Prostate cancer
Discussion
motco said:
I had a transrectal biopsy about fifteen years ago - maybe more. There's a problem with this compared with the transperineal method you so vividly describe. That is that the sampling needle(s) penetrate the walls of the rectum and inoculate the prostate gland with faecal matter and all the microbes therein. Prior to the procedure I, and others having this procedure, are given two powerful antibiotics before, on the day, and afterwards. I cannot recall exactly which antibiotics but suffice it to say that one of them on its own has been used to clear up gonorrhoea in a single dose. That might be Ciprofloxacin. My gastro-intestinal tract took many months to recover. A chum of mine had severe infections from his biopsy - twice. The 'new a
hole' method sounds brutal but the alternative is too!
Christ!!! Shows how far medical techniques improve in a very short space of timehole' method sounds brutal but the alternative is too!A couple of centuries ago the answer to everything wasn't 42 it was leeches
Makes you think a bit doesn't it!!!
B'stard Child said:
bexRVN-ret. said:
For B'stard Child.
Can I ask, have they detected a tumour in your prostate via the MRI?
During the consultation the word "tumour" wasn't mentioned but I'd assumed any cluster of cancerous cells was probably a "tumor" in some sense or other Can I ask, have they detected a tumour in your prostate via the MRI?
bexRVN-ret. said:
My husband did and was also told slow growing and could monitor over the next 5years.
However he, by then had had 2 mri's about 18 months apart. First one showed v. Little 2nd.obe.showed a significant change.
He decided to go for surgery whilst it was still encapsulated. They told him after the tumour was 3mm away from breaking out. If it had he would've needed radiotherapy/chemo (I can't remember which) he was only 48 so these would have caused issues for him later in life (so radiotherapy not ideal)
His surgery was curative, long procedure and long recovery process.
I am not saying this to be alarmist but in our opinion the monitoring seemed the wrong choice and still believe surgery was the right surgery rather than waiting and hoping.
No it's fine and I guess everybody has different circumstances and I hope he's fully recovered now (albeit sans Prostrate)However he, by then had had 2 mri's about 18 months apart. First one showed v. Little 2nd.obe.showed a significant change.
He decided to go for surgery whilst it was still encapsulated. They told him after the tumour was 3mm away from breaking out. If it had he would've needed radiotherapy/chemo (I can't remember which) he was only 48 so these would have caused issues for him later in life (so radiotherapy not ideal)
His surgery was curative, long procedure and long recovery process.
I am not saying this to be alarmist but in our opinion the monitoring seemed the wrong choice and still believe surgery was the right surgery rather than waiting and hoping.
I got the consultation summary letter (that was sent to my GP) thro the post today and it's pretty much "gobblygook" to a lay person although most of it aligned with my memory of the slightly dumbed down conversation with the consultant
Mrs BC ran it thro Chat GPT - no idea if it's accurate - she does this sort of thing with her own health issues!!!)
Diagnosis Summary
Biopsy Findings (30 May 2025):
Gleason Score:
Rt (Right) Anterior: Gleason 3+3=6, found in 2 out of 3 cores, involving 50%.
Lt (Left) Anterior: Gleason 3+3=6, 1/2 cores, 5% involvement + prostatitis (inflammation).
Lt Posterior: Gleason 3+3=6, 1/3 cores, 5% + prostatitis.
Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) in several areas.
HG PIN (High-Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia): Seen in right posterior and left middle zones. This is a pre-cancerous condition but not cancer itself.
MRI (10 April 2025):
PIRADS 5 lesion: This is the highest score on the MRI scale, suggesting a very high likelihood of clinically significant prostate cancer, located in the right anterior apical Transition Zone (TZ).
Capsule (outer layer of prostate) is intact.
No lymph nodes involved.
Other Details:
PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen): 5.9 moderately elevated.
Prostate volume: 49.7 cc.
PSA density: 0.119 on the borderline; higher density can indicate greater cancer risk.
T2c stage (clinical): Tumor present in both lobes but confined to the prostate.
Cambridge Prognostic Group: 1 This represents the lowest risk group.
ASA 1 & Performance Status 0: You are physically fit with no major comorbidities.
