same is true of Biopsies where the cores taken can miss a tumor(s) The advantage of having an MRI first is that it can help the Urologist to take cores from suspicious areas or use a template to cover the Prostate, This is best done through the Perenium which is more accurate and less likely to cause infection than the Truss alternative wheer cores are taken through the Rectum. The Transperineal version may be doner under a General Anesthetic or a combination of local Anesthetic and sedation. I have had both and neither was bad.

Should you have a PCa diagnosis you wlll likely be offered one of the forms of radiation or surgery.if your cancer is considered significant At your sort of age surgery becomes less likely though not impossible. The reason for this is because the majority of Prostatectomies these days are dome using a robot and the way the patient is suspended puts a lot of sstrain on his body.

Unfortunately, there can be quite a wait between tests and scans and even when a patient is diagnosed he may well have to decide between options and particularly in the case of surgery have quite a wait depending how long the Surgeons waiting list is. With EBRT you can usually start with HT pretty well at once as this usually precedes RT. There are plenty of posts from members here on the Pros and Cons of various treatments. A useful place to look if the 'Tool Kit' published by this Charity, https://shop.prostatecanceruk.org//our-publications/all-publications/tool-kit?limit=100

Edited by member 16 Nov 2024 at 21:34  | Reason: to highlight link and to correct some of my spelling