| As other PPs have said, you are much more likely to die with prostate cancer than from it. Google watchful waiting. it is possible that even if it is cancer, you don't have to treat it (since side effects can be pretty bad). |
Another possibilty is Lupron injections, which come with their own side effects, but which slow the growth of prostate cancer. My friend's 70yo husband is on his 4th shot because he didn't want to go through radiation, etc. My dad had stage 2B prostate cancer and was treated with targeted radiation. He had effects from that (digestive related), but he died 10 years later from ALS. One more thing, op, we don't know what this is, nor do you, so please try to employ pragmatic optimism. Please keep us posted. |
| We’ll be thinking of you, OP. Come back and update us. I agree you will be ok. |
| Overtreatment is a big issue in prostate cancer treatment, so don't stress about not having a biopsy 3 years ago. Prostate cancer is generally slow-growing, and you're doing the right thing by monitoring PSA and getting an MRI. Most likely the next step is a biopsy if this wasn't part of your MRI. The Prostate Cancer Foundation has good patient resource information. Exercise, eat healthy, and try not to stress too much. |
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So biopsy was recommended But PI rads is 5 (significant cancer?) also it extended beyond prostate on mri - Overlying
capsular bulge, suspicious for extraprostatic tumor extension. Next is biopsy - so scared |
Also I am mad at current doctor because if we biopsies 3 years ago cancer would be gone - he just kept checking psas and finally got mri because I requested and now these results ??!! |
That's not necessarily true. My dad had a prostate biopsy 4 years before his diagnosis and it missed the cancer. He had radiation treatment and was fine for 15 years until something else ended his life. |
That's not usually the treatment approach. Remember any surgery or radiation will most likely result in ED or urinary disfunction. Aggressively treating prostate cancer and lowering your quality of life isn't good. |
When was your Dad diagnosed?? |
You have no idea. It's like telling someone with breast cancer that they'll be fine, but without all the tests and data and medical expertise, posters on dcum just don't know. While a lot of old men die of something else before prostate cancer gets them, the situation for younger men is different. |
It's impossible to say they will be fine but lots of men live with prostate cancer. My dad had it. He had surgery and something else - I forget if it was chemo or radiation. He was told a few years to live and lived 15 more, but died of something else. They monitored his PSA and he was able to keep it stable on Lupron. The big issue was the incontinence. |
He's had a positive PSA for a very long time (15 years?) only recently did the trajectory of the PSA spike so they recommended treatment. I still warned him that the treatment isn't a walk in the park. He doesn't have metastatic disease, thankfully. |
That's one case. The OP doesn't yet know his Gleason score. He will be undergoing more testing and multiple consultations. |
thank you for this feedback |
Watchful waiting at 53?? I thought that is when older |