Overall Risk: Low
Management Plan
Active surveillance: Monitoring rather than immediate treatment.
Next PSA test in September.
Follow-up appointment (telephone) planned for late September/early October.
Action for GP (Family Doctor):
None at the moment.
What This All Means:
You have low-risk prostate cancer (Gleason 6) on both sides of your prostate.
Some prostatitis (inflammation) and HG PIN (pre-cancerous change) were also found.
The MRI showed a concerning lesion, but the cancer has not spread outside the prostate.
You are currently being managed with active surveillance, not immediate surgery or radiotherapy.
Mixed in above but I've separated it out was
Low signal foci in right iliac wing: This is a possible concern (e.g., bone lesion), so a bone scan is being requested to investigate further.
A bone scan is being arranged to be safe, due to a possible issue in the pelvic bone seen on MRI.
Bone scan appointment has come thro today as well - 7th July
My Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 18 months ago. Already spread to his bones. No symptoms, discovered due to PSA test being really high. Not been an issue before. He is doing ok, concoction of drugs and close monitoring has brought his PSA right down, shame the side effects of the drugs are severe but some days are better than others so he works around it.
motco said:
I had a transrectal biopsy about fifteen years ago - maybe more. There's a problem with this compared with the transperineal method you so vividly describe. That is that the sampling needle(s) penetrate the walls of the rectum and inoculate the prostate gland with faecal matter and all the microbes therein. Prior to the procedure I, and others having this procedure, are given two powerful antibiotics before, on the day, and afterwards. I cannot recall exactly which antibiotics but suffice it to say that one of them on its own has been used to clear up gonorrhoea in a single dose. That might be Ciprofloxacin. My gastro-intestinal tract took many months to recover. A chum of mine had severe infections from his biopsy - twice. The 'new ahole' method sounds brutal but the alternative is too!
early on I had both as the sharp needle up the harris was inconclusive, so went back for the template biopsy (but was knocked out for the second one thankfully)hole' method sounds brutal but the alternative is too!the arseneedle was uncomfortable, but luckily no after effects....
template, had loads of issues with clotting and internal bleeding involving a 4 day hospital stay instead of 4 hours.......
neither is going to be worse than the outcome of not having them done though!!
B'stard Child said:
JeremyH5 said:
Sorry to read that you ve made it into here, BC, but it sounds like you re in at the shallow end.
Shallow end - I like that description a lot and I'll borrow it JeremyH5 said:
I love your graphic description of the biopsy, I remember it well 
Oh I shan't forget it for a while either 
JeremyH5 said:
Of course, you do realise you will very likely have to do that again if it grows .
Yeah it might be so much better next time right??. JeremyH5 said:
Mind you, that probably beats having a robot chop bits off like I had last summer.
Ouch - hope the recovery process wasn't to long - robots for medical procedures sounds like an improvement on an overworked doctor on his nth procedure of the dayClaphamGT3 said:
The only point I'd make is push for a PET scan rather than just a bone scan - it is much more comprehensive and accurate.
Yes - go for a PET scan - even though the procedure is, er, somewhat perturbing. I remember mine well. I wandered to the Nuclear Medicine department with my wife – radioactivity was clearly going to be involved. The first indication that this was not a straightforward procedure was that my wife wasn’t even allowed onto the same floor as the scan. I sat slightly nervously in the treatment room
The radiographer came in. He had a lead box that he carried in his thickly gloved hands. He was wearing a heavy lead apron and a Perspex full-face mask.
He gingerly opened the lead box to reveal a lead-covered vial of liquid and a lead-covered syringe.
My PPE consisted of a chunky-knit cardigan.
“Gosh,” I said, “you take plenty of precautions.”
“Yes,” he said. “I dropped one once and it took six weeks to decontaminate the room. Do you want me to inject it in your right arm or left?”
At that point, I didn’t think it really mattered.
They then tell you to go away for an hour and not spend too long next to anyone as you are radioactive.
Thankfully, my bone scan was clear.
AstonZagato said:
ClaphamGT3 said:
The only point I'd make is push for a PET scan rather than just a bone scan - it is much more comprehensive and accurate.
