When did my prostate cancer start?

A DNA affair
Lion

I was diagnosed at the age of 50. At the time, the cancer was well advanced in terms of “quantity” (voluminous PSA at 22.4) but “young” in terms of “quality” (Gleason grades of 2 and 3 = G5).
DRE was negative in 4 consultations with different specialists. I recall my uro (a professor of many years) telling me that at the touch the consistency of the prostate should be similar as touching the palm (the raised portion at the base of the thumb). A resistant touch or deformations would consider the DRE as positive.
He could not comment about when did my cancer started but said that it all indicated that I was in the initiation period.

Anecdotally, I link the start with a depressing event at the age of 44 when I experienced a strong desire for sex but no erection effect.
This is the time when the biorhythm of my systems went through a series of upside downs. I also calculated the doubling in PSA exponentially at diagnosis and by reverting in time, I reached the age of 45 which may have been the timing of the start of PSA growth.

That may have been when PIN existed with low grades of very well differentiated cells (Gr1). Their “frenetic” activity may have been a cause of my strong mentally desire of making my “nightcrawler” to “wakeup”. That would have been a continuing effect that has caused changes in my DNA.

A better outlook into your quest would be to search for results in laboratory work done on the Initiation causes. Here is a link explaining details you may be interesting in reading;

http://www.cancerquest.org/cancer-initiation-promotion-progression.html

Best.
VG

Histology of Prostate Cancer
I've read that the natural histology of prostate cancer is 55 years for the typical adeno carcinoma. That means an untreated man will typically die 55 years after the onset of the first prostate cancer cells forming.

Given that most of us are initially diagnosed with prostate cancer are in our mid 50s to late 60s that would suggest that prostate cancer may actually begin forming shortly after puberty when the prostate gland undergoes significant growth.

Thankfully, for most of us this is a very slow growing disease and doesn't become detectable by modern methods until it is fairly well along but still very treatable for those who do regular, annual testing.

Of course, this model doesn't take in consideration things like genetic disposition or environmental factors such as Agent Orange, chemicals in our food products, and so forth.

K

foretexas said:

I have an idea of when.
In May of '07, at a regular check up, I had just turned 42 I asked for a PSA test. My PSA came back at 2.3, my Dr. said nothing about it and I didn't know enough to ask. Fast forward to Jan '12, annual check up frequent night time urination. PSA test comes back at 4.7, long story short in Sep '12 it was 5.5. Biopsy proved cancer 9 samples left clear, 7 of 9 on the right cancerous (6) 3+3 T1c. I fully believe this has been growing for well over 5 years. I don't have any family history at all.

Question
Hey ForeTexas,

Have you made any decisions concerning possibly treating your cancer? Or have you decided to do active surveillance?