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Hi all, appreciate your experience and wisdom. My dad called last night to say he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was downplaying it but my mum told me he has a psa of over 400 and the initial cat scan (his leg was swollen so they suspected a blood clot initially rather than pc) showed lymph node swellings all through his system to kidneys. I think he also had a bone scan that showed it is also in bone.
Today he is having a biopsy. I was initially thinking that it must have been in the groin to check the lymph nodes there, but mum said it was to check nodes near his kidneys.
We won't get the full picture till next week (the wait is going to be tough) but I am typing to prep myself. From the information I have it sounds like it's definitely metastasised and sounds pretty dire? Any knowledge based on what I have outlined? He said they were discussing hormone therapy, that sounds like a palliative option?
I had a friend with metastasized prostate cancer diagnosed as "stage four" in 2007. He lived 8 years. The hormone therapy put it effectively in remission for some years.
Sorry I can't answer better. Someone with more knowledge will be by in a day or two.
At this stage, the single most important factor will be the nature and site of metastasis and the Gleason score. If both are favorable, the cancer can be kept in check for many years.
In terms of metastasis, the best possible scenario at this stage is that mets are limited to lymph nodes (regional followed by non-regional). Next, if the bone is involved, the situation is better if only the pelvic bones are involved followed by bone mets limited to axial skeleton. The situation becomes progressively worse if appendicular skeleton is involved and finally visceral metastasis.
Thanks all for the replies. It is apparently clear bone is involved from the ct scans and lymph too. The biopsy Is apparently to confirm it is from the prostate and not elsewhere.
The score will be apparent Tuesday.
Don,I'll be thinking of you.
Hi Tara and welcome. Our thoughts are with you in this difficult time for you and your Dad. I would just like to share with you, that I know a number of men in similar circumstance to your Dad. For the most part their quality of life has been good. The initiation of treatment, usually hormone therapy, can provide a potent suppressor of PCa that can last many years. Today advanced metastatic prostate cancer is managed as more of a chronic health condition, rather than an a short term acute one. So keep your chin up. Hopefully your Dad's circumstance may not be quite so bleak as you think.
Friend of mine had a PSA of greater than 1000 ten years ago. Given 3-5 years. Still going thanks to " intermittent " hormone therapy ( some experimental ). Lots of progress in this area.
