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Concerned daughter with questions

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Posted 2/11/2015 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
Don't think that's a question we can really answer - that depends on the relationship you have with your father.

However, I would encourage him to have someone else along to listen and take notes.

Andrew
Posted 2/11/2015 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
My vote would be for you to go with him, take notes of what is said and for sure get a copy of the biopsy report. While you're there, ask them to send the slides to either Bostwick or Epstein for a 2nd read/opinion by those that are truly experts at that. (Not that the medical professionals you're seeing aren't, again Bostwick/Epstein are simply considered experts) Keep us posted!
Posted 2/11/2015 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
As I suspected, he does have PC. Gleason score of 6 with 3 of 12 positive. From what his dr said, he has many options and now is going to meet with his friend who is an oncologist. Dr. said he will recover from this. Any info that can be provided on his numbers would be greatly appreciated.
Posted 2/11/2015 6:42 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like you got a good doctor there.
and like the doc likely said:

G6 is a low risk PC and your father has a lot of options from AS (active surveillance) to surgery. The various radiation treatments will work as well. Brachy LDR might be a good option. This would be considered in the curable zone.

The most difficult part now will be deciding what to do about it since you'll have a large number of options that will do about the same thing.

Hang in there and let us know what the oncologist says.
Andrew
Posted 2/11/2015 10:05 PM (GMT 0)
Daughter: check my sig file, that's exactly where I'm at. I don't think you told us his age, which is also a factor for the decision.

I chose surgery, and will be having it in 6 days now. If you go back a couple of pages, you can find my story in a thread called, guess what..."My Story". He has time, and options, and it sounds like he's making the right moves. After the oncologist, he also needs to talk to a radiation therapist to get their take. Depending on his age and the biopsy pattern, he could also be a candidate for Active Surveillance.

Keep us posted...
Posted 2/11/2015 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
Concerned Daughter - Gleason 6 in only 3 cores is exactly what you wanted, short of a negative biopsy, Hang in there, get educated, consider all options, you've got many
Posted 2/11/2015 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
So sorry your dad got the bad news. That said, he got just about the best kind of bad news possible. Low risk and pretty much any treatment will cure him.

Given that he's got such a great chance for a cure, my advice in choosing a treatment option would be to focus on which set of side effects he can tolerate best, as pretty much every treatment has some side effects.

Lastly, he should at least learn about Active Surveillance, which could make sense with his low Gleason score. Not everyone is cut out for that, but it definitely has the least amount of side effects! It wasn't an option for me as Gleason 9, but I sure would have considered it if I could have qualified.

Most important, good luck to you and your dad. You'll both do fine, but I know navigating this won't be particularly fun. Keep us posted and let us know how we can help.
Posted 2/12/2015 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Concerned,

The surgeon is correct. There are a lot of options that dad can use. Next is having to check them out and decide what is best for HIM. G6 is a good thing (mine was downgraded to a 6 after surgery) and there are options and he should look at all of them before jumping into action. The tough part, just ask Pratoman, is figuring out what is BEST FOR HIM. That was the hard part for me as well. I am happy with my decision but I sure could have used the support of the guys here during that time.

Hang in there and give dad all the love you can. He has a lot on his mind and a lot to think about.

Don
_______________________________________________
Age 61 @ DX, 62 Now
DRE: enlarged w/"ridge"
Pre-Op PSA: 6.8
Biopsy: 5 of 14 positive, 12%(3+3),11%(3+3),20%(4+3),5%(3+3),4%(3+3)
da Vinci: 10/17/2014 Both Nerves Spared
Cath: 17 days
Post-Op Path:
Histologic Type: Adenocarcinoma
77gr - 4.5cm x 4.7cm X 4.2cm - 10-20% Involved by tumor
Largest module: 1.6cm Bilateral Lobes
Gleason Grade: 3+3=6 (down from a 4+3=7 in biopsy)
TNM Staging: pT2c pN0 cM0
EPE: Absent, SMI: Absent
Margins: uninvolved, Lymph Nodes all benign
Bladder Neck Negative for Carcinoma
Perineural Invasion - present, Vascular Invasion - present
PSAs: (Roche ECLIA methodology):
01/22/15 - <0.1 (Three Month test)
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