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Looking for Options after Surgery and Tomotherapy?

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 7/30/2011 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone can give me some hope, information or advice?
My husband was diagnosed with Prostate cancer and had Radical Perineal Prosectomy in 2005. The PSA rose in 2007 and he had 40 rounds of Tomotherapy. The PSA is now rising again. It is at .24, was .15 in Oct 2010 and .11 in May 2010.
He is 59 years old right now. Of course he is feeling very down about this. He says there is no other options out there.
He had a bad experience with surgery and had a baseball hematoma and had surgery again in the same area within a month in 2005.
So, my question is, Is there any other options for treatment of any kind? Does anyone have any advice?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Buttonsgirl
Posted 7/30/2011 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Buttonsgirl,
From what you've written, he has systemic disease, which is not thought to be curable, but it is treatable. So it's not true that the are no options. There wouldn't be curative options, but there are things that can be done to knock the beast back into its corner.

The next treatment step would probably be hormone therapy, which can stall prostate cancer and relieve symptoms. It's not believed to be curative, but in some men it can certainly be "as good as" a cure, if it is effective long enough. Then there are chemo treatments, and new drugs are coming down the pipeline all the time that have the potential to extend survival times.

I would find the best medical oncologist you can, preferably one who specializes in prostate cancer, to maximize his odds of success with further treatments.

Others on this board know a lot more than I do about such things.

Don't despair--there are plenty of things a good oncologist can do to help.
Posted 7/30/2011 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the quick reply Galleo!
He doesn't have an Oncologist and that worries me also. The surgeon that did his surgery is a Urologist and he had so many complications and now I'm wondering if we should find an Oncologist as you said that specializes in Prostate cancer also.
How would one know if they specialize in Prostate cancer? It may all seem like silly questions but I feel we never asked enough a few years ago when he went through surgery and treatments.
Thanks again,
Buttonsgirl
Posted 7/30/2011 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
>>>I'm wondering if we should find an Oncologist as you said that specializes in Prostate cancer also.<<

that's what i would do.  now's the time for the best specialist that you can find/afford.  good luck to you both.

ed


 

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