Hi
I stopped using this forum last year following a minor disagreement. But as there is a nice new forum and I have positive story to tell I thought I should tell it.
I was diagnosed in Nov 2012 with a PSA of 13.8, a hard prostate and various symptoms like nocturia, urgency and slow flow. I had the usual Biopsy & MRI. I was staged at T2c / T3a G3+4 with the cancer close to the apex. I chose LRP (by an experienced and I think very skilled surgeon) over RT and that happened in January 2013 with PSA then 18. Six weeks later some recovery of continence, back at work full time but a PSA of 0.25 With no prostate the only significant source of PSA in the body, the normally unreliable PSA test becomes diagnostic for cancer and with a elimination half life of 2-3 days PSA should drop to undetectable within 4 weeks if all the PSA producing tissue has been removed.
The surgeon told me that my margins were clear and confirmed a pathological staging of T2c G3+4, no nodes involved & clear vesicles so he was doubtful about the possibility of "escape" but he did authorize a HSPSA test and asked if I would like to take part in Radicals. The test came back as 0.35 and led to a referral to a fantastic oncologist at the same hospital.
The upshot was that the oncologist recommended RT to the prostate bed, and enrolled me on the ADT duration branch of the radicals trial.
I got 2 years (vs 6 months) ADT started last May with Zoladex and then Prostap-3 (I prefered Zoladex, hurts going in but then nothing, For me prostap injection is painless but I have a sore arm for a week afterwards). My PSA dropped back to 0.25 in June 12.
I started RT 33days 66Gy in early July and had a PSA in Sept before the RT had finished (1st radicals test) PSA down to 0.02, then in October (the post Rt one) down to <0.01 - undetectable,
Since then (2 more tests, one every 4 months) it has stayed at <0.01 undetectable.
Early days but the good news is that there is hope after failed RP
Best wishes to all of you, sufferers and supporters, fighting this damn disease.
Batholith
Edited by member 28 May 2014 at 13:54
| Reason: Not specified