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I had almost identical #'s but was 58 years old so I just decided to have it removed as sex isn't as important as it is say in your 40's. Five or six times a year is no big loss I figured. At your age I would delay I think but it is your choice to make. Interestingly, when my urologist called me with the good post operation pathology report he said that they found some Gleason 7 so it was a good thing that I had it removed as "it was getting aggressive". I think that Gleason grades are raised or lowered many times after surgery. In summary, I think you'll be around for a long time Anthony.
You have had some good advice already and I hope you are feeling less 'panicky'.
I was diagnosed in 1996 at what was considered a young age then - 54. At that time the median age for diagnosis was the mid-70s, so I was twenty years younger than the median. You are in the same position today - about twenty years younger than the median, which has dropped to the mid-60s.
I didn't understand then, and do not understand now, why there is such an emphasis on early action for young men. It has been said time and again that young men have more aggressive forms of the disease, but this is simply not borne out by any studies. What is very clear from available data is that the risk of death from prostate cancer grows with age. Half the men who die from the disease are over 80: 90% of the men who die from the disease are over 65:2% of prostate cancer deaths are in men under the age of 55. Only 3% of male deaths are from prostate cancer, so the real risk for a man under 65 i.e. the next 20 years for a man of your age is about 10% of 3%, or next to zero.
Of course there are young men who die from the disease. The indexes on the YANA site show that clearly and it is tragic that they should do so, but if you understand their diagnoses, you will find that they are nothing like yours. In terms of current definitions - see GLEASON GRADES your diagnosis is entry level. If your Gleason Score had been lower you would not have been said to have PCa. The men who died had aggressive forms of the disease.
It is probably worth bearing in mind what a wise old doctors said many years ago, which is still true today Growing old is invariably fatal while prostate cancer is only sometimes so.
I believe the most important thing you can do initially is to
1. Get copies of your pathology reports so you can see precisely what is said rather than depend on what you thought the doctor said. You should as a matter of course opbtain copies of all reports in connection with your diagnosis and treatment choice and keep them. Dealing with PCa is more like a marathon than a sprint and your data from the get-go is important.
2. Get a second opinion from the best pathologist you can find - some suggestions are here RECOGNISED EXPERT PATHOLOGISTS. The Gleason Score is very important and the readings are subjective. Since the pathological reports should be at the core of your decision making process you need to know as much as you can.
3. Contact some of the young men who have told their stories on the site - this is the relevant INDEX. You will see that most of them have chosen to have early treatment, but a growing number is choosing to wait and gain more information. One man in particular you might like to contact is NED G He is shown in the Undecided list but in fact has chosen Active Surveillance for the moment but I haven't had a chance to update his story yet.
The decision as to what you should do is an intensly personal one. We are all individuals and the way in which we make decisions varies considerably. What we feel to be important as individuals varies considerably.
Good luck, whatever your choice. I hope you'll post your story in due course to help those who come behind you.
Thank you for the time and response! I will contact Ned, I read his story and became even more confused about the recommendations of doctors. My test is lacking information that I intend to seek out, Yana has been most helpful. My wife has located several doctors and we will seek a second opinion regarding my test results. I will post my progress and information when received.
Hi Anthony. I know the feeling. Read my story for some comforting news on this site. Believe me, the worse part about this is being told you have it. The rest is a piece of cake. One bit of advice: get a second opinion from a cancer hospital (I went to the City of Hope in Duarte, CA) If you choose surgery (I did), get an experienced surgeon. Dave
Anthony, I was 43 years old in early 2002 and 2003 when I found this site, and basically with the same numbers as you. Gleason 6, and PSA between 3.5 and 4. Your getting good advise from this site, take your time, study, and not everyone is the same. My PSA after RP averages between .1 and .2 and everything is fine. Good luck, and if you like you can read my story posted on this site. As long as it is steady, I'm happy.
I was diagnosed July 2010 with psa of 6.9, stage T1C Gleason 3+4 7. My urologist went through the entire surgery, radiation consultations and surgery was his reply, as soon as possible. I'm 48 and divorced - pretty much alone. I chose to wait until I had finished my research and traveled on vacation. I just had my psa tested 1/2011 at 10.0. (Vigorously stimulated the prostate the night before with my girlfriend) I have chosen my treatment and will start Feb 22nd. You have plenty of time to make an informed decision based on your needs. I personally chose the proton beam therapy at Loma Linda. What I did learn is that there are no guarantee with any treatment, and if I could live without treatment, I would as my first choice.
Good luck to you! My week has been tough attempting to read and gather information. Just as you have stated, there are no guarantees but I remain positive. I asked the oncologist how effective was Cyberknife, as he started to hestistate I decided to inform him that I could not find any real data since the machine was fairly new. He then proceeded to inform me that all the procedures were good and to make a choice to get on with my life. Somewhat insensitive if you ask me, I just kindly stated "no I will not just make a decision". I am not a cynical person, however its difficult to trust someone with my life or the quality of it.
One of the key points to my choice of Proton Beam Therapy, besides the obvious benefits (cure, no side effects), is the quality of their care program. Several support groups, available therapy, free use of a gym and library, and a caring staff. I plan on using my time to get in shape, meditate, and decide what I want from the rest of my life. Good luck in your choice.
The statement that implies that Proton Beam Therapy (PBT)promises "....cure, no side effect... is not supported by any well accepted studies.
There are no guranatees of 'cure' for any therapy. PBT may have lower side efefcts than other therapies (although what studies there are are not conclusive) but to say that there are no side effects with PBT is not correct.
I didn't state they were promises, but cure rates are equal to other treatments, and lack of noticable side effects is equal to or better than other treatment options.
I understand you feel your world has turned upside down. I too thought can't be noone in my family has had this and no way I am too young. Reality is that it can happen to anyone including us.
What you can do for you and your family is research well find out the options available to make a decision that fits you and your goals. Personally as you can read in my write-up I like you live SO close to John Hopkins I decided to use them not only for a second opinion (Dr Epstien) is a leading authority on result reads but also discuss their thoughts on treatment for me at 45 and my Gleason 6 results. Not just RP but others. Bottom line for me I felt removal under RP was my best option. Since June 08 when I has it removed results all indicate no readable PSA level thank God. I also liked with my treatment that they were able to slice and dice the prostate to make sure of their assessment based on the biopsies. Anyway my thoughts. Remember only you can decide and most important is success in beating this and then deal with side effects if any. I have none. Feel free to contact I live over near Annapolis.
