Another Post-Brachytherapy Good Report

Because I know you all like the updates -- and they are helpful to others weighing their options. My husband had ldr brachytherapy with Dr. Brian Moran last October, and just went in a few weeks ago for his second post-procedure PSA reading. It was 0.79 (down from 1.8 in February), and this continued drop was regarded as very good news by both Dr. Moran and by us. Hubbie continues to be fine on all other counts -- down to once every four days for his tamsulosin and he often forgets about it even then. So we continue to be very pleased with this choice of therapy. As we are in our later 50s this healthy time now is very much appreciated. And as always thanks again for all the valuable advice offered here -- we always recommend this site as the first stop for anyone facing prostate cancer.

Great report. Great drop in PSA.

Andrew

I have a close friend that had Brachytherapy close to 20 years ago? And he is still going strong and as far as I know in great shape.

The question is this. It seems like a great way to beat prostate cancer in the low to medium risk men? Is that a true statement or am I missing something? Please note that I am reading everything I can on this but it is so complicated! PC is like a jigsaw puzzle that you have to slowly put together before you have a final outcome.

And, congratulations Antonia with regards to your husband's success!

ZaneKane -- A jigsaw puzzle is a good analogy. In figuring out the right treatment there are a lot of different pieces to consider, and what makes things fit for you might not for someone else. If you look up our story you will find that we took a lot of time and did a lot of research, and went to several doctors before my husband chose brachytherapy. It was, for sure, sometimes unsettling to hear different recommendations from different doctors: there is no medical consensus about the best treatment, whatever risk category you are in, and you need to weigh both the outcomes and the side effects as you sift through the options. This forum was absolutely vital to us during our own process. There are so many folks here who offer their own stories and keep up on all the latest information, and provide their expertise without endeavoring to steer you hard into one treatment or another. Plus the people here really will be rooting for you and that is such a terrific and touching thing. So with the help of everyone here you will be able to make a well-informed decision that is right for you (and as a low-risk patient you do have time and should take it).

And yes, we came to the conclusion that LDR brachytherapy is an excellent choice, certainly for low/medium risk men. It is not as profitable for doctors and hospitals as other forms of radiation so I think that is one of the primary reasons why it is not performed more often in the U.S. My husband was looking for a treatment that would address the cancer, of course, but he also very much prioritized maintaining his quality of life (as did I), and so that's why we chose brachytherapy. The side effects he experienced, both in terms of continence and erectile performance, were minimal and temporary. But frankly all the stats that we went over indicate that brachytherapy has as good a cure rate as surgery or other forms of radiation, so we were very comfortable going with it. We know we're far from "done" with this yet, but whatever happens at this point we feel we made the right choice.

I looked you up and saw that you are in California where of course there are many resources available, but if you are able to come here to Chicago, Dr. Moran is one of the most experienced practitioners of LDR brachytherapy there is, and is also just a really good guy. We have had an excellent experience with him and everyone else at the Chicago Prostate Center. So if you end up strongly considering brachytherapy you might want to consider coming here.

ZaneKane said...


The question is this. It seems like a great way to beat prostate cancer in the low to medium risk men? Is that a true statement or am I missing something? !

Zane, you are not missing a thing! LDR Brachy is a great choice for many men and is an effective cure for PCa. If you want a long winded story about my LDR Brachy journey just copy and past the link in my signature.

If I was doing it over today, there is a good chance that I would choose LDR Brachy again but I would also give strong looks to HDR Brachy and SBRT which are both good options as well. My bottom choices would be EBRT and surgery. EBRT because, in my case, the radiation could be delivered more efficiently (and certainly more conveniently) and surgery is low because of the higher chances of onerous side effects.

Jim