You didn't say what your PSA and Gleason score are.  My PSA went from about
2.5 to 4.0 in two years, and my urologist said that in effect we had already
done watchful waiting--and watched the PSA go up!  I am also your age.  If
you were 81 or maybe even 71, watchful waiting might be OK in my opinion.
It also depends on how long men in your family generally live, but if you
expect to live for another 15, 20 or more years, I would think some kind of
treatment is called for.  I fortunately discovered my PCa early and decided
on seeds, which was performed 3 wewks ago.  It was really very easy (I slept
through the exciting part) and I had no pain or discomfort at all except for
some bleeding for 48 hours afterwards.  Compared to some of the other
experiences on this board, I feel very fortunate.

Welcome to the club you did not wish to join.  And welcome to the newsgroup.
You've come to the right place.

For a 61 year old, watchful waiting (WW) is not an option.  Whoever told you
it is should not be listened to.

If you have prostate cancer and you do nothing, it will kill you.  Of course
you do not give your PSA, Gleason, or Stage, but I'm assuming, judging from
your doc's statements, your PSA is over 4.0 (probably because he failed to
find it earlier), your Gleason is 3+3 or 3+4, and your Stage is .... well, I
haven't a clue.  If that is the case, I cannot imagine under any
circumstances why a 61-year-old man would choose WW unless he is riddled
with diabetis, heart disease, and a quadraplegic with the life expectancy of
a tse-tse fly.

It might have staved it off, but if you got it, you got it.  In the future,
diet and exercise can stave off recurrence and if it is terminal, stave off
death.  But, you cannot wish it away.

Run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of Dr. Patrick
Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer, the leading book on prostate
cancer.  You need to find out all you can about the disease before making
your decision -- and it is YOUR decision.  Also, check out www.phoenix5.org,
the leading website on prostate cancer -- built by a prostate cancer victim.

We stand by, ready, willing and able to help.  We are not doctors, but the
cumulative knowledge of prostate cancer here is proably more than 99% of the
doctors in the world.

Hi, Keith...
Sorry to welcome you to the club, but this is a great group of people.
You'll find lots of support here

At your age, I would never consider waiting.  Most will agree that the end
results with seeds, external radiation, and RP are pretty close to the same.
You need to read as much as you can, weigh all your options, and make the
decision that you feel is right for *you*.... then don't look back!

Good luck!  And feel free to ask questions!

MikeH
Age 52
LRP 11/21/02
PSAs undetectable ever since!

Keep in mind that neither I nor the other responders are physicians, so
what we say is just based on our personal experience and what we have
read.  If you doubt your doctor's suggestions, seek a second or even
third opinion.

A lot depends on the specific diagnosis.   If the cancer is very small,
and the PSA and Gleason numbers are also low, then watchful waiting may
in some cases be indicated.  But it seems to me that 61 is a bit young
to choose watchful waiting unless the Gleason score is less than 5.

Also, doctors in England are often more willing to wait than those in
the US.  Only time will tell which approach is better.

There isn't too much in terms of life style that will make a big
difference, but there are some things which might help and can't hurt.
A low fat diet might do some good.   There is now in the US a clinical
trial in progress which is trying to determine if 200 micrograms of
Selenium and 400 units of Vitamin E will help prevent prostate cancer.
Even if the results turn out to be positive, it won't necessarily mean
that it will slow down a cancer already diagnosed.  But it probably
can't hurt to take Vitamin E and Selenium as long as you are careful not
to go above the prescribed dose, particularly for Selenium.   There is
some evidence that a diet high in Calcium, such as the equivalent of
four glasses of milk a day, may encourage the growth of prostate cancer.
 On the other hand, you don't want to cut out calcium from your diet
altogether.   There has been some recent evidence that being
significantly overweight can encourage the growth of prostate cancer, so
if that applies to you, losing some weight may help.   It will certainly
help your overall health in any case.   There is some evidence that
cooked tomato products or other foods containing lycopenes may slow down
cancers.

