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Ken,
I think your basic question here is good and very appropriate for your situation. But I think you have framed it too narrowly.
My experience with radiation is that it has not resulted in any significant loss of quality of life. Neither when I was undergoing treatment or since. And my preconception, from reading the responses of others here, is that ADT would have been a substantial loss of the quality of life that I value. Loss of strength, bone weakening, hot flashes, diminished sexual interest, etc. But I don't know first hand about that.
Getting back to my initial words here, I bet that the devil is in the details, as they say. There are surely different ADT approaches you can take, some may be much less problematic than others. And with radiation, there is a dosage to be determined, and a heavy dose will probably lead to some real issues. So a lesser dose might do a lot of good without nasty side effects.
So, rather than looking at a specific decision, like whether to undergo radiation or not, talk to your oncologist(s) about the full range of treatments available, and I bet you come up with a good consensus approach, considering your concerns.
BillG
