Welcome Tate.

That's right, for a man of your age with those numbers, radical
prostatectomy is what many doctors recommend.

But if you read thousands of pages of medical information on the
prostate cancer web sites, and the studies which c palmer posts here,
basically the results are about the same with radioactive seeds.  So it
will probably be your choice.

When you talk to the surgeons, use the term "nerve sparing" often.

Guys here are reporting good results and an easy time of it with
laparascopic radical prostatectomy.  Be sure to ask how many procedures
the surgeon has done.  LRP takes a lot of practice.

Make an informed choice, and don't look back.

jimhoney
standard (big incision) RRP age 52, cured, no significant aftereffects

Tate,

You closely mimic my first thoughts and the first posts of many, many people
that I've seen come across this NG in the last few years.  I regret
welcoming you to the club.

As to your options, aside from your PSA, your numbers are great.  At 60
years old, you have the complete menu of treatments from which to choose.
Some of us were too young to select radiation or too old to select surgery.
You can go with whatever is best for you.

Your PSA is only slightly higher than what I would call a great number.
Your Stage, which you did not give, sounds like T1a, which is also great.
You also did not give your Gleason, a very important number.  But, assuming
it is 3+3=6 or 3+4=7, you are in a great position for a cure.

Better than that, without palpable nodes, you would seem to be a perfect
candidate for nerve sparing which, if it works, may reduce or eliminate the
impotence most of us suffer.

You already have the right attitude, non Illegitimi carborundum.  Now, find
out what your Stage is and what your Gleason is.  Buy Dr. Patrick Walsh's
Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer and read it thoroughly, at least up to
the treatment option chapters.

You can also get second opinions.  You can get a second opinion of your
Gleason Score to aid you in your decision.  But, by all means, if you're
dealing with a surgeon, get an opinion from a radiation doc.

In the end, I think you will settle on surgery, but it's very important,
especially if impotence and incontinence reduce your quality of life in the
future, to know that you had all the information and made the right
decision.

Look hard at all your treatment options.   Meet with doctors who
specialize in surgery and radiation.  If you can talk to patients,
even better.  

I went the three stage route.  Hormone/chemo, 25 sessions of IMRT
external beam radiation, and a Palladium-103 seeding at the end of
October.  

This is an "easier" treatment than RP surgery.  I actually walked
out of the outpatient center, no pain meds, not even a bandaid on
the implant site.  

The side effects are minimal.  The worse part for me is having to
"go" every 2 or 3 hours and feeling tired all the time.  I suspect
it's because my sleep is interrupted and they took coffee, tea, and
pepsi off my diet.  It could also be the radiation increasing the
dead cell debris.  

The first week and the first month, I was on medication to help the
pee'ing. The first week, they had me popping pills every 4 hours.  

I'm at the end of month two, post implant, and I take one Aleve and
one flomax a day.  

This approach might not be for everyone but according to my docs,
radiation's 10 year survival stats are the same as RP.

My PSA trend is:

10+, 1.3, 0.8, 0.0.

The urologist called it a T1, no symptoms. . The radiation
oncologist called a possible T3 because he thought there might be
extra-capsule extensions.   Gleason 7=4+3, relatively aggressive and
high grade.

Negative bone scan.  MRI looked confined.

Don't go by my experience.  Read all you can, ask lots of
questions.  Make the best decision for yourself.

Good luck to you.

Welcome to the club no one wants to join.

Please advise:

Gleason grade of tumor
TNM stage as determined by DRE (digital rectal examination)

Such information will help to judge your status.

There is a number of informative websites. The one I recommend as first
resort is that of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute:
http://prostate-cancer.org/index.html

Presently, I'd recommend that Tate take a deep breath and try to unwind
a bit. PCa is usually a slowly-developing disease and there is probably
no rush.

Tate should not permit himself to by stampeded into making a treatment
decision before he has all the facts in hand.

Tate's life has probably fundamentally changed now that he has been
diagnosed. He must prepare himself through study of the literature and
consultation with knowledgeable people to take charge of his case so
that the decisions he must make will be well-founded and well-informed.

Good luck, and please keep us up to date.

Regards,

Steve J
__
"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small,
large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good
sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming
might of the enemy.''
--Sir Winston L. S. Churchill

Hi Tate,

I'm 47 years old and was diagnosed with PCa on 10.04.  Stage  T1c gleason of
3+3.  Had full nerve sparing and no lymph node involvement.  Had an RRP on
11/10/04.  Since I was so young, there really wasn't any other viable option
for me but surgery.  I found the surgery painful and had a heck of a time
with that damn catheter for 2 weeks after surgery.  All in all, I would do
it again.  Pathology showed cancer in both lobes of the prostate which
brought my stage up to a pT2c.  I was very lucky that the cancer did not
leave the prostate .  By the way, my PSA reading prior to surgery was only
2.3.  Quite low but still out of range for my age.  Good luck with your
decision.  Remember, time heals all...

Hi, Tate,

As others have said, welcome to the club nobody wants to join.  I can still
remember when I was just exactly where you are.... having just found out on
Sept. 13, 2002, that I had PCa.  I was 51.  I chose laparoscopic radical
prostatectomy.  At your age, you have several options, and you should look
at all of them.  In my case, I wanted it *out* of me.

I would offer the following sites for information:

www.phoenix5.org

www.krongrad-urology.com

www.rcog.com

Others may have sites that will offer information on other treatment
options.

I had never had surgery before.  The surgery, itself, was much easier than I
had imagined.  I had surgery one morning and left for home the next.  The
catheter was a nuisance.... but not painful.

Take time to look at all your options... and choose the one that is best for
*you*.  Then keep looking forward!  I wish you all the best!

MikeH

Today, 12/31, is the day I go in for a complete review of my Test
Scores and Options for treatment.

I want to thank all of you who have contributed information and support
and I will keep the group advised of my road to recovery. It will be
recovery, I will not accept nothing less.

This entire group is a truly a much needed resource of support and I
will write later today of my next steps.

Thank you again folks and I wish everyone a great New Year.

Tate

Full Thread can be found under title "Recently Diagnosed With PC"

You need zinc to have your prostate function normally. Also OPC's are
great. If you are interested in specific supplements, then contact me
at wanginator95@hotmail.com or 904-505-4304.