Yes - go for a PET scan - even though the procedure is, er, somewhat perturbing. Injected with radioactive material wait 3 .5 hours and now just waiting my turn…….
cheerfulcharlie said:
So the results from the biopsy were a Gleason score of 6 (3+3) - so far so good - but.....the multi disciplinary team decided that it didn't stack up with the results of my MRI scans so I'm going for another biopsy - this time under a general as they are going in a bit 'deeper' !
So no final conclusion as yet - I have cancer but not a serious one - but if they find something else in the next biopsy this could change.
I was naively hoping for a definitive answer today but that will have to wait - I guess thats why they call this a journey !
So had the second biopsy yesterday under a general. No real problems so far aside from the fact I was told I had a catheter whilst I was knocked out and boy does it make your eyes water peeing now. I'm told this will go within 48hrs !So no final conclusion as yet - I have cancer but not a serious one - but if they find something else in the next biopsy this could change.
I was naively hoping for a definitive answer today but that will have to wait - I guess thats why they call this a journey !
Now have to wait the 2 weeks for test results - they apparently took 30 'cores' for analysis - not sure I'll have a prostate left after these biopsies !
B'stard Child said:
AstonZagato said:
ClaphamGT3 said:
The only point I'd make is push for a PET scan rather than just a bone scan - it is much more comprehensive and accurate.
Yes - go for a PET scan - even though the procedure is, er, somewhat perturbing. Injected with radioactive material wait 3 .5 hours and now just waiting my turn .
Despite being radio active for 24 to 48 hours I gained no superpowers which was disappointing!!!
B'stard Child said:
B'stard Child said:
AstonZagato said:
ClaphamGT3 said:
The only point I'd make is push for a PET scan rather than just a bone scan - it is much more comprehensive and accurate.
Yes - go for a PET scan - even though the procedure is, er, somewhat perturbing. Injected with radioactive material wait 3 .5 hours and now just waiting my turn .
Despite being radio active for 24 to 48 hours I gained no superpowers which was disappointing!!!
cheerfulcharlie said:
cheerfulcharlie said:
So the results from the biopsy were a Gleason score of 6 (3+3) - so far so good - but.....the multi disciplinary team decided that it didn't stack up with the results of my MRI scans so I'm going for another biopsy - this time under a general as they are going in a bit 'deeper' !
So no final conclusion as yet - I have cancer but not a serious one - but if they find something else in the next biopsy this could change.
I was naively hoping for a definitive answer today but that will have to wait - I guess thats why they call this a journey !
So had the second biopsy yesterday under a general. No real problems so far aside from the fact I was told I had a catheter whilst I was knocked out and boy does it make your eyes water peeing now. I'm told this will go within 48hrs !So no final conclusion as yet - I have cancer but not a serious one - but if they find something else in the next biopsy this could change.
I was naively hoping for a definitive answer today but that will have to wait - I guess thats why they call this a journey !
Now have to wait the 2 weeks for test results - they apparently took 30 'cores' for analysis - not sure I'll have a prostate left after these biopsies !
carguy45 said:
My father had prostate cancer in his early 60s, about 12 years ago. Thankfully they caught it fairly early on (by luck - I took him into hospital for something else and they must have noticed heightened PSA level in his bloods). He had a few months of focused radiotherapy and that seemed to do the trick. Had some discomfort and pain with it but all worth it in the long run.
I'm in my mid 40s, so given there is now a family history of it, I went for a PSA test a few months back - which thankfully came up normal. But the universe has a weird way of handling synchronicity, so in the same week I got my result, my father went back in for a checkup after noticing some strange symptoms and found out that his prostate cancer has returned.
He's had a few other scans (MRI, CRT etc) to check it hasn't spread to bones or other areas. Luckily, at the moment it seems fairly contained and isn't at a critical stage. However they've advised he can't do radiotherapy again as side effects of 2 treatments in that area can be serious, so he's been put on monthly steroid treatment to try and keep it from growing and hopefully contain it.
