Posted 3/19/2012 7:47 AM (GMT 0)
okimich and Dad,
I am so sorry to hear about your Dad's recent diagnosis. It literally turns the world upside down. You father is so lucky to have you at his side, so concerned and doing research and asking good questions. I am not a doctor like most of us at HW so we can give you our observations from our experience.
First, most Urologists Oncologists want a baseline bone scan. I was told to have one and my doctor scheduled it when i was in his office getting my diagnosis. My Gleason was a 8, PSA had jumped to 13 and thought I was similar to your father at stage 2t but I was a c.
So lets focus on the positive (if one can do when told you have prostate cancer) but your Dad has may positive factors going for him. First and most important, his Gleason score is a 6. While that sounds scary, there are many of us on this forum that would have loved to have been told we were a Gleason 6. As you may know, it is serious cancer but it is NOT the real nasty and aggressive cancer that a score of 7, 8, 9 or a 10. After my surgery, my Gleason was bumped up one notch higher to 9, so you Dad is very fortunate. Second observation is the staging at t2a which means that the odds are great that his cancer is confined to the Prostate gland and there is very little possibility that it has escaped out side of his prostate capsule to the margins on the left and the right side of the prostate. That is wonderful because, with surgery, they can remove his prostate, and literally get all of the cancer out of his body. It becomes much more complicated if the cancer has jumped ship and left the prostate glad, jumped aboard a few lymph nodes to take a ride around the body through the blood stream and take hold on bones.
The chances of that having happened on your dad is slim to none. So there is much to be happy about with your father's Dx. While it is bad, it could be so much worse, so celebrate that fact. There are so many treatment options for your dad, surgery, radiation, bracatherapy, hormones, etc.
Don't panic, you have time to read, research, get educated, schedule doctor visits, get second opinions, meet with Uro surgeons, meet with Uro Radiologists, and do your research as to who is simply the best at what they do. If you are considering surgery, make sure you find a surgeon that has done thousands of these surgeries and that is all he or she does is cancer surgery and do not pick a surgeon who has little experience or is a generalist Uro surgeon. Your dad needs someone who does this surgery 24/7 365 a year and has been doing them for years. Ask around the community for references, ask here on HW if you have names of surgeons in your area. We have members from not only around the country, but many from out of the country that add great insight as to how they are treated in England, Australia, Scotland, etc.
So take the time to find the best surgeon or the best radiologists. Everyone comes to their own personal decision whether to have a surgeon remove the gland or if they go to a radiologist to get the radioactive threads inserted into the prostate gland. This is where education is critical. Study and read as much as you can. The books referred to above are excellent. You will find one of the first threads on the Prostate site is for resources, books, videos, etc. They are valuable. I probably read over 12 books in my first five weeks. That plus asking any question of this website and you will be amazed at how generous our HW community are with insight and suggestions.
So in conclusion, all of us here at HW wished you did not have to be here. But since you are, we are here to walk through this experience with you and your father. He has such a great diagnosis, that his future is bright and hopefully will be cancer free after he decides on which route to pursue to get rid of this beast.
You are in my thoughts and prayers. Please come back many times and ask as many questions that you need to. We all have been the beneficiary of so many generous people who donate many hours and their expertise gained with your prostate cancer experiences. Encourage you dad to come into our community, and discuss his emotions and feelings of what he is going through and we can validate from our own experiences. Again, focus on the very bright side that his cancer is not the real nasty and aggressive cancer that comes with a Gleason of 7,8,9 or 10. There are many of us, me including that would love to trade down, if we could, but we can't.
Best wishes on this journey. Your dad is very lucky to have you at his side with your love and concern for him. My daughter find this website for me and told me to get on and start participating. It was the best thing that I did, after being diagnosed.