Surgery? Or External Radiation Followed by Brachytherapy?

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NukeMyst
NukeMyst Member Posts: 1
in Prostate Cancer #1

My first post to CSN. Just diagnosed with PSA of 14, I believe. CAT and bone scans reveal no spread of cancer from prostate. I'm an otherwise healthy and fit 64-year-old whose main concerns are 1. ridding myself of cancer and 2. sexual function. With that in mind, does anyone have strong feelings either way about the two options I outlined in my subject line? Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic CSN Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    #2
    In order for one to be

    In order for one to be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, one must have had a biopsy of the prostate. This will give some indication of how serious the disease is and an idea of the best treatments that may be considered.

    So in your biopsy, how many cores were taken; how many were positive; what was the Gleason Score oif each core that was positive; what was the involvement, that is what percent of that core was cancerous. Did the biopsy indicate that anything else was going on? 

     

    Did you have a second opinion by a world class pathologist that specializes in prostate cancer?

     

    What did the digital rectal exam indicate(finger wave)?

    What is your PSA history?

    What led to the biopsy?

    What other diagnostic tests did you have? What did they indicate?

    We are here for you, you will do fine.

  • Swingshiftworker
    Swingshiftworker CSN Member Posts: 1,017 Member
    #3
    Only Choices?

    Why are Surgery or "External Radiation follwed by BT" the only choices?  

    Would help to know your Gleason score and any other info regarding your cancer pathology report before making a specific recommendation BUT, if you are worried about maintaining your sexual functioning, I am pretty confident in saying that surgery probably should not be your 1st choice.  Also, resorting to surgical removal of the prostate and other suspect tissue is no guarantee that the cancer will be removed completely -- no more so than using a method of radiotherapy -- which is why surgery followed by radiotherapy and other treatments is so common.

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