Cryotherapy completed

I think it is still correct that Cryo is only available ( in some hospitals only obviously ) as a salvage treatment. Or privately. Or current trials ?

For anyone considering Cryo, I'd be inclined to check out the success rates as maybe this is why it is not offered alongside surgery, EBRT, Brachy etc.

For early diagnosed & localised tumour it could well be an alternative but I wonder why it has not been taken up more. Does the diagnosis criteria need to be tight for example ?

Please correct this if you know different in your area http://community.prostatecanceruk.org/editors/tiny_mce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif

J.

Wishing you great success & please keep us informed. We have relatively few postings on this subject & it would be good to hear of more cases.

Well done for being so assertive about your treatment, my partner had to request a PSA test quite forcefully last year, he was over 60, and had some very frightening acute symptoms, later confirmed advanced disease. Like your wife, I have chased up lots of info on his behalf, you can't guarantee you are told all these things ! I wish you all the best,

Fiona.

I have had two contrast MRI scans in the past year and follow up PSA tests every 3 months.

The latest position is that my PSA is stable under 6 (normal as I have a very large prostate - 100 ml) and I'm told there is nothing to be concerned about. Go away and do another PSA in 6 months.

I am delighted with the level of treatment and expertise I have encountered. Had I listened to my local hospital, I am sure I would have been over-treated by radical surgery. By their own admission the local consultants "knew nothing about cryotherapy". They offered me what they knew about and could do. I'm a consultant engineer and if there's something in my field I should know about, I make it my business to find out about it.

I hear you Barry and I agree on all points, especially how folks will find their way to Bodrum but can't find their way further than a bus ride to their local hospital. Add to that, few people have what it takes to second guess their GP or anyone in the medical field, I guess that's a cultural thing, a way of showing respect and regard to people we trust with our lives in their hands, but times have changed, we aren't as ignorant as we used to be, the www can be a powerful tool when put to serious application.

It's a hellish situation to be in when you're diagnosed with cancer {of any type}, we immediately find ourselves in at the deep end, knowing little if anything but all of a sudden {as you say} some bloke in the pub, or worse still our brother in law can tell us all about it.

Some folks {but not many} have the ability to sort the wheat from the chaff, thankfully I spent 40 years in Engineering QA / statistical analysis, that kept my mind sharp and convinced me never to bet my life or the lives of others on the so called expertise of others.

But who do you trust, and where do you find the the right folks when your life is on the line, and your in a RUSH to get something done.

I've attended informal Pca meetings in Canada and in the UK after the event so to speak because I knew how being diagnosed put me through the wringers, I've been in some tough situations in my time but being told that I had cancer made me sweat more than the time that I had a contract on my head, a plot to kill me {in Canada}, thankfully I dodged that bullet too, see the link below to that saga...

The 6 Million $ Man {sort of}...

After the Cryo at Sunderland Royal life started to get back to normal {if ever it was for me}, but knowing how hard it is to walk the path alone {well, we feel alone} I wanted to give encouragement to lads on both sides of the pond who had been diagnosed with Pca.

I met a lot of decent lads at the Pca meetings at Christies / Manchester and we talked about what we were going through not just physically but emotionally, I saw a lot of lads helping each other one way or another, a lot of the time by just listening not something men are known for, but something we are capable of.

Sometimes it was just meeting up for a pint in a pub, other times just going for a walk and talk. A lot of the newcomers would turn up trembling like a leaf, but once they spoke to men who were YEARS down the road since being diagnosed their stress levels came down, it's good to have a buddy who cares, one who's been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale.

Sometimes though the things some folks promoted used to exasperate me, many a time I had to hold myself down when folks advising other to drink their own urine, or hang magnets round their nether parts. I have no time nor tolerance for stupidities like that, more so when it could cost someone their life as it did for the lad from Stoke. Maybe {just maybe} these gob****** mean well, but who needs advice from idiots when your life might be on the line !!!