My father is extremely active and mentally/physically fit for his age, people often think he's a lot younger than he is - he works (not because he has to financially, but just doesn't want to stop), goes out a lot, etc, so the return of this has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for him and he's hoping it doesn't worsen. My brother has done a lot of research into ivermectin and fenbendazole and ordered him some to try, they're not doctor approved but the sheer amount of people who seem to have had positive results from them (with little or no side effects) have convinced us it's worth a go. He doesn't really have anything to lose by trying, at his age, so I'll report back here as time goes on if they have helped.
Though I’d check back in and update on this. I'm in my mid 40s, so given there is now a family history of it, I went for a PSA test a few months back - which thankfully came up normal. But the universe has a weird way of handling synchronicity, so in the same week I got my result, my father went back in for a checkup after noticing some strange symptoms and found out that his prostate cancer has returned.
He's had a few other scans (MRI, CRT etc) to check it hasn't spread to bones or other areas. Luckily, at the moment it seems fairly contained and isn't at a critical stage. However they've advised he can't do radiotherapy again as side effects of 2 treatments in that area can be serious, so he's been put on monthly steroid treatment to try and keep it from growing and hopefully contain it.
My father is extremely active and mentally/physically fit for his age, people often think he's a lot younger than he is - he works (not because he has to financially, but just doesn't want to stop), goes out a lot, etc, so the return of this has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for him and he's hoping it doesn't worsen. My brother has done a lot of research into ivermectin and fenbendazole and ordered him some to try, they're not doctor approved but the sheer amount of people who seem to have had positive results from them (with little or no side effects) have convinced us it's worth a go. He doesn't really have anything to lose by trying, at his age, so I'll report back here as time goes on if they have helped.
Edited by carguy45 on Tuesday 15th April 14:38
So dad (72, on second bout of prostate cancer) was told he couldn’t do radiotherapy again so was put on a steroid treatment around 4 months ago. We were told this was only to manage the cancer and effectively hold it at bay and he would be on it for the rest of his life. As mentioned brother had been doing a lot of reading about ivermectin and fenbendazole so after some talks with Dad, he made the decision (and it was purely his decision - we just laid out the facts and showed him some testimonials) to start taking those also, even though not NHS approved. He feels he has nothing really to lose by trying them.
His PSA levels were around 12/13 on average 4 months ago. He got his bloods done again last week and PSA has now dropped to 2. Doctor seemed very surprised. It’s not cause for celebrating anything yet, still need to get scans and more thorough assessment but it’s certainly encouraging.
carguy45 said:
Though I d check back in and update on this.
So dad (72, on second bout of prostate cancer) was told he couldn t do radiotherapy again so was put on a steroid treatment around 4 months ago. We were told this was only to manage the cancer and effectively hold it at bay and he would be on it for the rest of his life. As mentioned brother had been doing a lot of reading about ivermectin and fenbendazole so after some talks with Dad, he made the decision (and it was purely his decision - we just laid out the facts and showed him some testimonials) to start taking those also, even though not NHS approved. He feels he has nothing really to lose by trying them.
His PSA levels were around 12/13 on average 4 months ago. He got his bloods done again last week and PSA has now dropped to 2. Doctor seemed very surprised. It s not cause for celebrating anything yet, still need to get scans and more thorough assessment but it s certainly encouraging.
Good news. It's about time these drugs were looked at with an open mind. Anyone mentioning them usually gets piled on as a conspiracy theorist or some kind of nutter yet there is a lot of anecdotal evidence out there which deserves attention. Unfortunately these drugs are cheap and readily available so there's not much profit to be made out of them and if they're not in the standard protocols no consultant is likely to stick their heads above the parapet by suggesting them.So dad (72, on second bout of prostate cancer) was told he couldn t do radiotherapy again so was put on a steroid treatment around 4 months ago. We were told this was only to manage the cancer and effectively hold it at bay and he would be on it for the rest of his life. As mentioned brother had been doing a lot of reading about ivermectin and fenbendazole so after some talks with Dad, he made the decision (and it was purely his decision - we just laid out the facts and showed him some testimonials) to start taking those also, even though not NHS approved. He feels he has nothing really to lose by trying them.
His PSA levels were around 12/13 on average 4 months ago. He got his bloods done again last week and PSA has now dropped to 2. Doctor seemed very surprised. It s not cause for celebrating anything yet, still need to get scans and more thorough assessment but it s certainly encouraging.
