Well, you're definitely headed for a cure.

I don't want to appear to be telling you what to do, but I think most
men in your situation would think that the magic words are
"laparascopic, nerve-sparing, radical prostatectomy."

jimhoney
standard RRP age 52, cured, no significant aftereffects

This is incredible! A .7 PSA, at age 37, and positive for cancer. Man,
who would have thunk it?? I'm beginning to think that there are more
people with PCa than most of the medical community really knows about.
I went for the robotic procedure last December. I was continent from day
one, although erections not back yet. I did have both nerves spared. (I
was diagnosed at 52 and in very good physical condition). I was a T1c,
3+3 clinically with a PSA of 7.6. Went to a 4+3 and T2c after surgery.
Shows you that you never know for sure until they get the thing out on
the table! Seems to me getting it out would be the best approach for
someone at your age. You'll probably never have to worry about it ever
again.
Best of luck to you with whatever treatment you choose to do.
B.A.

On June 22, USC Gamecock wrote the bad news:

(snip)

Very sorry to learn this, but I reckon it's been caught early enough
that, as the medic recommends, some study time would be helpful.

What is the clinical stage? It's noted as something like T(xxx); T2b, for
example.

Again, I strongly recommend the website of the Prostate Cancer Research
Institute at
http://prostate-cancer.org/index.html
There is a lot of study to do, and this site is objective and authoritative.

Also: read _A Primer on Prostate Cancer_ by Stephen B. Strum, MD, and
Donna Pogliano. It doesn't get any better than this, and it's not a tract
advocating any particular form of tx. The information I found in that
book quite literally helped me to save my life when my medic proved,
to put it politely, incapable.

Lastly, and very important, now is the time to start a prostate cancer
file/digest, which should include a copy of every test and notes on every
event.

USC... is beginning a fight that might well go on for years, there is no way
to be sure. PCa is a merciless enemy; either you kill it or it will kill
you. No
middle ground; no compromise.

As in any war, intelligence on the dispositions of the enemy is vital. There
is a number of tests that can and should be performed to stage this
particular tumor according to its peculiar biology. They are explained
on the PCRI site and in the book.

Please: do not fail to prepare. I did fail to do so because I had no support
structure, and I've paid an unreasonable price for it.

Regards,

Steve J

"No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the
Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a
manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes
me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know
for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."
-- John Donne

PS: The above quote, if he did as planned, was used by Dr. Stephen Strum in
his presentation at the just-concluded PCa Conference in Washington.

How many of this bunch attended?

Well, that's the bad news.  No way getting around it.  You're dealt an awful
hand.  At 46, some felt sorry for me getting it so young.  Your getting it
just aint fair.  Yeah, I know... who said life was fair?

Okay.  For your initiation...  you need to research.  That's the most
important thing at this point.  And, you have time to do that.  Not that
you'll have much of a decision.  Your doc will almost certainly advise you
to have surgery.  But, you're going to want to go through the paces so that
you know why you're having surgery.

You may want to get a 2nd opinion on your Gleason, but that's not going to
change your treatment option, probably.

You will also want to research surgeons.  At 37, you'll want someone who is
really good at nerve sparing.

Finally, fight with all you got the depression that will try to invade your
life.

The good news is:

Your Gleason is 6.  Five would have been better, but seven is much worse.
Out of the 500 or so that have visited this site in my time here, only five
had a Gleason 5.  None had a 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Your PSA is 0.7.  There just isn't much of a chance of being diagnosed with
a lower PSA.  Out of those same 500, I only know of three that had a lower
PSA.

Sorry for your diagnosis.

The good news is that if you have your prostate surgically removed by a
skilled surgeon,  your chances of ever having a recurrence are pretty
low, as are the chances of your having any significant side effects such
as incontinence or impotence.

The bad news is that if you don't do anything,  your cancer may never
bother you, so surgery would be taking a risk, however, small, with no
real benefit.

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell at present whether your cancer is
innocuous or a serious threat.  Many physicians question whether or not
a man your age should even be tested for prostate cancer.

Good luck.

 WOW you have a decision to make alright. My 2cents say RP at your age and
you're most likely cured. Have you finished having kids yet? If not do it
now, or get your little guys donated and frozen for a later date. Just in
case you don't know this, whether or not you get surgery or seeds, the goal
is to completely eliminate your prostate forever. This means no more
ejaculation. Yes you still can have great sex and orgasms, but it'll be dry.

My biopsy was in April, also Gleason 6, and the uro told me he wanted to
wait for the prostate tissue to heal before doing the RRP.  That was done in
August.  I was 55 at the time and decided on the surgery because, after
research, I felt it was the right choice for me.  Of course things have
changed in the last few years with the radiation alternatives, so the
decision today may not be as easy to make.  Anyway, my point was that taking
a couple months to read and learn, and to prepared for making a very
important decision in your life, is not at all unreasonable.  With the low
PSA, mine was 5.0, I would not worry about taking that amount of time.

Good luck to you.

Thank you.
David S.