How old is your father? What sort of physical health is he in? Was he
given a "clinical stage" something like "T1c" or T2a" along with his
pathology result? And is his Gleason score 4+4=8, 3+5=8 or 5+3=8?

In any event, the first thing you both should do is read some books.
The ones most often recommended in this group are:

Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer by Patrick C.
Walsh
Dr. Peter Scardino's Prostate Book by Peter Scardino
Primer on Prostate Cancer by Stephen B. Strum

Read at least two of these books.

If your dad hasn't had a second opinion yet, he should. Where does he
live?

There are two Gleason grades, the first represents that proportion of the
specimen that includes the most of a certain grade (4, for example); the
second grade represents that proportion of the specimen that includes the
second-greatest amount, which could be another 4, for example. The two
grades are added together to arrive at the Gleason score; eg 4+4=8.

A Gleason score of 8 requires treatment (tx), but each of us is unique and
the appropriate tx for me might be wrong for anyone else.

There simply is not enough information in bohan's post for anyone to come
to any reasonable conclusion as to what is appropriate for bohan's father.

What is the patient's age and general state of health? What are other test
results? Surely there have been other tests; or have there?

PSA?

DRE findings?

When, exactly, was the last biopsy and its result?

There is no simple, quick, easy answer; certainly not based upon the bare
minimum information supplied to us.

What are the facts? All of the facts?

Regards,

Steve J

"What are the facts? Again and again and again -- what are the facts? Shun
wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget 'what the stars
foretell,' avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the
unguessable 'verdict of history' -- what are the facts, and to how many
decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your
single clue. Get the facts!"
--Lazarus Long

I have nothing to add to the comments you've already seen, but to simplify
the responses....

The PSA may have been 5, but has nothing to do with the Gleason score of
4+4=8.  A PSA of 5 is fairly low for a diagnosed patient.  A Gleason of 8 is
very high.

The doctor did report on the DRE.  His stage is T2a.  That is based on what
he felt during the DRE.

You asked for comparisons...  Comparisons mean nothing at all, but if your
interested, the average PSA when the participants of this NG were diagnosed
was ten times higher, but the median is about 6 or 7.  T2a is pretty good by
comparison, but probably half of the DRE stages are changed once the
prostate is biopsies after surgery (that's not to say you father needs
surgery)  The Gleason is the real problem.  About 19% of all the patients
here had a Gleason 8 or higher.  It is a dangerous level.