Am I a Candidate for FLA? Surgery in 3 Days!!

Lucky64
Lucky64 Member Posts: 29
in Prostate Cancer #1

Maybe I'm getting cold feet? I had ruled out radiation because the hormone therapy would be bad for my comorbidities of diabetes and cardiac, so I researched the best doc and hospital in Chicago and on Wednesday I am going in for RP surgery.

However, by total coincidence I am going in for a new type of MRI tomorrow: 2 hours of laying still, and I learned it's part of a study to use in the future for FLA. So I have done a ton of research in the last day as to if I am a candidate for FLA, if my Blue Cross PPO of IL will pay for it, etc. It is presently Sunday so I can't contact the Univ of Chicago's Uro department.

My reservations are there is no long track record for FLA, and I am reading that as a G 4+3 I may have missed the cut off? There seems to be two well known privately owned (red flag) FLA clinics, but I'd like to have it done in a teaching hospital where there's no profit motive.

So, any advice would be greatly appreciated and when I go in for the experimental MRI tomorrow I will try to see if I am a candidate and possibly postpone Wednesday's surgery.

Thanks!

Nick

Comments

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,530 Member
    #2
    Forget it

    Stick with your plan and don't go with a largely untested procedure.

    But, with your test results (and other health issues), I would have seriously considered SBRT for treatment.

  • GeorgeG
    GeorgeG Member Posts: 152
    #3
    If it were me, I would not go

    If it were me, I would not go with a treatment option that new and with limited rigorous study data unless I was trying to solve a difficult problem that cannot be addressed by established successful procedures. Surgeons are saving lives everyday with RP and unless you have an advanced case you have a high chance of cure. In addition other procedures will still be available to you later. With FLA I don't know what your salvage options would be. What is it about FLA that appeals to you more than surgery?

    how many RP's has your surgeon done?

     

    George

     

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    #4
    SBRT

    FLA is new, in theory is great, however technology is not advanced at this date for excellent outcome. Additionally it is oriented to small amounts of 3+3=6

    Surgery can have major side effects, more so than any other active treatment.

    SBRT has limited side effects while still having excellent cure results

    Here is a study

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211385/

    More:

    https://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2016/01/06/nine-year-outcomes-after-treatment-with-sbrt/

     

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