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First PCa diagnosis to demise in 7 months??

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Posted 10/15/2010 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
I thought it wasn't possible to die so quickly from prostate cancer. I am stunned that this person could be first diagnosed in March and gone by October. I thought even if no treatment is sought that most would have years before PCa became lethal.

Exerpt:

Commissioner Arthur Bross, who served the city as an elected official for 22 years, died of cancer Wednesday at his home. He was 74.

Mr. Bross, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March, kept his illness a secret from the rest of the commission. He had missed city meetings since August as the cancer spread, family members said.

www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/margate/fl-art-bross-obit-20101014,0,1785662.story
Posted 10/15/2010 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
pipedream - it all depends on when the cancer started in his body - and how agressive it was - he may have just ignored it as many men do - and then, in this case, it was too late...

- that is why I find it scary that the cancer societies that are supposed to support those with prostate cancer ( let alone other cancers) are advocating less screening and diagnosis...

-my condolences to his family.

BRONSON
Posted 10/15/2010 9:41 AM (GMT 0)
It is highly unlikely that this person was asymptomatic and died within 7 months. If he died from PCa, he ignored the symptoms for a heck of a long time. Besides who knows what he actually died of. Did you see the death cert. Also I have seen places where the press switch "pancreatic" with prostate. It happened with Dennis hopper in a lot of articles I read.
Posted 10/15/2010 11:57 AM (GMT 0)
There was a guy in our PCa group - complained for a year to his doc about urnation problems, blood. The doc kept telling him he had a UTI. no dre, no psa, nothing...cause he was 50...impossible to have PCa. anyway, he could not urinate, went to ER - a PSA of 5000. Was dead in 4 months. The doc should be dead.
Even with a guy in his 70's...the medical establishment can be incredibly negligent. My dad should never have died of Pca...his doc just forgot to treat it.
Paul
Posted 10/15/2010 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Pipedream- who knows there are agressive PCa's out there and some get diagnosed way late. I saw one on a forum years ago, guy was diagnosed with small cell PCa and wife posted it and within 3 weeks posted that he died of PCa. (that is the world record as I currently know it)

Paul1959- that is a reasonating case and without knowing the details possible issues could have been he had small cell PCa (maybe never defined as small cell) or might have had blocked uters to kidneys from related PCa problems (not peeing) and this will kill anyone at some point. I am fortunate to be around I had total urinary blockage from PCa and plenty of PCa volume in all 12 biopsies. My brothers doc thought I had months or 1-2 years in my case, glad he is very wrong. I also through the kitchen sink at this dragon, asap once I knew...I was ignorant of PCa prior to having real issues at age 51.
Posted 10/15/2010 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
And don't forget, if you have no symptoms, and don't know or care to ask for tests, it will not be found until something breaks that hurts enough to send you to a doctor.

I had no symptoms, but still had a G 4+5 that was about to break out in all directions. The PSA test was an accident.

Posted 10/15/2010 6:52 PM (GMT 0)
First a clarification on Dennis Hopper ~ Mr. Hopper according to his public records died after a 9 year battle with prostate cancer.

Here is that record:
tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/0607_hopper_3.pdf

What probably happened in his case is simple misreporting. I saw some article that said he died of pancreatic cancer but I knew it was untrue. When Mr. Hopper stopped working shortly before his death it was being reported that he was just recently diagnosed but as you can see from the certificate the battle was 9 years. I also had heard a report in an interview that Mr, Hopper had faught for quite some time before it was made public.

Second,
We don't know that this person was just diagnosed or not. But as Zufus says there are forms of the disease that are very fast acting ~ Small Cell Sarcoma being one of them. Additionally, I too have witnessed cases online that seem to defy logic but I have determined that we are not always using the best logic in saying prostate cancer is a slow disease that takes years to kill you. This may be true in 99% of cases involving mortality, but it is important to note that there are many men that are not diagnosed until a critical organ is in shutdown. They indeed may have been asymptomatic at Dx.

Cancer does not always follow the rules. This is why we try to set guidelines for treatment (or non-treatment) knowing that we may have to change our thinking.

Tony
Posted 10/16/2010 8:14 AM (GMT 0)
As we don't know this guys stats, I think a few general observations are all we can make.

Until you have been to a doctor, for whatever reason you have no idea what is going on inside you, or how quickly anything is growing, changing etc.
You either go to the doc because you have symptoms, or because you have regular check-ups. or perhaps like me you note you are about to turn 50 and think it is time for a general check-up. (I opted to go aged 48 when I thought to myself that I'd feel really pissed if I waited another two years and found there was something wrong with me that it would have been better to deal with earlier!!)

If you are 20 or 30 years old and have trouble peeing the doc is not going to give you a PSA test. Some docs may not even test your PSA if you're 40, my doc hesitated a few seconds before ticking the box for the lab to test my PSA.
Another point in my case is that I had never heard of a PSA test when the doc mentioned it, and I am an intelligent guy, (This is no time for being modest) so I'm guessing there are a lot of others out there in the same position.
There are also guys who don't go to the doc because they hate the thought of a DRE or hate the idea of getting told bad news by their docs!

So if you are say 70 and have put off going to the doc because you have had no symptoms or didn't want to go, then there is a risk of not only being diagnosed with PCa, but that it may be advanced having been developing quietly for 20 years in a part of you prostate that wasn't causing symptoms.

PCA is not good news for anyone, but only some men get it, of those that get it only some of them will die from it, and of those that die only a very very few will have had the aggressive form.
This news story was sad for the individuals concerned but it is not typical. It should perhaps just serve as a reminder to get checked rather than as an alarm bell to make guys think they may die soon after diagnosis.

Alf
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