New to the game

Could you provide some details about your biopsy?

Eric

Hi there,

You have to wait for the result of the MRI scan to see if there is any local invasion out of the prostate and into the surrounding tissues.
It is looking good that the cancer seems to be confined but you will need treatment.
Treatment can range from hormones which is the least invasive through radiation usually with hormones as well to surgery plus radiation and hormones.
The link I sent you from YANANOW has  a good selection of men's experiences with the various treatment options.
The relative merits of the various treatments are hotly contested! :-)

Best wishes,

Georges

Clevelandguy said:

Good advice above

Hi,

Good advice from above, if you don't want surgery about the only thing is do nothing or some sort of radiation/hormone therapy.  Cyberknife and Proton radiation are two of the better forms of External beam in my opinion.  Like Vasco said all types of treatment have side effects so now is the time to do your research. Let us know the results of your latest MRI so we can all share our experiences with you.

Dave 3+4

Big guy,

Your results suggest significant and aggressive disease.  Surgery is undertaken hesitantly by most surgeons for men 70 or older.  Also, biopsy results like yours suggest likely involvement outside the gland, in which case radiation therapy (RT) is the recommended form of attack by most experts.   IGRT or IMRT are the most common forms of radiation used first-line (initially) in such cases..  SBRT ('Cyberknife') is not usually regarded as a choice for metastatic involvement, although some radiation oncoloigists have reportedly been experieminting with such for a few years now.

As Cleveland noted above, HT (hormonal therapy) may be started either before or after radiation as a neoadjuvant or adjuvant factor.   

A full analysis of your case is not yet fully clear to the doctors, but do know that MRIs are of poor value in detecting metastatic PC, due to the tiny size of the tumors involved in minimially metastatic disease.  Similiarly, CT and PET scans are of little value in detecting such spread, except in advanced cases.

Certainly you have cause for hope, and clinically your case may be curative -- meaning all disease may pottentially be eradicated.  Hoping for the best for you,

max

Sounds like a plan.  Good luck on your journey.

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

Yes

bigguy,

The staging is indeed wonderful news from the doc.   The eight-weeks of RT will be IMRT or IGRT, which is the BEST Practices response to your particulars.

 

max

Big guy,

It has likely been mentioned above, but I wanted to add that HT against prostate cancer (PCa) is a long term palliative modality:   It will reduce the cancer, often significantly, and frequently for many years.  As a neoadjuvant, it is usually a debulker, slowing and shrinking any tumors.  As a salvage therapy, it is pallative.  

Two things currently in medical science are potentially curative of PCa: radiation (many different forms), and surgery.  It is your radiation that will hopefully and perhaps even likely kill off the disease forever.

max

Hi Jj,

As I stated above if you don't want surgery about the only thing is do nothing (active surveillance)or some sort of radiation/hormone therapy.  Cyberknife and Proton radiation are two of the better forms of External beam in my opinion.  Like Vasco said all types of treatment have side effects so now is the time to do your research.  Gleason 3+3 is not as agressive as a 3+4 or a 4+3 but its still is cancer.  If it was me I would want to know where the cancer is located within the Prostate.  Deep inside the gland or close to the edge which could give you an indication on how much time you have to decide your treatment . At 3+3 you have time to determine whether you want to monitor it for a while(active survielance) or take other actions such as radiation treaments once you know how close the cancer to escaping the Prostate. It never seems to turn out well once the cancer escapes the Prostate into the surrounding tissue and organs. Scans like an MRI or PET scan could help in locating the cancer. Now is the time to do your homework to enable you to make a non emotional educated decision.  Good luck and let us know if we can help, lots of good cancer survivors on this board.

Dave 3+4