death from prostate cancer
Posted , 10 users are following.
My father was just diagnosed this week. 6 of the 12 samples biopsied came back as cancerous. His doctor gave him all his options: surgery, radiation, and doing nothing. He told my father that no one dies of prostate cancer. I have been told it's 1 of the 4 silent killers of men. Why would his doctor say that no one dies from it? My father is 70 and debating whether or not to put himself through treatment since his doctor said he won't die from it anyway. Ideas, anyone?
0 likes, 8 replies
charles61038 sarachaney
Posted
At 70 years old, he is still young. I faced a similar situation 3 years ago. My biopsy showed 2 out of 12 samples contained cancer cells. My urologist told me that the cancer was a non aggressive type and that I had options. Wait and see, or treatment. Radiation was one, Cyberknife another, and Brachytherapy which is low dose seed implants. I did research on all options. Surgery is the most drastic, but some need that if their cancer is aggressive and has spread. If your father can avoid surgery - that would be great. Do some research and talk to others. I met with an oncologist who I liked very much. He took the time to discuss all options available for me and explain the pros and cons of each. All will have some side effects, but they are tolerable. I chose the Brachytherapy as my treatment. It is a one time procedure done as an outpatient and it takes about 45 minutes. The low dose radiation helps reduce the exposure to the bladder and the colon. It has been 3 years since I had the procedure. I just had my check up with the urologist and all is good. My PSA is at 0.16. No other side effects and my life is back to where it was before any of this happened. Get more information. Research the treatments and look at the side effects. What ever you decide, just make sure your doctor has done the procedure many times successfully. Good luck to you.
RichardKen sarachaney
Posted
I'm very sorry to have to tell you that that is incorrect as many men do die as the direct result of prostrate cancer.
Do you know what his Gleeson score is and what his psa score was and whether it was greatly up on his previous result.
Cheers, Richard
gale10132 sarachaney
Posted
How healthy is your father. If healthy and active you need more information regarding how much cancer was in each sample. With this information I suggest researching options. I experienced the same situation 4 years ago and decided to do proton radiation and have been very pleased with the results. Very little after effect during and after the treatment.
anthony70342 sarachaney
Posted
That's a pretty bizarre statement for that doctor to make. I'm sorry your Dad has cancer to begin with. 70 is young. My husband finished 9 weeks of radiation therapy in Phoenix @ CTCA. That ended in November 2017 and to date his PSA shows the cancer "non-detectable." He fared well going through it but the afterwards is hard because he gets tri-monthly Lupron shots (chemo). It takes him at least an entire month to feel better from that. He experiences night sweats, dizziness and at times won't eat. But I know it's a lot better than when the cancer was alive. Personally I would do the radiation therapy and if your insurance will cover it, CTCA has 4 locations around the country that I would certainly recommend. My husband is 63 and I want him around for a very long time. Godspeed.
DavidDundas sarachaney
Posted
Hi,
I was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer last july 2018. I decided to have it removed, but my NHS Consultant said this would not be in my best interest. I disagreed and consulted one of the top 3 Prostate surgeons in the UK who advised that the best treatment would be to remove it and surrounding tissue; I paid to have it done privately to get it removed as quick as possible (3 weeks versus 3 months). 9 months later there is a residual amount of active prostate tissue which may be part of the sphincter and not a bit of tumor; my PSA level of 0.8 ng/ml is so low that it cannot yet be seen by a scanner. It remains to be seen if it grows enough to be identified; either way I think its better to remove 98% plus of the cancer and live with the consequences, rather than treat a health time bomb that's still inside me. And I'm still alive!
david41094 sarachaney
Posted
No one dies of Prostate cancer? Is he kidding?
You really need to provide more information but I suspect that the reason behind the doctor's statement is that your father has low risk and therefore I would opt for no treatment.
You really need to find out the Gleason score of the biopsies and his PSA readings. At present you do not have enough information to provide any helpful advice.
Good luck
sarachaney
Posted
That's all the information I have. He hasn't told me anything else. He is thinking of getting a second opinion which I will now encourage. Thanks everyone.
barney34567 sarachaney
Posted
A couple of others in here raised the key points: what is his Gleason score and PSA level. This should be available by way of a report sent by a urologist to your Dad's general practioner/primary care physician.
Say he has a low Gleason score (of say 6) then I would "watch and wait" as it could take years to become a problem. If however the Gleason score is like mine, 9, then it is a question of what treatment to undergo.