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Welcome New Member - Hawaii Guy

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Posted 9/21/2014 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
In an old thread, our new member posted the following:

I just found this forum today, and have read many of the brachy related posts with great interest. I was diagnosed with Gleason 3+4 prostate cancer in July, and after researching the options under the guidance of my prostate oncologist, I have decided on getting the HDR brachytherapy at UCLA, which I am scheduled for next month with Dr. Demanes. Thank you to all who have posted about their experiences here.

One thing I have noticed on this forum, is that some posters are mixing up the terms HDR and LDR. If the seeds are permanently implanted, it is not HDR brachy. With HDR, the seeds are only temporarily placed inside the prostate for a short time period.
Posted 9/21/2014 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hawaii-Guy, welcome to HW. May I suggest you create a signature with a more complete listing of your stats so our members will "know" you in that way and can comment more intelligently on your threads.

Dr. Demanes is well known here and a number of our members have used him for HDR brachy. You should be in good hands and I'm hopeful that your results will be excellent. I'm an LDR brachy guy myself but whether HDR or LDR, most members here who have chosen those approaches have been highly satisfied with the results.

Good luck and please stay with us and let us know about your progress.

Jim
Posted 9/21/2014 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Hawaii Guy-

I know Dr. Demanes is now offering a variety of dosing schedules for the convenience of his patients. Which will you be getting?
Posted 9/21/2014 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Tall Allen,

Based on the pre-op letter I received, they are planning mono-therapy of 3 treatments within a 24 hour period, and then another 3 treatments a week later. Each treatment round involves an over night stay in the hospital with the catheters in place. The catheters are removed for the 7 day break between treatment rounds.

I am scheduled for a phone consult with Dr. Demanes later this week, I'll update you if he mentions anything different.
Posted 9/21/2014 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
The last time I saw him he said he was going to be offering new options that would include no overnight stays, or doing it all across a single visit. They all seem to be pretty equal in efficacy and SEs, so it's really a matter of convenience.

- Allen
Posted 9/21/2014 7:02 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Hawaii-Guy,

I saw Dr Demanes in July, and your HDR schedule is what he also recommended for me as a mono-therapy. Dr Demanes impressed me the most of any Dr I've consulted with since starting this adventure. Please keep us updated on your progress with HDR. I also had a consultation with Dr Chris King for SBRT just to explore all the treatment options at UCLA. I'm waiting for a mpMRI biopsy next week at UCLA before I decide on treatment or remaining on AS.
Posted 9/22/2014 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
hello hawaiian guy,
my dh is a hawaiian guy as well and had treatment with dr demanes about 20 months ago. all is good so far. aloha and good luck from maui
Posted 9/23/2014 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
MauiViv,

I'm glad your hubby's treatment with Dr. Demanes went well. I'm dealing with getting my insurance company to agree on the level of coverage for my upcoming treatment. They seem to think that I can get similar HDR brachy treatment here in Hawaii. Did you and your husband investigate to see if anyone is doing the HDR brachy for PCa here in Hawaii? Were you referred to Dr. Demanes by a doctor in Hawaii?
Posted 9/23/2014 3:44 PM (GMT 0)
hi hawaii guy,
dh had already been through treatment for lymphoma at ucla so he was referred to dr demanes by his lymphoma doc there. we had a 2 hour phone consult with dr demanes before we even saw him = clearly teaching is dr demanes' thing.
course it might be different since dh is covered by medicare and can go anywhere he wishes. his doc in maui (now ex doc) never even mentioned hdr brachytherapy - i am not sure he even was familiar with it.
there are only a few places in the usa that offer hdr brachytherapy so i highly doubt that it is available in hawaii. even if it is, you probably want to go to an expert!
best of luck to you.
aloha, viv on maui
Posted 9/24/2014 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
Tall Allen,

During my phone consult today with the P.A., she explained to me that Dr. Demanes does have a new treatment option which consists of a single radiation dosing instead of the 3 in a row. He still does it in 2 sessions spaced a week apart, but it is just a total of 2 treatments versus a total of 6 (3 + 3) under the old method. As you said, the new method has the advantage of no over night stay in the hospital. The P.A. said the final decision on which way to go is usually made by the patient. The only reason some patients are going with the old method is that UCLA has more data on that method, and the feeling of some patients is why change something that works so well. The new method has been used successfully for a longer time by other doctors, UCLA was just being conservative in waiting a bit longer before switching to this method.
Posted 9/24/2014 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
Maui Viv,

Thanks for the info. I agree with you, I definitely want to be treated by an expert.
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