Hello from a newly diagnosed

Hi Justin, and welcome to the group.

You're certainly right about Gleason 6 being on the better end of the spectrum. Given your low PSA score, and a G6 diagnosis, they will almost certainly recommend going on active surveillance. If you can do this, then at your young age I think I would certainly do it. Surgery is a great option in terms of "getting rid" of the tumour(s), but it does come with certain after effects, namely incontinence and impotence. How long these last is a bit of a lottery, but it can be a long time (years) or even permanent in some cases.

As long as you make sure you are monitored closely, AS can be a great way of putting off radical treatment for a long time.

Good luck with whatever you choose mate, and keep us posted 👍

Ian.

Hi Justin.

(It's what my wife has nicknamed my todger since my prostatectomy)

Joking apart, I'm sorry that you've got prostate problems and have had to join our club but welcome to the forum mate.

As Ian has said, you are a prime candidate for active surveillance. In the grand scheme of things, your PSA is relatively low and Gleason 6 (3+3) is a great result.

I'm glad that your biopsy was not too uncomfortable. Do you know how many cores were taken, how many lesions there were and where on the prostate they were located? Presumably they are confined to the prostate and you have a T2 staging?

I'm a big fan of active surveillance. It's on the increase.

https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/prostate-cancer-active-surveillance-increasing

Please ensure that your active surveillance is active. That you have regular PSA checks and follow up MRIs. You may well be one of the lucky ones who's cancer is a pussy cat and that you'll not need any further treatment.

Best of luck, mate.👍

Hi again mate.

I understand how you're feeling. Most of us were very anxious when first diagnosed. You hear the C word and it's frightening. You've then got to learn a lot of new jargon and try and decipher it. 

On the face of it, you'll will more than likely be offered active surveillance. 

Unfortunately, in my opinion, active surveillance doesn't really get a fair hearing on this forum. Because the forum has a bias towards treatment problems and poor outcomes, you'll hear, a lot of horror stories, including my own, about active surveillance failure; but you'll rarely see anyone posting how successful it is. Men with low grade, low volume, prostate confined disease who've  successfully been on active surveillance for years without disease progression, will not be on this site;  they've no need to, they'll be getting on with their lives virtually unscathed. Yes, there are risks involved, just as there are risks involved in all radical treatments. However, at least with active surveillance you are eliminating the risk of possible side effects of radical treatment. I often think, although individual stories do have merit, you're better off looking at the overall picture.  

Please keep us updated. 

Edited by member 13 Mar 2025 at 11:44  | Reason: Typo