External/Internal Radiation

[mharan]

I know everyone is different but my oncologist is moving toward external radiation. My cancer has just barely pernitrate the gland's shell. What type of external radiation is the most effective with the fewest and mildest side effect? Or could the seeds (Brachytherapy) only still be effective? Thanks

[Tall_Allen]

You are posting on a site for advanced prostate cancer patients, so your cancer has metastasized? Where are the metastases and how many are there?

Brachytherapy only is never used for advanced prostate cancer.

[mharan in reply to Tall_Allen]

Hey AllenMy urologist told me today that the cancer has NOT metastasized but wouldn't penetration of the prostate shell, even slightly, be considered metastazation?

[Tall_Allen in reply to mharan]

No, metastasis is an entirely different thing. If the cancer has penetrated the capsule, it is called Stage T3a (extraprostatic extension). I know this is all very unsettling, and there is a tremendous amount of new things to learn. Fortunately, you do not have advanced prostate cancer. You may find men in your situation on the following forum:

healthunlocked.com/prostate...

It will get you better responses if you fill in your profile with the details of your diagnosis: PSA, Gleason score, results of your DRE, MRI results, % positive cores, size of prostate, urinary issues (if any), and genomic tests (if any).

As a start, this NCCN book will familiarize you with your type of prostate cancer:

nccn.org/patients/guideline...

It is important for you to know that prostate cancer is very slow growing at this stage, and you will have plenty of time to make a well-considered decision.

[mharan in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks, Allen. My care provider is the SF VA and the docs are all from UCSF. They have scheduled me for at PET scan so I guess I should wait until I get that (5/5) before I order my pathology records (they come on a CD). My urologist was going to schedule me for prostate marker placement so I guess they had decided what kind of radiology they were going to give me but this was moving all too fast. I still have to do more research and get more feedback but it will be incomplete without the records. In the mean time I will ask my urologist what the my profile items are that you mentioned above. I'll post them once I get them. Thanks, again.

[Hidden in reply to mharan]

Hey mharan! You are in the tuffest spot right now. Not knowing. True, if the doc is putting gold markets in your probate the plan is imrt. Adt plus imrt knocked my pc into the dust five years ago . You rip

Suffer . Your physical man card will be whittled down . But you CAN live for years.. Keep asking questions and heal yourself with good inputs .. Good luck

[mharan in reply to Hidden]

Hey Lulu700Thanks, so much. Since I'm still doing my research any experienced application advice is invaluable. I'm pretty sure I will not be doing ADT at this point. I do education research and I'm working on a memory treatment protocol and ADT has shown an association with dementia and Alzheimer's (not cause). During our first zoom meeting one of my oncologist was talking about SBRT but I think he was thinking out loud. He hadn't seen the MRI and I still have to get a PET-scan done (5/5). One guy I talked to that had surgery because his prostate was too small for seeds was cancer free for six year and then had a reoccurrence. It was at that time he started ADT. He said the side effects lasted about nine months but he has been in remission for two years now. Thanks, again and I will keep you posted as my world turns.

[Hidden]

I am the odd ball here. Although there is a lot of great people with different thoughts, I think you belong here and the other group. First I was contained within the capsule; chose Brachytherapy and my RO strongly suggested a short course (25) sessions of IMRT. Even then with 2003 standards, I had a 92-94% success rate........ within a year I had mets to my spine....... failure? Not really when one considers micro-metastasis; ie, the small amount odiferous cancer cells that escape through the blood vessels from the prostate to the body. I suggest that you enter into a conversation with your Radiation Oncologist and your Medical Oncologist.

Note, after initial diagnosis of PCa, I moved on from the Urologist to a Radiation Oncologist (in my case two ROs). After mets, I moved onto a Nedicak Oncologist who specialized in Genitourlogical Cancer and researcher of prostate and kidneys.

There is no right way or wrong way; only a path travelled by many men. Good luck.

Gourd Dancer

[mharan in reply to Hidden]

Hey gourd-dancerThanks for the insight. I will defiantly bring this up with my oncologists. So how are you now?

[Hidden in reply to mharan]

Undetectable.

[mharan in reply to Hidden]

Nice. Thanks