Still trying to sort this out . . .

My story started  4/11, with kidney stones. My GP ordered my first

PSA test,  which came in@ 5.2 . Then to a urologist, a biopsy and a

PC  diagnosis. This was followed by a second and third opinion.

All opinions agreed, I was a good candidate for all treatments.

The PSA is up to 6.1, but urologist states it’s normal, due to biopsy.

I will have a PSA by 2/12.

The side effects, being very active at 53, is my focus.

Welcome. Learn as much as you can. You're in a good place with those numbers. It would be nice if Active Surveillance turned out to be a good option. You should ask about that.

I was hoping for that myself but my Gleason and a couple of other factors pushed me into needing to get treated this year.

I chose radiation on the slight hope that there might be fewer side effects and because I am not a good candidate for surgery (lung/heart problems).

Hoping for the best for you.
Andrew

Welcome to our brotherhood no man wants to join, but this is a darn good place to find information and opinions from a bunch of great guys who have been where you are right now. As Purgatory  posted you have a minimal amount of cancer that isn't going to cause you serious problems anytime soon. This allows you plenty of time to research all treatment options and to get plenty of second opinions and not be rushed into a treatment that may not be the best for your diagnosis. New treatments and treatment techniques are being announced every day to treat PC and most have good results and minimal long term side effects. You will find men in here who have had minimal cancers like yours, close to your young age, and who have done treatments from active surveillance, EBRT, Brachytherapy (seeds), proton beam radiation to surgery and they will all share their experiences and outcomes on this forum with you.

Personally, I was diagnosed last April with a large moderate aggressive G7 tumor and I chose to have Davinci robotic surgery after looking into all my options. 7 months later I am fully continent but I am fighting severe ED but it does seem to be getting better every day.

One thing you will find in this forum is that the only right treatment option for you will be the one you choose as you are the one who will live with that decision.

Terry the water guy

Take your time and study throughly the issues at hand. Like Gleason 6 said "There are no do overs in this game". You caught your PC about as early as possible using PSA testing. One consideration I would want to know is where is the PC is in relation to the neurovasular(SP?) bundles. I would be inclined to take a more proactive approach the closer it is to the nerves. Keep in mind this IMHO and I'm no doctor. Talk to at least four before making a decision. I wrote down the pros and cons to each treatment.
Best wishes to you

According to your posted stats you are in the very low risk catagory. If your main concern are side effects you should deferr treatment, get your slides reread to confirm and watch it for a while to see what it does. A good book on Active Survellience is "Invasion of the Prostate Sanatcher" by Dr Mark Scholz. Both John Hopkins and UCSF have good AS programs. You should also get a follow up biopsy within a year to confirm that your cancer has not prgressed and to eliminate any sampling error on the 1st biopsy. Delaying treatment, even though it sounds risky, does not not make a difference in cure results as had been reported by a number of institutions, such as Hopkins and SunnyBrooke. The majority of very low risk cancers (1 core<5%) never progress and many times cannot be found again with future biopsies or even surgery,
JohnT

I joined this fine support group, not by choice, but by need, this past January. I was overwhelmed in December when I found out, just before Christmas, about the diagnosis; sleepless nights followed, although I had an amazing support from my family and friends. I did not know anything about it, and, as I watched my father fading away in 5 months after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I thought about the end as well…

But I learned a lot, by asking questions via this support group, going to a local support group, reading a few books and talking to a few doctors. I have not made a decision yet either, although active surveillance (AS) was suggested to me (my last question to the doctor I've seen for CyberKnife was "What would you do if you were in my situation" and has said "wait"). Unfortunately, I think that my mind will not easily settle, if I were to follow the AS path for a long time, but I may give it a try; the good thing is that we do not need to rush. As the nointrusive means to detect the spread of cancer or its aggressiveness are not perfected yet , the "crude" biopsy is not always accurate either. Living with this uncertainty (and not favoring repeat biopsies), perhaps I will think twice about what a doctor said - "why treat: 1) possible more aggressive cells; 2) never more curable "

After looking at my goals (understand the severity of my cancer, cure it, avoid incontinence and minimize all other side effects), I am more inclined toward brachytherapy.

My heartfelt best wishes in choosing the treatment that will fit you better.