Slowly slowly

Dave ,my GP missed a PSA test (2010) and I was diagnosed three years later(2013) I then waited four months for the new robot to be installed at ours hospital. Earlier intervention may have given a better chance of eradicating the cancer. 11 and a half years on from diagnosis I have started HT treatment to now control the cancer. . I had possible symptoms 23 years ago. You will see it said that prostate cancer is a slow growing cancer, I think of it as a dripping tap in a bowl,  it holds on but then eventually starts to overflow. My preference was surgery so I didn't see an oncologist, both options supposedly have similar outcomes in terms of eradicating the cancer, it's the side effects that vary. 

Good luck with your choice.

Thanks Chris 

Hi Davey

I don't think I ever saw an oncologist. Plenty of urologists but never an oncologist.

I was diagnosed during Covid. Gleason 8 (3+5) later updated Gleason 9 (4+5), T3a. It was two months after my bone scan that my RALP was first scheduled. That was cancelled on the day. I was booked in for another about six weeks later, that too was cancelled at the last minute. I eventually had the operation five months after the bone scan.

I was assured that, despite having a high Gleason and capsular breached staging, the five month waiting time was nothing to worry about. 🤔

Edited by member 04 Jul 2025 at 23:00  | Reason: Typo

I was also diagnosed T3a ,I opted for surgery at Solihull hospital which I had in Jan 2025 ,I was advised that the average waiting time was 62 days.

This proved to be a fairly accurate figure ,I did say that I would accept a cancellation to try and bring it forward ,I did not get one but 2 out of the 6 guys on the ward did ,so it’s worth a try .

My cousin is currently waiting for surgery at the same hospital ,his predicted wait time is slightly longer than mine was.

Good Luck

John

I'm in the US but for reference my timeline was very similar to yours  but one year ago:

May 1st, 2024: PSA test came back 12.7

May 14th 2024: MRI PIRADS 5 w/ EPE (capsular breach)

June 18th 2024: MRI guided transperineal biopsy which confirmed pca (gleason 4+5)

July 31st 2024: PSMA PET scan came back no metastatic spread. Official staging T3a.

August 19th 2024: DaVinci RARP. Clear margins achieved. Histology confirmed EPE but downgraded gleason to 4+3.

So far, PSA has remained undetectable but gearing up for next test in 2 weeks...

Good luck to you and your wife.

Mike

I can't offer anything that will help calm your concerns. The speed of the test results is bound to start hares running in your mind. Who wouldn't think that it must be something bad if the results came back so quickly.

But it could just be that the lab or whatever weren't busy and it just got done extra quick. Or rather they were done at "normal" speed and they tell you it's two or three weeks just to give themselves wriggle room.

My experience is that hospitals treat time as a very elastic concept and don't always appreciate just how hard it is for patients to remain patient.

My wife was a hospital nurse and found most consultants to be fairly self absorbed and cold. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want a doctor collapsing in tears when they deal with you, but surely they could be a little more in touch.

I have to see an eye consultant every six months, I have asked many times for information, opinion, reassurance and received nothing but grunts and silence. He is the worst doctor I've ever dealt with but there is no choice as he is the senior consultant and complaining will just get you thrown off his list.

I hope things go well for you and your wife. As you said just a short while ago you were both fit and well. The world has a way of pulling the rug out when you least expect it.

Mick

Hi Davey,

The various scans somewhat confuse me.   I had three scans in pretty close succession.

The first, in Aug 2022, was an mpMRI it didn't identify any bone issues.

The second in Oct 2022, was CT Thorax, CT Pelvis and CT abdomen, all with contrast. It found scattered lytic looking areas in pelvic  and femoral bones.

The third, only a week later, was an NM whole body scan. It showed mildly increased mid cervical spine activity on left consistent with degenerative change. Further arthropathic activity at acromioclavicular joints and hips. Remainder of bone tracer distribution unremarkable. Summary no scintigraphic features of skeletal metastatic disease. No mention of any lytic areas or anomalies in the pelvis picked up by the CT scan?

So three scans, with three different results.

I've never had a PSMA scan, so I'm not sure exactly what they are used for or when you need one?

I've tried to research which of the three scans is most accurate for picking up bone metastases. I've found nothing conclusive. As far as I can see all three can indicate what appears to be cancer in the bones, but these 'hot spots'  can be other noncancerous bone diseases, damage and fractures and infections. Presumably, without biopsies to the specific areas of concern, it up to an expert to differentiate between what is cancerous and what is not?

It's all a little confusing and I hope one of our more knowlegeable posters can explain the apparent discrepancies and which scans are best for detecting bone disease?

I've never had a PSMA scan. I'm not sure of when this is used?

Anyway, I saw my surgeon after the first two scans. He was quite concerned about the first two scans, "He has had a CT scan recently which reports some lytic areas in the pelvis of indeterminate nature. I note MRI did not identify any suspicious lesions in the pelvis."

In the same letter, he later stated, "If he has no metastatic disease on imagining then he would be a candidate for radical treatment"

Presumably, after this consultation, and later later bone scan. He viewed the results and approved surgery.

This period of my diagnosis was the most confusing and scariest. I sympathise with you, mate.

Edited by member 30 Jul 2025 at 09:49  | Reason: Typo