The Phoenix site?

hi john - as we improve in technology and data gathering - it is just a
matter of time before we get as many variables to stabilize within a
perimeter range that will prove out to be a correlation.   the partin
table is definitely a great start and perhaps the table and be refined
to tighter numbers as the data comes forth to what you are describing.
it will probably take more details to input to give the person with pca
a better idea of where they stand and my crystal ball says that in the
future having pca might read like this......

example.   mr. X.   age xxxx.  psa.xxx  stage xxxx.  gleason xxxxx,
cores positive xxxx,   quadrant located in xxxx,  per cent involvement
xxxx,  cat scan input xxxxx,  bone scan input xxxxx,  (plus some other
inputs that are in development)

diagnosed stage of pca and projected outcomes.......

surgical procedure -  standard RP
xxxx%  success,  RRP xxxx% success, LRP xxxx% success,

radiation procedure - IMRT xxxx% success, EBRT xxxx% success,
brachytherapy xxxx% success
HDT xxxx% success, proton xxxx% success.

cryosurgery procedure - xxxx% success

watchful waiting - projected time to mets xxx years.  projected time to
end of life xxx years.

hormone therapy - projected time xxx years

combination of treatments........

surgical/radiation treatment xxxx% success

chances of complication from surgery treatment....  standard RP xxxx%,
RRP xxxx%,  LRP xxxx%.

chances of complication from radiation therapy...... IMRT xxxx%,  EBRT
xxxx%,
brachytherapy xxxx%, HDT xxxx%,
proton xxxx%.

chances of complication from cryosurgery xxxx%.

projected chance of recurrance of pca....

by surgical - standard RP xxxx%, RRP xxxx%, LRP xxxx%.

by radiation - IMRT xxxx%, EBRT xxxx%,
brachytherapy xxxx%, HDT xxxx%, proton xxxx%.

cryosurgery xxxx%

this is only off the top of my head that i put this together, but if one
was dx'ed with pca and got all the facts they could and were able to get
a readout such as this, by seeing the results in black and white, may
make it easier to make the right choice for their particular case.

i'm sure that others can add to what i've missed but this concept was
just something i was toying with.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."