ahab wrote:

(snip)

It would be prudent to pay very close attention to the numbers, as
survival likely depends upon what they are and what they lead to.

There is homework to do.

I recommend:

(1) Consult the authoritative and objective website of the Prostate
Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) at:

http://prostate-cancer.org/index.html

.....and start with the section "Newly Diagnosed." A great deal of
essential information is to be found there.

(2) Study the text _A Primer on Prostate Cancer_ 2nd ed., subtitled "The
Empowered Patient's Guide" by medical oncologist and prostate cancer
specialist Stephen B. Strum, MD and prostate cancer warrior Donna
Pogliano. It is available through the PCRI website and any bookstore.

(3) Attend meetings of the local chapter of UsToo! International, where
meeting brothers and sisters in this battle can be very helpful and
informative. Local chapters and much other useful information will be
found on their website at: http://www.ustoo.com/

Good luck.

Regards,

Steve J

"Empowerment: taking responsibility for and authority over one's own
outcomes based on education and knowledge of the consequences  and
contingencies involved in one's own decisions. This focus provides the
uplifting energy that can sustain in the face of crisis."
--Donna Pogliano, co-author of _A Primer on Prostate Cancer_, subtitled
"The Empowered Patient's Guide."

Hello, Don:

I am sorry to learn that you've been diagnosed with this disease.
Steve Jordan's recommednations are a good start.  You should also
consult _The Prostate Book_, by Peter Scardino.  A visit to the
National Cancer Institute's site at http://www.nci.gov is wise, as
well as the American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org.  And
don't stop there; read a lot.

To make the best possible decision for yourself, make sure you've read
enough so that you understand:  1) the 'industry-wide' success rates
for surgery, for beam radiation, for seed radiation, and for other
treatments you may be considering; 2) the success rates for the
particular surgeons or oncologists you're considering; 3) the side
effects for each treatment and their chances of occurring.

Beam radiation is one of the standard treatment options.  It is often
accompanied by some hormone treatments.  The use of the hormones locks
the cancerous cells into a phase (teleophase?) in which they are more
susceptible to the effects of the radiation.

I had a laparoscopic prostatectomy in November last year, and it has
gone pretty well so far.  But that's just my story; yours will be
unique to you.  Good luck, and please let us know how it all turns
out.

All the best,

charlie

Don,

I'm sorry about your diagnosis of prostate cancer.

The only thing about the treatment proposed for you that
surprises me is that hormone therapy is usually given for
eight weeks, more or less _before_ the beginning of
radiation, rather than after the end of radiation.  The HT
shrinks the prostate, producing a smaller radiation target,
and, supposedly, weakens the tumor cells, making them
more susceptible to radiation damage.  I suggest you
check with the doctor to find out if that's what he meant
and perhaps you misunderstood.

As others have said, external beam radiation is one of the
well considered treatments.  It is often prescribed for men
over 70 or so, who may have more difficulty recovering
from surgery than younger men.  I myself had it, in combination
with HT and high dose rate brachytherapy three years ago.
Even though I was only 57, like you, I was leery of surgery.

So far I am doing well with it.

Radiation is very easy to take.  First there is some preliminary
imaging, possibly a CT scan, possibly and MRI, and a
number of x-rays.  That takes a couple of hours or more.
Then the treatment itself begins.  It's very quick, about 20
or 30 seconds of actual radiation per day with about 10 or
15 minutes of positioning and setup.  It is entirely painless.
You don't feel a thing.

For the first 4-5 weeks, you may experience no side effects
at all.  But side effects may then begin to slowly build up.
I experienced some mild skin burns - no worse than sunburn.
I had blood in my semen and a bit in my urine.  Eventually,
due to the brachytherapy rather than the external beam, I
had difficulty urinating.  The prostate swells up somewhat
and clamps the urethra.  I had to take Flomax for about
five months, and got up frequently at night to urinate.  I also
had some aggravation of pre-existing hemmorhoids.  You
may also experience some tiredness and there may be a
negative effect on potency.  More rarely, other, more serious
side effects are possible.  Fecal incontinence is one of the
worst of heard about.  I think it's relatively rare, but at least
one man in this newsgroup got it.

The HT also has side effects - night sweats, complete loss
of libido, tiredness, weakness.  I thought the HT had more
side effects on me than the radiation.

How long the HT is continued depends on the patient and
the doctor.  Some doctors give it for just 4-6 months,
believing that that does the most good for the least harm.
Others give it for 12 or 24 months, believing that if you're
going to pay the price of taking HT at all, you should pay
the full price and get the maximum benefit.

Unfortunately, cancer is a serious, life-threatening disease.
All the treatments for it - surgery, radiation and hormone
therapy, do some significant violence to the body to get
rid of it.  None of the treatments, including the one proposed
for you, is a sure cure.

Nevertheless, if I were in your shoes, I'd probably opt for
the treatment you were offered, or something like it.

As others have said, doing research will give you much
more information about what to expect and what your
options are.

Best of luck.

   Alan

Hi, Don.  Sorry to welcome you to the club none of us wanted to join.

Since I have been in this newsgroup, 48 septuagenarians have crossed our
paths and 12 (25%) chose surgery.  Of the remaining, 8 chose brachy (seeds),
2 cryo (freezing), 5 radiation (burning), 3 watchful waiting, and the rest
hormone therapy or some combination.

In other words, if you're in good shape, you have the whole gamut from which
to choose.  You need to research, research, research and get a second
opinion -- or a third.

What was your Gleason and Stage numbers?  Those will be important criteria
in your decision tree.

Don wrote:

Welcome, but sorry you had to come into the group.

Wish we knew what the other numbers were, to give you
better answers.

Usually, hormone treatment begins BEFORE radiologial treatment.

Is the PCA confined to the prostate?  One lobe or both?

Has the doctor explained ALL of the side effects?   Impotency?
Incontinence?  Rectum problems?  Any others?  Did he refer
you to a support group?  Most doctors (in this field) try to keep
patients in the dark.  They don't woant you to go to the internet
and gain knowledge about prostate cancer.  They'll try to  keep
you in the dark and continue covering you with that stuff that's
used growing mushrooms.  <g>

I discovered that the 3 doctors I visited between 1001 and 2006
downplayed side effects- actually mentioned only impotency -
when pushing radiation for me.  One outright lied and stated my
extra 40 pounds excluded a choice of seed implants.

I feel lucky that the treatment center screwed up appointments
in January 2003 and I never returned to the bastards.

I found this group, I found 3 support groups in my city (after
a doctor lied and stated there were none - zero), I found too
many URL's to scan through.  But I'm going to list a few.

http://www.ustoo.org
http://www.prostatepointers.org/prostate
http://www.phoenix5.org
http://www.phoenix5.org/articles/Fortune96Grove.html
http://www.webmd.com/diseases_and_conditions/prostate_cancer.html
http://www.cancer.gov/cantertopics/types/prostate
http://www.prostatecancerdecision.org
http://www.malecare.com

My "favorites" folder has 3 dozen more, but I don't want you
to go into "overload" at this point.  Those above will fortify
you with some basic information and arm you for your next
appointment with that doctor who's pushing radiation at you.
Hopefully you'll have questions to ask and he'll realize that
he can't snowball you into making a decision.