The journey continues...

John,

I think you are getting even and fair opinions from this doctor. You are fortunate to have all choices available to you. With so little cancer in your biopsy, if at all possible, AS would make great sense, and keep you from inheriting possible bad side effects from either radiation or surgery, especially at your younger age of 49. I only wished I had had your options.

The seeds would probably take care of your cancer too, with much less risk than the surgery, something to think about. It would be a shame to have surgery, which too would probably knock out the cancer, but if you ended up with long term ED or incontinence or both, you might regret that decision down the road.

Keep thinking through it all, the other tests should make it easier for you make your final decision. For men with stats that allow AS, I wish more of them would strongly consider it. You might buy years, or a lifetime of not dealing with side effects for the sake of a very small amount of cancer. If you ended up needing treatment years down the line, you would still have the same choices.

Good luck ahead, the decision is in your hands. We will support whatever you decide.

david in sc

At Sloan Kettering a 3T MRI is standard protocol and is a prerequisite to seeing a RO. My husband had an appointment to see a RO there, but they insisted that an MRI be taken before the appointment. So yes, an MRI is routine.

No Charlie Horse, the doctor is doing an excellent job with your case, imo. He just wants as much information, that will help you and him to help you make a decision. I will say this though, and It just a sense, you do not strike me as someone who would be comfortable with AS. You should not dismiss it tho. My opinion , for what its worth, is brachytherapy, be cause it will do the job, as well as surgery, with better odds of avoiding side effects. suggest sending slides to experienced PCA pathologist to confirm the gl6. Mention it , at least to your doc to see what he thinks. Oh yeah not sure its been said yet. but when you make your call , turn the corner on it, except in extremely extreme circumstances.

Hi CharlieHorse / John - good to hear from you again, I was a little afraid that we scared you away......

It seems to me that your doctor is being cautious and doing the right thing - as are you - continue to educate yourself, you'll be fine.

Hey everyone. Great to hear from all of you.

Both doctors mentioned AS as a viable option for me, assuming my Bx was accurate. So AS is still on the table. The RO said that since my PSA has not changed much in the last two years (from 6.18 to 6.5) and if it continues to be stable I would be a good candidate for AS. He said most guys on AS choose treatment in 3-4 years. That's a good long time not to have to worry about SEs. We'll see. He explained the AS protocol to me and it seemed safe and reasonable. A few years could mean new treatment possibilities which is always a good thing.

After having spoken with two great docs, the surgeon and the RO, my anxiety level has gone down to a manageable level. My PCP also chimed in and she thinks we're on the right track too. Now, it's up to me to make a decision.

Now I just have to control my imagination. What if the MRI finds some high risk disease.? The answer is I'll deal with it but it is one more thing to think about. That's where I am at this stage (no pun intended) of the process. Anyhow, I know I have a community of brothers who have seen a lot with this thing who will be willing to offer support and guidance.

In the mean time, I'm changing my diet and exercising more. It helps manage stress and will put me in better physical shape just in case surgery bubbles up to the be option #1 at some point. It's something I've needed to do for a while anyway.

Thanks again,

John

Thanks, logoslidat.