hi lino - i'm going to be limited to giving you an answer because i
don't know what is available in your area.  

other than surgery, in your area, do you have how many of the different
types of radiations available?  and what about seeds?  

right now, you are a good candidate for various treatments, but what it
boils down to is this - personal choice.

we are going to naturally prone to give advice on what we felt
comfortable with on our treatment.  

what i will suggest to get as much information as you can and ask as
many questions as you can before you go to the doctor.  listen to what
he says. then with all that information.  sit down, sort it out and see
if one particular type of treatment stands out from the rest that you
feel best about.  then go for it.  each one of the treatments has pros
and cons.  so, it isn't a one size fits all answer.

i'm not stating what my treatment is because you are at the beginning of
your journey and i do not want to sway you in an opinion unless ask.

you ask about the RP.  on the plus side is that the cancer is removed
from your body, it is considered the gold standard and has a lot of
data.  on the minus side is impotence (hopeful temp.) incontinence, and
other adjustments in your lifestyle.  

on your question as to wait and see. remember this - each day that it is
inside going unchecked and untreated, it grows a little more each day
and it never goes into reverse.  you can only stop it where it has
traveled to at the present.  

it's not like smoking for 20 years and then quit.  your lungs can
recover and you can get some function back.  prostate cancer does not do
this.  

you can wait, up to a reasonable time.  as long as it is gland
contained, your chances are excellent.  as the cancer spreads, then they
are not as good as they were when it was in the gland only.  

for what it is worth.  a gleason of 6 is in the average area as to
growth for prostate cancer.  it is not the real aggressive type, but it
is not the slow growing type either.  
a psa of 10 is higher than what a lot of men have had when dx'ed with
prostate cancer, but then to, remember that number could be high due to
a prostate infection, prostatsis, or BPH.

i hope this information will hope you and i wish you the best of luck.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional

Hi Spino,  Sorry to hear of your discovery and at the same time, it is good
news to know about the cancer than to be in the dark.
Yes, many options.......
I was dx'd when I was 49, and had RP in 1999.  I am fully continent, and in
the man dept. all works fine.
Any treatment you decide on really depends on the experience of the Dr. who
gives you the treatment.
In an Radical Prostatectomy a Dr. that has done 100's if not 1000's is the
Dr. to choose.
I cannot suggest a path to follow but do suggest to get 2 to 3 opinions, and
consider the facts for yourself, and your future.
Act now, do not wait.  You are young and caught the illnes at an early
stage.
Good wishes.  John Loomis

Hi Lino...If by "wait and see" you mean "watchful waiting", then you
might want to check out the information on this subject at the Hopkins
website.
http://urology.jhu.edu/diseases/prostate/management.html
They call it "expectant management."  To be part of the study they are
running you must meet several criteria, one of which is to be 65 or
older.  Given your relatively young age, WW may be a bit of a gamble
(but then again, what's not!).  But some young people do practice WW
to preserve their quality of life.  As you can see from the Hopkins
study, 30% of the participants have already dropped out of the study
after later biopsy indicated a more advanced disease than originally
diagnosed.  They have gone on to treat the cancer in some other manner
such as RRP.  As the Hopkins researchers note, it is not clear if the
disease progressed in these cases or was under diagnosed to begin
with.

You might want to spend some time at the Patients Helping Patients
website.
http://www.prostate-help.org/
Notice that they have a number of discussion groups including one on
Watchful Waiting (even a european discussion group).  I spend time in
the general discussion group and have learned a lot by reading the
various posts.  There are a number of WW posts in the general
discussion group.  Generally, it seems that the WWaiters change their
lifestyle (diet and exercise) and regularly monitor their disease
(PSA, free PSA, etc.).  Many seem to get a color doppler before
starting WW to make sure they weren't undergraded, and then once or
twice a year they get a repeat doppler as part of their
monitoring...Best wishes and good health, Ron

For a man your age with a Gleason 6 tumor, aggressive treatment aimed at
 curing the cancer is usually the recommendation.   Surgery or
radiation is possible but usually they recommend surgery for a man your
age.  Recovery from tretment is usually faster and side effects less
serious in a man your age.   But you have to make sure you have a
competent doctor treating you.   You should ask penetrating questions
about the dcotor's success rates both at cures and at avoiding side
effects, particularly in men your age with Gleason 6 tumors.

At 53, he will probably suggest RRP.  And, no, you cannot wait and see.  At
53, prostate cancer grows more quickly that it does at 70 or 80.  Read up on
it, listen to your doc, and decide which treatment is best.  In your case
"wait and see" is fatal.

Thank you all.
My doctor suggested a radical prostatectomy and I'll be surgered next
October 29. The doctor said that the only risk in my case could be the
positive surgery margins (as I wrote in a further message in this
newsgroup).
I hope everything will go fine.
Lino