Originally Posted by
OldTryGuy
Glad to read you are doing GREAT. 10 years ago far too often men were told they had FAST GROWING PCa when in reality it was far from it. Today a Gleason 10 such as mine and even GL 8 or GL 9 are hit with radiation and/or chemo after a possible RP with recurrence within 5 to 10 years and even death. I assume you are on a PSA check at 3 month intervals with a 3TmpMRI once a year, as that is pretty much the Standard of Care currently for FAST GROWING.
After years of PSA being 0.9-1.2, my PSA had jumped from 1.2 to 2.4 in only a year. Doc says 'Hmmmm...re-test in six weeks to be sure'. New PSA test showed 3.0. Doc says "You! Biopsy NOW!" Needle Biopsy confirmed cancer in one half of the gland. I was give options - do nothing, radiation (either direct-focused or implanted 'seeds'), or surgical removal. Pluses and minuses for each. The problem with radiation is that it 'cooks' the surrounding tissues, making it tougher just like a well-done steak, and makes future surgical options much more difficult with greater chance of complications like cutting a nerve for bladder control, etc. Given my 'young age' and longer-terms risks, I opted for surgical removal.
Surgery was six weeks later. Post-surgery biopsy indicated that the cancer had spread throughout the whole gland, and was on the verge of breaking out of the gland itself and metastasizing.
Follow-ups were PSA testing every four months. After eight years of 'undetectable', I was determined to be cancer-free.