Prostate Cancer

@ckostoff , sorry to hear that you have joined the club.

I know that upwards of 10% off all TURP patients find they have incidental cancer, so you are in good company. The number one thing to understand right now is that you have time. Time to get well educated on your situation, understand the different kinds of cancer, the possible treatments and risks of each, typical course your cancer could take, etc.

Low percentage Gleason 6 is as low on the risk profile as it gets, and AS makes total sense. You will likely die with it, not of it.

I will post some links to reading material when I am not on my little phone.

1. Your PSA isn't going to change that fast
2. Your prostate needs to heal prior to the MRI

Your doctor may have different thoughts, of course.

Hi,

Like others have said AS is appropriate for now but you need to know where the tumor is located(ie: deep inside your Prostate or close to the edge). Don’t want it to escape and spread. I would follow up every so often with a PET scan which is more sensitive than an MRI to keep tabs on its growth along with biopsies and an PSA readings. Hopefully it will stay 3+3 for many years to come.

Dave 3+4

@ckostoff , some questions.

Why did you have the TURP? What were your symptoms?

What was the size of your prostate beforehand? How much tissue was removed?

The PCa was identified in the pathology review of the removed tissue, correct?

Did you have an MRI or biopsy before the TURP?

For a good source of info, go to the NCCN site and download the info in prostate cancer. You will need to sign up first. They have great docs outlining standard of care.

Also get Dr. Scholz, book on prostate cancer, THE KEY TO PROSTATE CANCER. Available as an electronic download so you can get right to reading.

I had a HoLEP, which is a kind of TURP, due to slow stream and y urinary retention. It has done wonders for that part of the equation. Hope yours is as effective.

Hi,

To answer your questions, I have always had a lean diet, lots of turkey,chicken,nuts,whole grains, ect.. Not vegan by any means but I try to eat as healthy as I can. I have not had a scan since before my surgical removal of my Prostate in 2014. I do have PSA tests run every 6mo to a year, so far I have been below .1 ng which is considered undetectable by many sources. My doc has just switched me to an ultra sensitive test so we will see in the future. All other blood tests are also ran every 6 mo. to monitor vital organs and blood sugar levels.

Dave 3+4

I’m a little confused on your comment you said PSA 3 months psa was at 1.4 so is your psa 3 ..thats not in the danger zone. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if your doctor just walked out and you didn’t get to ask any questions, I’d be seeing another doctor. I don’t know where you live, but you need to find the best of the best and go and see that urologist and find out what’s going on and you have two young girls I would keep it between your wife and you if it was me they don’t really need to be that concerned right now they may worry for nothing. Thats just my opinion ..i had a urologist who was just makingmoney off me ..he did 2 biopsies and only took 5 and 6 snips I didn’t do my research and found out that this guy was just screwing me and if I kept going to him. He might’ve done three or four or five more biopsies before he found the cancer there are really really good urologist and there are lousy ones I would go to a huge major hospital if there’s one near you I am in Northern California and I don’t know if you ever heard of this but I have Stanford University in UCSF San Francisco and that’s where I go the best of the best. Good luck to you.at least u will be going for an mri before even suggesting biosy that is good

Well...Sorry about your diagnosis, it is unnerving. My PSA slowly elevated over the last 30-years , breaking 4 twenty years ago. At 65 I checked the Mayo site and they said that 6 was OK for a 65-year old. I talked to my very old urologist and he wanted to take three, 3x3 needle biopsies (27), covering only the accessible half of my prostate. My primary care doc told me to relax and get PSAs every 6 months to a year but set a "line in the sand".

6 months ago it passed 8 and went to see a new urologist, he took 15 needle biopsies, 5 were benign, 8 were 3x3 and 2 were 3x4, with no activity outside of my prostate. I am electing VMAT and 22.5 injections of Eligard (2). The treatment center's numbers indicate the survival rate at 10 years is 98%. My recent research leads me to believe that either the drugs or the radiation will give me 90% coverage (alone), together, there is a lot of redundancy.

I am going to lose a large chunk of my prostate (nobody told me, but the volume will be reduced by 60%) and the Eligard works fast and hangs on for a while, especially in older folks (like me, 74). Don't have an estimate of recovery time, but, I suspect there will never be 100%, but I might gain some bladder capacity and sleep more at night. I am pretty active, but I tend to a lot of family, so I really can't afford to be slowed down!

My Dad had CA and his treatment was pretty primitive, with associated bladder and bowel issues, by waiting, I have more CA, but a much better treatment system (I hope). He died in December at 94 of COPD.

A long story and the first I have written about it, but, with your low levels, waiting may be a better option than diving in, but, you really need to confirm if this ca is a "kitten or a lion". They are improving treatments every year, with more in development. It should give you time to check urologists and clinics.

Best of luck