Yes, I certainly thought about that when I was diagnosed with PCa (age 52,
Gleason 6, PSA 5.7).  I can't remember exactly how I came up with the
figure, but I think the chances that I could have gotten away with doing
nothing were about 15%.  I didn't like those odds.  (I don't waste my money
on the Lottery either.)

I'm not a doctor, so I can't argue with yours.  But what springs to mind in
response to his/her comment that 80% of treatment is carried out
unnecessarily is:  if so, then so what?  We're not talking about a public
health study or the NHS budget here, this is your future.  What exactly are
your own chances of getting away with doing nothing?  (The answer is
contained in the Partin Tables, http://urology.jhu.edu/Partin_tables/)

So far as I know, there is no scientific evidence that diet and lifestyle
has any effect on prostate cancer after it is present.  As for
non-scientific evidence, you will want to see the postings pertaining to
Martin Howard in the archives of this newsgroup.

Make an informed decision, and then don't look back.

jimhoney
standard RRP, cured, no significant aftereffects

hi keith - you've gotten good advice here, but in answer to your
question about change in diet or lifestyle, we just lost martin howard
in your neck of the neighborhood.  

he tried that different route and in november was his last post and he
felt that he was doing the right thing with his type of treatments and
what he was taking.  

he said that he wasn't in any pain as compared to what it was in the
past, but he passed away in december.

his psa was in the 300's at the time.

bottom line - the lower the number, the more options you have.  right
now, you have a lot of options on the table and you need to research as
to which one is the best for you and what you most comfortable with.  

the prostate cancer is not going to go away and you are right, that
would be wishing thinking.

hope this helps.

~ curtis

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

I'm not too much younger than you, and I recently chose Radical P-ectomy. I
am very pleased with the results 2.5 weeks post-op. One of the reasons I
decided to act was that I knew I was in good condition health-wise and
physically and would probably recover well from the surgery. I plan on
living many more years. I had no way to tell what kind of condition I might
have been in the future if the PCa had become a bigger problem. Now I have
a >80% chance of long-term success (read "cure").

It's a tough decision. You'll get conflicting information from well-meaning
people and knowledgeable doctors. In the end you have to make the decision
that makes the most sense to you. That can range from my 74-yr old friend's
RRP decision last year to Martin Howard's decision to fight it his own way
to the end. Nobody can say either was "right", they just chose different
paths. None of us are here forever.

Welcome to the club that nobody wants to join.

...

...

Keith,

I've seen these kinds of statements before, but I have trouble believing
that they're useful for a 61 year old man.

It has been observed that many older men with prostate cancer die of
other causes.  If such men never developed serious symptoms,
treating them for PCa would have put them through unnecessary
trouble.

But these observations can be very misleading.  The great majority of
men who develop PCa are in their 70's or 80's.  Perhaps 80 or 90% of
them will die of other causes.  They die of other causes because, first,
they are already near the end of their natural lifespan and, second, the
cancers they have are slow growing, which is why they didn't show up
until the men were in their 70's or 80's.

Ask your doctor if 80% of men diagnosed at age 61 will die of other
causes if they get no treatment.  At age 61, you have a longer time left,
and probably a faster growing cancer, than men diagnosed at age 71
or 81.

I would seek treatment if I were you (in fact, I am like you and have
sought treatment.)

There is speculation about this but I am not aware of hard data that
proves that a man can fight cancer with diet and lifestyle change.

I have always eaten a fairly well balanced diet and gotten lots of
exercise, but I was diagnosed with cancer at age 57.  Another poster
on this newsgroup was running 10 mile races at age 58 when he got
diagnosed with cancer.  Another poster was an avid bicyclist.

For that matter, who could possibly be in better physical shape than
Lance Armstrong - who almost died of testicular cancer?

So I wouldn't put too much faith in diet and lifestyle as a way to
stop cancer.  It may improve your odds.  It may help you deal
with treatment and recovery.  It may even prolong your life without
treatment.  But I can't see it as a substitute for treatment.

   Alan

in my case, i had my prostate removed. the cancer was 20% tumor on the
left side. the reason i made the decision, i didn't want to wonder every
minute "is the cancer still there, after the other procedures offered.
its a hard decision and i wish you good luck.