The talk in our meetings wasn't always about RP etc, or Cryo / HIFU, I remember one bloke who swore by Celebrex {an NSAIDS anti inflammatory}, he took it by the bucket load, well, 2500mg a day, 3 months on, 3 months off, if memory serves me well, and he's still alive today 12 years after he was diagnosed. There was some research and evidence that Celebrex {in particular} had turned back Pca and other cancers including bowel and lung cancers.

Like any medication there's a risk involved, especially when you are taking 10x the recommended daily dose, but, the man was an educated man, he'd done his homework and he was prepared to bet his life on what he'd found, so far so good for him, but as you say, cancers like people can be almost unique, there's no guarantee's in this life or death game.

Do you know if anyone has ever mentioned Celebrex in here as an option ?

All the Best,

Bob.

Edited by member 02 Dec 2015 at 00:34  | Reason: Not specified

My father had cryosurgery when his prostate cancer was diagnosed about 20 years ago -- at the time, I think the procedure was considered experimental (this was not in the UK). It was apparently very successful, none of the life-changing side effects, and the cancer never came back. He passed away aged 94 years old earlier this year of other causes. When I was diagnosed myself in September '15, cryosurgery was never offered as an option (I asked my urologist, given my father's successful experience, but he said it was rarely done here and could be problematical). On the other hand, the laparoscopic surgery that I subsequently had probably wasn't available when my father was treated. My brother, who was diagnosed 13 years ago, had open surgery. I guess there are many ways to skin a cat.

I'm sure everyone who has had it is in agreement -- the 12-shot ultrasound biopsy is eye-wateringly horrible!

Marc

Most men with PCa have their treatment within the NHS. There is much investment in equipment like the da Vinci for Robotic surgery and different types of linacs for RT. There is also the cost of training surgeons and operatives in such treatments along with others that form part of a team. So there is a justification just to use what they have and are trained to do. There is little incentive to train staff, pay for and introduce alternative treatment such as HIFU and Cryotherapy, unless it is demonstratively less expensive and will at least be as effective/reduce side effects. Hence the use of these focal treatments within the NHS has largely been limited to studies where the treatments are still regarded as experimental. (Privately, they are more available but not to a great extent as yet.) Then as has been said, many consultants know little about treatment outside of surgery and RT and why would those who do spend time on explaining to patients options they could not offer?

After my PCa diagnosis in 2007, I researched various treatment possibilities, one of which was HIFU. I asked my consultant at the Marsden about this and he said it was usually only given as a salvage treatment but he would arrange for me to see the top HIFU man if I wished. However, he added that he knew little about this treatment though he understood the side effects to be worse than EBRT. This rather put me off HIFU treatment and I settled for two types of RT. Fast forward to 2014 and this same consultant referred me for salvage HIFU!

Just had my annual MRI scan to check on progress. Nothing new to add. In fact the scan looks better than last time.

Keep checking PSA and shout if it suddenly increases.

Now taking Finasteride and Tamsulosin to reduce the prostate size and avoid any urine retention problems. Finasteride also reduces the PSA level so that is something to keep in mind when monitoring.

Managed to avoid surgery for 6 years after being advised to have the prostate removed so very glad I didn't take that advice.

In fact seeing the guy who advised it next week so that should be interesting. 

I am very glad to read that you are doing well after your CryoTherapy.   That was offered to me in 2015, but, I had zero confidence in it. I opted for RRP and am very happy with that choice.  

Maybe worth noting for others that surgery, of whatever type, works very well for very many.  However, you are happy with where you are and that is all that matters for you.

atb

dave

Latest PSA 4.2 - lowest for 8 years since the treatment. Very grateful to all at ULCH. Best wishes to all.

Over the pandemic my MRI scans were not done, and I relied on the PSA monitoring. This was a mistake as I was taking finasteride which reduces the PSA count.

The London hospital did an MRI scan in August - "just for my peace of mind" - and found a tumour  with a Gleason 4+5.

Fortunately, the cancer is still confined to the prostate, and I am now on hormone therapy pending radiotherapy in March 2023.  I am told that it is potentially curable and now I just hope for the best.

I would still go with cryotherapy but with better monitoring. It wasn't an effective cure, but it gave me nearly 10 years without side effects for which I am truly grateful.

Hope the radiation knocks out the new offender.