UpDate On Guided MRI Biopsy...

Yes Roger - get rid of the cancer. No one knows when their expiration date is... at least you can remove prostate cancer from the equation. My best wishes to you. You'll do fine.

Yes Roger, I am doing well. It will be one year next month Feb 24th. I have stopped taking the Dutasteride (generic Flomax) because I don't think I need it any longer. The urologist put me on it as precaustion before the Brachytherapy. He said because of the radiation from the seeds, it would cause some inflammation and the Dutasteride would help with that. And I know it help. It is good to off the meds too... not they they were a problem, but just having another med to take every day.. you know? I will go for my one year check up Feb 22nd. We'll see how that goes, but I feel good and have no left over side effects now. My urologist told me that the side effects would become less and less with time. And by the year mark, it would be like nothing happened - and I think he was right. Good luck Roger - I will be sending you positive energy. I will look for your updates.

Before signing up to RT I suggest you investigate the different options available:

high dose or low dose external beam;

high dose or low dose Brachy + high dose or low dose external beam;

or proton therapy.

Then compare the duration of the treatments and the extension of life expected.

Roger, I think any type of radiation therapy will work for you. When I was discussing treatment options with my oncologist, he talked to me about 3. The radiation therapy which at first I was told would be the 5 days a week for 9 weeks. That was from my urologist. The oncologist told me that there was a new method for radiation that was a little stronger dose, but reduced from 9 weeks to 5 weeks. That sounded better. Then he talked about Cyberknife. Also a radiation treatment. With this treatment, there were 4 or 5 markers placed within the prostate to gude the radiation beam to the area it needed to be. It helped prevent radiation from going to places where it was not needed - like the bladder and colon. This was 5 visits every other day. That one sounded pretty good too. The down side of that one is that he said it would require an enema each morning before the treatment. Also, required drinking a full glass of water to fill the bladder which you had to hold for the duration of the 45 minute treatment. This was to help hold the bladder out of the way of the radiation. Then we talked about the Brachytherapy. I had to have a 'volume study' first. That was to measure the size and shape of my prostate. It has to be within a certain size. Mine was slighly enlarged, so I was put on Dutasteride (generic Avodart) to shrink the prostate. that did the trick. Then the Brachytherapy treatment was scheduled - and it is a one time treatment. It took about 45 minutes. I have a friend that retired from the Cancer Research Center here in San Antonio where I live. She talked to me about the treatments and says the radiation works. Her father in law had the regular radiation done about 15 years ago. He was in his early 70's at that time. He is now in his middle 80's and is doing fine. So what ever treatment you have, seems like a good result. All treatments have their side effects, but they will pass. You'll get through this... and it will all be in the past soon. Keep us posted.