G9 and mets

I hope not

I'm counting on my G9 not to do so and I'm throwing a lot at it to make sure that's the case. But the G8+ are certainly the cells more likely to go rogue.

Michael

The answer is no.

And sometimes even when it does, it can respond well to the many drugs and therapies available.

Don't think you can say all but many G9s do. so do 7,8, 10s...

Still, there is every hope that it can be treated and you'll live a very long time. It won't be easy and plenty of scary things ahead but until proved otherwise follow the hope.

Andrew

Any prostate cancer, aside from Gleason 6, can metastasize. But if it is found & treated at an early stage, it is just as curable as a lower Gleason grade.

(For anyone wondering about my first sentence, the dominant thought among PC specialists is that G6 rarely, if ever, spreads beyond the prostate.)

jetskifisher, it would appear that you have a curable case since it is organ confined and your PSA, while above normal for your age, is still on the low side.

OHSOBAD, have you given us your stats in other threads? I don't recall, but it would be helpful if you can post them here. As noted up above, even a G10 can be cured IF it is found early enough, before it has a chance to spread. So you can be hopeful that a cure is also in your future.

Take care,
Chuck

Resident of Highland, Indiana just outside of Chicago, IL.
July 2011 local PSA lab reading 6.41 (from 4.1 in 2009). Mayo Clinic PSA Sept. 2011 was 5.7.
Local urologist DRE revealed significant BPH, but no lumps.
PCa Dx Aug. 2011 at age of 61.
Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in 3 of 20 cores (one 5%, two 20%). T2C.
Gleason score 3+3=6.
CT of abdomen, bone scan both negative.
DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), nerve sparing, age 62.
My surgeon was Dr. Matthew Tollefson, who I highly recommend.
Final pathology shows tumor confined to prostate.
5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, extraprostatic soft tissue all negative.
1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm mass involving right posterior inferior,
right posterior apex & left mid posterior prostate.
Right posterior apex margin involved by tumor over a 0.2 cm length, doctor says this is insignificant.
Prostate 98.3 grams, tumor 2 grams. Prostate size 5.0 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm.
Abdominal drain removed the morning after surgery.
Catheter out in 7 days. No incontinence, occasional minor dripping.
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, PSA <0.1. PSA tests now annual.
Semi-firm erections now happening 14 months post-op & VERY slowly getting a bit stronger.

jetskifisher said...
"I was talking to my uro about PSA levels and age, It is his view that PSA levels of 3 in men in there 50s are not acceptable, there is something going wrong at 3 and that this is where the average family doctor is confused.

My G9 was undoubtedly roaring away 9/2012 with a PSA of "only" 4.1. If it had been below 4, I wonder if my GP would even have suggested a followup PSA. I lost 6 months until a confirming PSA at 5.2 sent me to the uro, but my G9 looks like it's already out of the barn now. 6 months ago? Maybe it was by then as well. (My brother in law is my age, and just had his checked. Blessedly it came back 0.91, so he's relieved. Mine has never been that low.)

So we're irradiating the pelvic lymph nodes and seminal vesicles, hoping if the nasty little horses are out of the barn maybe we can at least get them in the pasture. 7mm margin around the lymph nodes, 6mm around prostate except 4mm next to the rectal wall.

I dunno... just amongst us.... with all of my studies, optimism, hope, confidence in treatment plan, and yes faith, I have to admit there is a dark backdrop of concern. My docs have even said there is a significant likelihood of micromets, since the Gleason pattern 5 cells are so rogue already, I have so much of it, and the MRI showed ECE already.

Shake it off! Today is my 22nd IGRT treatment, so exactly half way done! Mmmm.... radiation.....

OhSo,

I'm afraid they do ... which is why I've decided to get rid of mine. I've cut it out with surgery, and burned it out with radiation -- like General Sherman marching through Georgia -- and afflicted it with hormones that make it listless and too depressed to go on.

Left to their own devices GS 9 cancers do reliably metastasize. But left to my devices... well, we'll see.

One of those messy facts of life that will affect many of us, not limited to the 9's. Thankfully there are many options that can work for a long time for many people. The real wake up calls are guys like Sequoia, Raddad, and Vince Flynn that got overwhelmed in a relatively short time.

I have read that cells can hide in the bones and lay dormant for years before growing into mets. It really is very individualized and what happens to one person may not happen to another.

Constant vigillence is required. Ten years ago my brother's brother-in-law was a PSA 1 at about age 50 with G9 that was presenting strong symptoms. Surgery, then radiation, then ADT, then a holiday and back on ADT. PSA rises then gets knocked down then rises again, but they can't find the source (mets). Hopefully he is one that can live a long time managing the disease that probably can't be cured based on current treatments.

I think for any aggressive case, regardless of gleason, an experienced PC medical oncologist is key. That plus an attitude that if I'm going down, I'm going down swinging...