Dad has PSA 6.8 Gleason 4 + 3= 7 CT Scan question?

The CT scan after a PC diagnosis is a pretty common thing for many doctors to do. With the data you provided, it's highly unlikely that a CT scan would pick up any cancer spread. If nothing else, it at least gives a good baseline for future use.

Please don't let that part overly concern you, most of us had that done at one time or the other.

Good luck to him, and please think through all the possible treatment options, even those outside of surgery, including radiation - either conventional or seeding. You have plenty of time to think through this before locking into a primary treatment decision.

Good luck to both of you, and please keep us posted.

David in SC

You did not mention your fathers age or his general health.  With his Gleason the general rule is treatment not Active Management.  If he can tolerate surgery considering age and overall health then once the prostate is removed they can do a through biopsy and if the disease does spread you can do radiation.  The reverse is possible but surgery after radiation has tremendous problems with side effects due to the irradiated tissues.   Surgery has its own share of side effects (ie incontinence and ED).  As you can see from my profile below I was 73 when mine was removed in December 2011.  That can be on the upper limits of surgery but I am in good health otherwise.

Best wishes on whatever treatment he chooses.

It is totally routine to request a CT scan and bone scan just to rule out any possible prostate cancer that has spread outside of the prostate gland. It also serves as a great baseline for the future if the cancer was too spread. Sounds like you Dad should be in great shape and you shouldn't waste any time or energy worrying about the test.

I know it is easy for most of us here that have been the road to say that, but I remember worrying about the same thing. The Urologist told me not to worry, but after just being diagnosed, you are numb and in shock, as well as your family members.

Tomorrow will go well.

Tell your dad to come clean and talk about his cancer and his feelings. Tell him to log into this website. There are thousands of us all over the world asking important questions and receiving great advice when needed. One thing that your Dad needs to know is that he can come on this website, it is totally anonymous and he can validate his emotions as he experiences them and ask question about what to expect on procedures, recovery, etc.

One thing that will make a huge difference for him is to start reading and learning all he can about this hideous disease. As you will see, one of the first three listings on the forum, one of which is a listing of all the resources, books, videos, articles, etc that will provide him amazing detail and empower him with knowledge.

It is obvious that you too are concern and love your father and are worried for him, your mom and your siblings. You may want to order some books. The book by Dr. Patrick Walsh is considered the bible for Prostate Cancer. It is a educational read about every type of prostate cancer, and all the options that are available for your father.

Best wishes for you and your father.

the walsh book is a very important first prostate cancer book to read. its a great primer on the entire subject, and is considered a classic on the subject in general. many of the scary parts will never apply to him, thank goodness.

david in sc

They say, "Knowledge is Power."  That is so true!  It is good that you vent your feelings.  Telling Grandma might depend on her health and age.  How well could she handle this news?  Sometimes, it may be better to tell Grandma AFTER the choice(s) of dealing with the cancer has been done.  Some people do not want to share this information, especially at work.  I do feel sons and daughters should be informed, appropraite to their age.

rdemarko2k, there have been daughters posting on this forum.  Please check out topics that would be most informational for you.  Wishing your Dad the very best as he battles PCa!

Peace,

Aimzee

We just got the results of the CT scan and we are a bit confused and very upset about the findings:

The things which stuck out are:

Multiple 5mm sclerotic/blastic osseous lesion involving S1,S2,S3 vertebral bodies, left iliac crest, left anterior acetabular column and left femurs head. suggest bone scan for exlusion of blastic metastatic disease.

possible mild slenomegaly.

L5-S1 anterolisthesis with associated severe facet arthropathy and foraminal stenosis.

Any thoughts? They sent him for a bone scan now.... I don't get it I thought psa 6.8 gleason 7 was highly unlikely to have spread....

So are you saying even if theres lesions found on CT scan it is still possible that its not related to the PCa?

142 said...

Assume nothing. Don't panic. PSA is not cancer-specific, only indicative. The Gleason score is of what tissue the biopsy needles hit. It would be significant to know how many biopsy cores were taken, and how many were positive.

(Sorry, I just realized you had said 1 of 13 were positive)

That too may be misleading. I have witnessed "less than 2% in one of the 10 cores and less than 10% in the second", which indicates "very little" cancer - but the postop report suggested 1.4 cm tumor, which the doc said was big.

So now they suggested a bone scan for tomorrow morning....

rdemarco2k

Take a deep breath, Be calm - Right yeah I know. Scary stuff. There is a lot of information your Dad needs to get first before he decides on any treatment plan. Other than gathering the information (scans, x-rays, oncologist, urologist) there is nothing he has to do right away. Once he has all the information than he can start deciding on treatment plan.

Hugs! - You and your Dad are in our thoughts and prayers!

Bud