My Husband 's Biopsy

[MPM62]

My 64 year old husband recently had a prostate biopsy. Though his MRI showed no cancer, his biopsy did. His Gleason score in two cores is as follows: 3+3 and 3+4. His urologist said he's a candidate for watchful waiting. Are there any natural remedies that have been successful used during this watchful period? His desire is to keep is prostate. He has a family history of prostate cancer. Unlike other family members, his diet is primarily plant base. He's very healthy otherwise.

[MPM62]

He has BPH.

[Don717]

He has a low-grade Prostate Cancer and needs to be vigilant. MRI's/Biopsies can miss up to 30% of PC's due to the amount of sampling tissues taken vs the total area of the prostate. With a family history I would ask about genomic testing as well as 6 month monitoring of PSA's which is typical of A/S programs these days. I started out much the same way. Took 18 months and 3 biopsies. Stay on top and if his PSA continues to increase, I would request additional imaging and biopsies. Good luck to ya's!

[NanoMRI]

I too was very healthy otherwise and wanted to keep my prostate; but had it removed when I was 58.

During my diagnosis period I had a second MRI, specifically multiparametric, and multiple radiology opinions. I also obtained 2nd and 3rd biopsy pathology opinions. I found genomic testing of the biopsy samples very useful. Today, I would include liquid blood biopsy testing. All the best!

[Mgtd]

Unfortunately there are no “other” cures. Best you can do is diet, exercise and when the time comes various forms of radiation or surgery.

That may change in the future so stay here you will be exposed to a wealth of knowledge and experience with this cancer.

[rosenjpj]

Your husband is too young for Watchful Waiting which is generally for older patients with limited life expectency who may not be able to withstand definitive treatments. He may be a candidate for Active Surveillance (AS) however. The key word is ACTIVE. That means regular periodic PSA tests, MRIs, biopsies and genomic tests. PSA tests generally twice a year. Alternate years of MRI and biopsy. You would be wise to seek a doctor specializes in Active Surveillance who follows many patients and knows the optimal time to convert to definitive treatment based. Preferably at a hospital that is a National Cancer Center. That said, the key may be the extent of Gleason 4 in your husband's core with a 3/4 score. If it's low (less than 10%) the doctor may be willing to have your husband go with Active Surveillance. Here are the criteria for AS with Gleason 3/4 from ChatGBT.

Active Surveillance Criteria for Gleason 3+4 (Grade Group 2):

While guidelines vary slightly, common criteria for AS with Gleason 3+4 often include:

✅ Gleason Pattern 4 involvement ≤ 10-20% of any core

✅ Fewer than 3 positive cores with Gleason 3+4

✅ Overall cancer involvement ≤ 50% in any individual core

✅ PSA < 10 ng/mL and PSA density < 0.15 ng/mL/cc

✅ No evidence of extracapsular extension on MRI

[Tall_Allen]

Watchful waiting or active surveillance? How old is he? Does he have other serious illnesses?

[MPM62 in reply to Tall_Allen]

64yrs - No other ailments -

[Tall_Allen in reply to MPM62]

Watchful waiting is used in older and infirm men who do not have expected survival of more than 10 years. It involves only giving them palliative medicine when symptoms appear.

Active surveillance is used in men with more than 10 years of expected lifetime. It involves imaging, biopsies, PSA tests, and genomic tests to frequently monitor progression and to assure he receives treatment before it can progress. I assume his urologist meant active surveillance, not watchful waiting.

Exercise may slow progression, possibly by keeping healthy tissues healthy. Dietary changes to include more vegetables have been proven to be useless. Avoid supplements -- many may interfere with natural defense mechanisms. If he is taking finasteride or dutasteride for BPH, he should continue, but don't forget to double his PSA. Here's an article of everything that's been tried:

prostatecancer.news/2022/06...

[MPM62 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Yes, my fault! It's active surveillance. Thank you!

[Crabcakes]

Given his family history, at some point he might need surgery. There is a procedure now using ultrasound where only the cancerous part of the prostate is ablated. It's called HIFU. High Intensity focused ultrasound. It's used at the Mayo Clinic & John's Hopkins & is available locally at the best cancer treatment hospitals. Good luck.

[lcfcpolo]

There was an article in Tuesday's Daily Mail, a British newspaper, that mentioned a recent study presented at ASCO. The results for men on Active surveillance were good. The conclusion was that a product called Your-Phyto a Phytochemical-Rich Nutritional Capsule and one called YourGut+ which is a probiotic helped keep prostate cancer under control. Worth looking into. I also take Prostaphane (BROQ in the USA). You could take the supplements or look at the ingredients. Your-Phyto for example contains Broccoli, Green Tea, Tumeric, Pomegranate and Cranberry plus bio enhancing Ginger. The capsule is easier to take. Just a thought.

