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I’m not too sure what your position is – age, diagnostics etc, so I can only make a very general comment or two:
1. A PSA of 7.0 in a man with a urinary infection is neither here nor there. I have seen a report of a man with a PSA of over 300 whose PSA reduced to a normal level after the infection had cleared up. Even men with a PSA in the thousands can survive for many years.
2. The side effects of all treatments are very similar – erectile dysfunction and incontinence being the main issues. So your decision to avoid radiation is not a rational one if you are only considering side effects. The side effects of full cryotherapy (the freezing method you refer to) include complete impotence. It is possible to have what is termed focal cryotherapy if it can be established beyond doubt that any tumour only occupies a small part of the prostate. If focal cryotherapy is done, then the nerves that control erections can be spared and it may be that there is no erectile dysfunction. But if focal therapy is suitable for your diagnosis, then there are other optiosn pen to you as you probably only have an insignificant tumour.
3. If the urologist you are consulting only does Da Vinci surgery and Cryotherapy, then he may have some biased views about the other treatments available and it may be in your best interests to seek an opinion from some other competent medical person – specifically an oncologist, i.e. a specialist in cancer.
4. I would also suggest that you go through the Yana site from beginning to end – that will give you a good grasp of the basics of the disease – and then read some of the stories that the men have put on the site. That will give you a good idea of what you might be facing.
Rich, you say you had a TURP 10 years ago. Be careful if you choose the robot to ask your surgeon if he can cope with the scar tissue from that earlier operation. When he answers you, go and see someone else and ask them the same question.
It's not enough to have a surgeon who has done hundreds of operations. Has he done hundreds, or dozens, or any, on guys like you who have lots of scar tissue?
Also you say that scans show white areas of calcium. You therefore need to ask your cryo man if the calcium will impede his procedure. My uro is a HIFU expert and says that HIFU (ultra sound) treatment can be adversely affected by calcium - deflects the beam.
I'm just trying to show you that there are downsides to any form of treatment, not just radiation and that any treatment is likely to have unpleasant side effects.
But you don't say if you have had a biopsy or know that you have any cancer? If not, then be patient. Monitor your PSA after you have cured this infection and then decide on a biopsy if necessary.
I had radiation with Calypso locator beacons implanted for GPS type guidance 2 years ago. I am not incontinent and based on your age, impotence should be the least of your worries. Get several opinions before you do anything in a hurry.
I understand your anxiety. When I was diagnosed in July 08, I relied heavily on this and other forums to learn as much as I could. I chose robotic surgery with one of the best physicians in the country. I thought I was fully prepared for all the side effects of surgery. What I didn't anticipate was the need for the surgeon to abort the surgery because he ran into scar tissue. After a week of "I can't believe it" I decided to meet with the radiation oncologist. I ultimately decided on IMRT with the Calypso beacon implants. I completed the treatments on April 1 of this year and am very happy to report that, other than mild urgency and weak stream during the latter part of the treatment regimen, I have experienced no side effects. Urination and sexual function is as normal as ever. All you have to do is keep the faith and you will have a good outcome.
