Newly Diagnosed in Tampa Bay Area (FL) - Age 44

Tampa Area
MJ First of all let me say our thoughts and prayers are with you. You are with like company here, we are a group of men that understand. I am 40 years old and was diagnosed 4 months ago. All of the literature I have read as well as advice from doctors has led me to schedule robotic surgery next month. I have been told the younger the age, the more aggressive the cancer. That combined with the mental factor of just "wanting it out of me." There are quite a few survivors on this site that have been through the surgery that can answer questions. My advice would be to find a surgeon that is very experienced with robotic surgery and one that will manage your care. I did find a list of surgeons in your area on the Da Vinci site,http://www.davincisurgery.com/surgeons/surgeon_list.aspx?specialtyId=444&&&stateId=6234&countryId=

I am in the Tampa area. I
I am in the Tampa area. I went to Aventura and was very pleased with Dr Krongrad. He is possible the most experienced LRP surgeon in the US. I had surgery in Feb '05, gleason 4-3 multiple tumors and near the boundary of the capsule. Cancer free after 4 years. Google Dr Krongrad and you will get his website. If you email him he will personally answer very quickly. Krongrad, Dr. Arnon
E-mail Address(es):
ak@laprp.com

lion1 said:

Surgeon
I went to Dr Arnon Krongrad------he is considered the best Doctor for this in the Southeast.

He's in Adventura Florida(near miami)---check out his website. His staff is fantastic.

I had my LRP back in Jun 2006---cancer free.

Any other questions--just reply---Lion1

Choosing robotics over others.....
On what basis have you all found that robotic surgery is used, rather than other treatments. For example, with a rising PSA, now 16 and a Gleason Scale of 3+4=7, and being 58 years old, my local urologist is suggesting using IMRT. Do you have any thoughts based on experience, please? Judge

another option
mjweis - surgery is a good bet for you, and you should feel very comfortable if that's the path you decide to take. Make sure the surgeon you choose is experienced in performing radical prostatectomies - you don't have to focus as much on what procedure he uses (traditional open or the Da Vinci radical prostatectomy), as the procedure itself does not have a bearing on the overall cure rate. Experience, particularly documented effective experience, is the key factor for you to consider.

The other option I recommend is to go to http://www.prostrcision.com/ and read the Q&A section. Then fill out the form on the Contact Page to get a free phone consultation with a board-certified radiation oncologist who can tell you precisely what your chances for cure are with a less-invasive radiation procedure that actually has superior overall cure rates than surgery.

Best of luck to you.

edmund said:

I am in the Tampa area. I
I am in the Tampa area. I went to Aventura and was very pleased with Dr Krongrad. He is possible the most experienced LRP surgeon in the US. I had surgery in Feb '05, gleason 4-3 multiple tumors and near the boundary of the capsule. Cancer free after 4 years. Google Dr Krongrad and you will get his website. If you email him he will personally answer very quickly. Krongrad, Dr. Arnon
E-mail Address(es):
ak@laprp.com

Status
Edmund,

Dr Krongrad was very good--cancer free after 3 years---unfortunately I have dealt with incontinence ever since. I knew there was a risk of this and Dr Krongrad suggested I wait 2 yrs until I tried any type of treatment for the incontinence. 3 weeks ago I had collagen injections---no luck. My urologist is sending me to Duke university to see a Dr Webster--I don't know what will happen, but I am at the point where I have to move forward. We'll see what Dr Webster decides--sling--AUS----not sure where all this will lead. I am only 49 so I'm taking it slow on my decisionmaking. I am very lucky though--great wife---great family. By the way as far as my erections go, with CIALIS pretty close to normal---Thank God for that------------------thoughts??

Lion1

Judge said:

Choosing robotics over others.....
On what basis have you all found that robotic surgery is used, rather than other treatments. For example, with a rising PSA, now 16 and a Gleason Scale of 3+4=7, and being 58 years old, my local urologist is suggesting using IMRT. Do you have any thoughts based on experience, please? Judge

IMRT
Five and one-half years ago I had gleason of 9 and psa of 24 and had one Lupron shot followed by 40 radiation treatments. That is all the treatment I have had. Because the cancer had already spread there was no use in surgery and there never is if the cancer has spread to the bones, organs, ect. As expected my cancer level is rising again, doubling every 6 months and more treatment is being offered. I however will take my next treatment when and if I am ready and that day is at least a year away now. When death is sure to follow the quality of life is much more important than the quantity and I expect a lot of quality and really do not worry one bit about how much time I have left. No stress, no problems, that is quality.

mjweis said:

Pow-Sang Reference
I ended up having the DaVinci on April 2 so I am about 6 weeks out. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Pow-Sang, his staff and Moffitt in general. Post surgery has been a series of steady improvements - honestly, much better/quicker than expected. We can exchange contact info if you'd like - I'd be happy to provide any specifics you are looking for.

Pow-Sang
I'm trying to decide between Pow-Sang and Dr. Frank Mastandrea for the surgery on the Da vinci. I have a friend who was Just operated on by Pow-Sang and I am leaning his way. Any info you could give me on recovery would be appreciated. I want to decide who I'm going with in the next week and get it scheduled. I'm 51 and in the Tampa Area.

mjweis said:

As I posted above, I cannot say enough good about Dr Pow-Sang and the Moffitt staff. From what I read, my recovery has been pretty good - out of hospital in 36 hours, catheter in for two weeks, only minor stress incontinence after 2 months (no more pads!), slow but sure improvement on the ed front... Bottom line, all has gone almost exactly as the Dr. said it would and I have been pleased. Not sure if you had any more specific concerns but feel free to ask!

How did you fine out about Pow-Sang
I have been trying to do some more research on him so I can make my final decision and schedule the proccedure. I havn't been able to find out very much about him on-line. Was he refered to you? Do you have any idea how long he has been operating with the Da Vinci and how many proccedures he has done?

mjweis said:

More info
I started with a search of the USF/Moffit website, found him in the list of PC surgeons and started asking. I have a friend whose wife used to do research with him and had wonderful things to say, several guys at my wife's office were operated on by him and, finally, I googled him. You will learn that Pow-Sang has been working with PC for many years and has published extensively along the way. He has done 300+ RALP using Davinci in addition to over 800 LRP. In my opinion, you are definitely asking the right questions!

The other doc...
The other doc I was looking at has done around 600 LRP proceedures, he does about 100 a year. I have heard nothing but great things about Moffit and Pow-Sang. Dr. Frank D Mastandrea was recomended by my primary physician,original urologist and a friend of a friend who he operated on. I guess having 2 good choices locally is nothing to complain about but it's making it really tough to make a decidion.