Cant make decision between Surgery or Radiation

I understand your position and frustration choosing between surgery and radiation. I can only tell of my own experience. I opted for Proton Radiation and have excellant results. My PSA was 7.9 when I started the proceedure a little over two years ago. It is now .3 and has dropped consistanty since the proceedure. Please also be aware even with surgery there is no guarantee that the problem will be totally gone. I would estimate about 10% of my fellow patients had surgery and still had to undergo radiation with the return of cancer. In the attempt to limit repercussions some tissue may be left.

​I chose radiation due to what I felt would be best for the least amount of problems. This has been the case. I have experienced little to no problems with anything.

I am 62 years old PSA 9.1 and had my prostate removed on Sept 21. I tested positive in 6 samples Gleason 6 which was later upgraded to 8 and my surgeon recommended the surgery. I was told that if I tried radiation and it did not work, the surgery would be much harder to do.

Hello Jerald.Read your post with interest.Different advice coming from all sources,i have been there,done it.This is the greatest dilemma for men with PCa.I am 58 years old and recently i have had a prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland).My PSA at time of removal was 13.7. Gleason 3+3.I thought long and hard about the options.In the end i decided to have surgery,mainly due to my age.Once its out its out.The problem i see with Radiation treatment is you want know for some time if the treatment as been a success.If i was in my mid 70s i would opt for Radiation.But your only 68.We all know about the side effects of both treatments,Erectile disfunction,and incontinence.It is now 4 months since my operation,no longer wearing incontinence pads.And with the erection problems this can take a lot longer,but with time and medication this too should subside.Good luck

Hi I'm 67 had prostactomy 12 months ago I hadpsa 14.8

gleason 8 .fit for age hobby scuba .post opp Gleason 9 .

my last 5 pas tests 0.05 all the same I had clear margins my cancer was in both lobes contained .my dad had prostate cancer then died of bowel cancer. It was bad seeing his steady decline I was with I'm as he passed 

that's why I chose the opp. I am now almost back to normal

were the thinnest pads just in case .feel I could dispense with them

mine was a non nerve sparing opp yet I still have slight erection 

hope yours goes as well as mine 

best regards

 

I was 57 G/S 8, PSA 9.7 and went with IMRT. I have no regrets - no incontinence but slight loss of libido/ED which will be helped chemically. I didn't want to trust the variables involved with surgery. Each to their own. 

I don't profess to be an expert on the subject, but here's my experience:

In 2009 my biopsy and Gleason score results were almost identical to yours.  The risk of recurrence was the same regardless of whether I went with surgery or external beam radiation therapy.  I went with radiation for two reasons (1) the side effects were listed as lower probability with EBRT, and (2) I had an MRI which showed cancer cells on the edge of the prostate, so it was possible to radiate that area to kill off those cancer cells.  I am now 67, and seven years out of my original treatment more cancer showed up in my prostate.  On the 13th of this month I underwent a Salvage Robotic Radical Prostatectomy, and all seems very positive at the moment.  In salvage surgery there is little that can be done with regard to nerve sparing, but there are some very helpful solutions for ED.  My incontinence seems consistent with those who have undergone a normal RP as my surgeon was able to avoid any damage to my spicther muscles.  So far I feel good about things, and my surgeon feels that I should be cancer free (subsequent testing will confirm or deny this belief).

There is no right or wrong answer, you need to do what you are most comfortable with.  Two things to consider is (1) EBRT is not a dead end if cancer reoccurs, and (2) Men who have had RP surgery also have a risk of recurrence. 

Hopefully some some of this will be helpful to you as you navigate this confusing plethora of options we all find ourselves constantly evaluating.  Best of luck to you!