[Boomer57inVA]

I am in the same situation for a year. I’ll be interested to hear if you find anything other than the general advice I got - drink less, exercise more, eat healthy.

[Laguy01]

there is alot of info on line about natural things that can help with PC. Turmeric taken eith a little bite of pepper is good. Mushrooms are good. I buy a mushroom powder mix. There are prostate support pills available. I take Fenbendazole , cycling on and off. Just go online and read. Read Joe Tippen story. A lot of other out there like him.

[LiveLongAndPropser]

What are his reasons for wanting to keep his prostate? That can help guide future treatment. If he doesn't want radical prostatectomy, radiation is an option that I choose because of quality of life issues after. Recent studies have indicated that radiation versus prostatectomy disease recurrence rates are very similar, though prostatectomy has negligible advantage in that study (New England Journal of Medicine 15-year outcomes study).

Side note, I've been vegetarian 18 years. My father had PC at 40 and I was diagnosed at 51. While I can't directly attribute that to my lifestyle, I feel it helps in many other ways, but that's just personal opinion, obviously.

[MPM62 in reply to LiveLongAndPropser]

Reason for keeping the prostate: possible lomg term bladder leakage, sexual function, and the emotional impact.

[eswann3937]

The situation of your husband requires careful analysis. His age, 64 years of age and his Gleason scoring indicate that he is a candidate for a procedure which is likely to give him a good outcome without the dreaded side effects of erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinent.

With his findings, he is eligible for focal cryoablation. The good news is that the procedure is available in the USA and is covered by many insurances, including Medicare.

I am 74 years of age and had an identical gleason score and family history. I had a focal cryoablation procedure in September 2024 and have done well with no urinary incontinence and good sexual function. At three months after my procedure my PSA decreased from 5.73 to 0.5.

It is fortunate that you are seeking advice at this time since if the gleason score change to 8 in the future your husband will no longer be eligible for this less invasive procedure. He would then require a total robotic or open prostatectomy which is associated with more side effects of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Good luck!

[wally198562]

I am 39 and have the same Gleason scores. PSA was 6.28 and then a few months ago I started Ivermectin, Fenbendazole, and Oil of Oregano. For the first time since being diagnosed, my PSA went down since I started taking the above. After 8 months between tests, my PSA didn't go up at all, furthermore it went down to 6.12. Granted that isnt much but I just started this stuff recently. There is alot on the internet about how this fights cancer.

[LiveLongAndPropser in reply to wally198562]

Why would anti-parasitic drugs treat prostate cancer? Did your oncologist prescribe these? Can you share your sources? This site looks to promote proven therapies, so it's important that verified clinical resources are provided. Losing your intestinal lining is going to cause you more complications should you require prostatectomy or radiation.

[Muggs1]

I had almost identical situation, except first biopsy was Gleason 6 ( MRI No cancer), 1 year later Gleason 7 (3+4) and MRI still (-), probably due to diffuse cancer w/o a tumor. Genetic testing intermediate risk, therefore was time to treat, not active surveillance. Research radiation therapy, it’s highly effective with less side effects for his age

.

[Schwah]

Was your biopsy a random needle biopsy or an MRI guided biopsy? I did the random 14 needle and found a gleason 3/4. My PSA kept going up so I did a 3 needle MRI guided biopsy and all 3 cores were Gleason 8. Random biopsies are Stone Age technology. I’d also get a second pathologist to look at any positive biopsies.

Schwah

[GrnPndr]

Hello. I was diagnosed and treated 4 years ago at the age of 67. Since then I attend a monthly PCa support group. A number of men have come thru the group seeking input on treatment after being on active surveillance and now have more advanced cancer, and some have metastasis. The fact is, you have cancer and doing nothing about it might be risky.

[fast_eddie]

He is right to be wary of radical prostatectomy -- that is the most invasive treatment option that could have negative quality of life consequences. Radiation is the usual alternative to that. I chose full gland HIFU ablation surgery instead, at age 66. Mayo didn't offer this back then but they do now. Research it.

[drzaius]

I was 74 with only a Gleason 6, grade 1. They offered me active surveillance but my father had prostate cancer also. So I had a Decipher test done and it came back .79 (high risk). So I choose to treat it. I couldn't see waiting when I had caught it early when the odds are better.

[Androgel123]

My biopsy was 1 core 4+3,…out of 17 cores. Although doctors pushing for treatment I’ve been watching it for 3 years and the cancer hasn’t grown or spread yet, although due to BPH my prostate doubled in size. I take Saw palmetto and sunflower seed extract to help me urinate better. It does help.