New member need some input

cmcona
cmcona Member Posts: 2
edited November 2013 in Prostate Cancer #1

I am a new member and this is my first post. Last week I had a radical robotic prostatectomy. Everything went well. I think. Today I had my catheter removed (what a relief). Also, today I received a copy of my surgical pathology report indicating, pretty much, what the surgeon had already told me. The cancer was contained within the prostate with only 5% of the prostate involved. All nodes & margins were negative. After reading the report a second time something took me by surprise. I noticed that four parts were submitted for pathology analysis as follows: 1) the prostate, 2) left pelvic lymph node, 3) right pelvic lympth node and 4) left nurovascular bundle.

My question is this: Is the left neurovascular bundel one of the "nerve bundles" robotic surgery is supposed to have "spared" for the preservation sexual function? Why would he removed one of the nerve bundles and not say anything to me about it? Need some input.

 

Comments

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    post surgery

    This is good news that the cancer was in only 5 percent of the prostate. I wonder if you can share what your initial Gleason score and cancer involvement in each core. What led to you having a biopsy.

    I hope that your recooperation from surgery goes well.

    It is important to speak with your doc about starting a program for Erectile recovery, to include taking pills daily and use of a pump. Additionally to help avoid incontinence, it is important to do kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles

     During an  an operation, the doctor checks to see if  cancer has spread, and if the margins are not clear , corrective action is taken. This can be a few milimeters. Here is a source

    http://urology.jhu.edu/newsletter/prostate_cancer74.php

    Of course you need to speak with your doc.

  • cmcona
    cmcona Member Posts: 2

    post surgery

    This is good news that the cancer was in only 5 percent of the prostate. I wonder if you can share what your initial Gleason score and cancer involvement in each core. What led to you having a biopsy.

    I hope that your recooperation from surgery goes well.

    It is important to speak with your doc about starting a program for Erectile recovery, to include taking pills daily and use of a pump. Additionally to help avoid incontinence, it is important to do kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles

     During an  an operation, the doctor checks to see if  cancer has spread, and if the margins are not clear , corrective action is taken. This can be a few milimeters. Here is a source

    http://urology.jhu.edu/newsletter/prostate_cancer74.php

    Of course you need to speak with your doc.

    Prostrate Cancer (PC)

    Prostrate Cancer (PC) history:

      Father had PC

      Maternal grandfather had PC

      10+ year history of BPH

      First biopsy was nnegative but had some anomalies

      Saturation prostatc biopsy (SPB) performed 10/01/13

    SPB results:

      48 cores taken from 10 areas

      Prostatic adenocarcinoma found in pin-4 posterior right base involving less than 5% of the submitted tissue.

      Gleason's score 6 (3+3)

     

     

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    cmcona said:

    Prostrate Cancer (PC)

    Prostrate Cancer (PC) history:

      Father had PC

      Maternal grandfather had PC

      10+ year history of BPH

      First biopsy was nnegative but had some anomalies

      Saturation prostatc biopsy (SPB) performed 10/01/13

    SPB results:

      48 cores taken from 10 areas

      Prostatic adenocarcinoma found in pin-4 posterior right base involving less than 5% of the submitted tissue.

      Gleason's score 6 (3+3)

     

     

     Wow! that saturation biopsy

     

    Wow! that saturation biopsy was very through. As an aside, lately there are  cutting edge ways of doing biopsies which are available on a limited basis. Basically one  first has an multi parametric MRI using a powerful Tesla 3.0 magnet , suspicious lesions are determined, then the information is locked into a 3 dimensional biopsy machine so these lesions can be targeted; another method is doing the multi parametric then biopsying using the same MRI machine. Each of these methods are not as invasive as a saturation biopsy, but very through. 

    BPH...you probably notice a difference in your stream....I hope that you do not wear away the enamel in the bowl

    AS you may know the results of surgery are influenced by age; all things equal the younger you are the better the results.

    Feel free to share as you progress. The worst is over. Let us know what the surgeon has to say.