brachytherapy

hi all new member first post.have looked at all options ,most friends and a few guys i know who have had pc say radical ,as i thought at first but as i have a much younger wife sexual function is of vital importance to me .i had a meeting with mark emberton who recommends hifu and that seemed great as the chances of ed seem far less but after a template biopsy 40 sections it proved the cancer was more widespread than expected and on both sides so just zapping a few areas is not possible as most will have to be zapped greatly reducing the perceived benefits of this particular treatment .now cosidering brachy but where do i find info on likely ed in future what are the stats,anybody know of the no1surgeon in britain .any help would be great .a friend used vitamin b17 and was cured anybody any thoughts or experience

hi les Sorry about no capitals but i am very slow at typing Barry 

Hello BCC,

Glad you found us. It would be helpful if you could post any of the stats from your biopsy and diagnosis. It would help to see what they found and what stage and extent they feel your cancer is at.

There are several other good Brit men in here, sure they will be glad to meet you too.

Please keep us posted. I wouldn't have any opinion of your situation without at least knowing your basic stats and background.

David in South Carolina

Barry,
Ed rates are about the same for surgery and Brachy; they just occurr in different time frames. In surgery ED is immediate and you slowly regain some use; In Brachy ED appears in about 3 years down the road. In the 3 year mark they both end up in the same place and are both helped by the normal ED medications. about 50% of Brachy patients will retain normal function at 5 years, and Brachy patients are usually much older than surgical patients.
The biggest difference is in the incontinence rates, Brachy has about a 1% rate and in surgery you will be incontinent for at least a few months. At the 2 year mark only 28% are pad free, leak free.
Brachy has a slightly higher incidence of bowel issues, but they are around the 2% range and appear a few years down the road.
about 10% of Brachy patients will experience urinary constriction and may have to have a catheter for a week or two, about the same time as you would from surgery except it is 100% certain you will have a catheter after surgery.
You are certain to have some frequency and urgency for 4 to 12 weeks, and this is very tolorable with Folwmax and will not restrict any of your activities.
Two good resources for learning about Brachy, "Brachytherapy and IMRT" by Michael Dattoli and "The Prostate Cancer Treatment Book" by Peter Grimm, John blasko and John Sylvester
Please feel free to ask any questions, These book should answer all of your questions.
JohnT

When I had surgery three years ago, two (2) of my close friends had brachytherapy.  My gleason was 8, my friends both had gleason 6 diagnosis.  My doctors said surgery, their doctors said BT would do the job.  They are both doing well today and so am I.

 

So, if you have a Gleason 6 BT will do the job, possibly with fewer immediate side effects.  If you have a more aggressive diagnosis you might have to look at surgery and or some form of radiation.

 

Good luck in making your decision.