Out of interest how did you obtain them if you don't mind saying?
rovermorris999 said:
Good news. It's about time these drugs were looked at with an open mind. Anyone mentioning them usually gets piled on as a conspiracy theorist or some kind of nutter yet there is a lot of anecdotal evidence out there which deserves attention. Unfortunately these drugs are cheap and readily available so there's not much profit to be made out of them and if they're not in the standard protocols no consultant is likely to stick their heads above the parapet by suggesting them.
Out of interest how did you obtain them if you don't mind saying?
My brother sourced them somewhere online, I genuinely don't know the retailer but it was a reputable site he was recommended to use, I can try and find out if you want. Out of interest how did you obtain them if you don't mind saying?
Quick update on my situation
Had another Mri, this time at UCLH, but with Contrast, had yet another cannula put in, ah the good old cannula from my previous chemo treatment 10 years ago
Got a follow up phone call with Maidstone & Tonbrige later this week about Radiotherapy with hormones or
Brachythreapy
Follow up call with Darenth Valley Hospital in a couple of weeks about Prostatectomy
Then a follow up with UCLH early September about Focal Beam/Nano knife treatment.
The UCLH treatment if I get offered it will be my preferred treatment, if not that it will be Brachythreapy those 2 seem the least invasive.
Had another Mri, this time at UCLH, but with Contrast, had yet another cannula put in, ah the good old cannula from my previous chemo treatment 10 years ago
Got a follow up phone call with Maidstone & Tonbrige later this week about Radiotherapy with hormones or
Brachythreapy
Follow up call with Darenth Valley Hospital in a couple of weeks about Prostatectomy
Then a follow up with UCLH early September about Focal Beam/Nano knife treatment.
The UCLH treatment if I get offered it will be my preferred treatment, if not that it will be Brachythreapy those 2 seem the least invasive.
audikentman said:
Quick update on my situation
Had another Mri, this time at UCLH, but with Contrast, had yet another cannula put in, ah the good old cannula from my previous chemo treatment 10 years ago
Got a follow up phone call with Maidstone & Tonbrige later this week about Radiotherapy with hormones or
Brachythreapy
Follow up call with Darenth Valley Hospital in a couple of weeks about Prostatectomy
Then a follow up with UCLH early September about Focal Beam/Nano knife treatment.
The UCLH treatment if I get offered it will be my preferred treatment, if not that it will be Brachythreapy those 2 seem the least invasive.
Was cryotherapy mentioned by UCLH team?? who was consultant(if you got that far)?Had another Mri, this time at UCLH, but with Contrast, had yet another cannula put in, ah the good old cannula from my previous chemo treatment 10 years ago
Got a follow up phone call with Maidstone & Tonbrige later this week about Radiotherapy with hormones or
Brachythreapy
Follow up call with Darenth Valley Hospital in a couple of weeks about Prostatectomy
Then a follow up with UCLH early September about Focal Beam/Nano knife treatment.
The UCLH treatment if I get offered it will be my preferred treatment, if not that it will be Brachythreapy those 2 seem the least invasive.
Three years down the line for me and all good - I’d go so far as to say ‘great ‘ experience!
Damp Logs said:
audikentman said:
Quick update on my situation
Had another Mri, this time at UCLH, but with Contrast, had yet another cannula put in, ah the good old cannula from my previous chemo treatment 10 years ago
Got a follow up phone call with Maidstone & Tonbrige later this week about Radiotherapy with hormones or
Brachythreapy
Follow up call with Darenth Valley Hospital in a couple of weeks about Prostatectomy
Then a follow up with UCLH early September about Focal Beam/Nano knife treatment.
The UCLH treatment if I get offered it will be my preferred treatment, if not that it will be Brachythreapy those 2 seem the least invasive.
Was cryotherapy mentioned by UCLH team?? who was consultant(if you got that far)?Had another Mri, this time at UCLH, but with Contrast, had yet another cannula put in, ah the good old cannula from my previous chemo treatment 10 years ago
Got a follow up phone call with Maidstone & Tonbrige later this week about Radiotherapy with hormones or
Brachythreapy
Follow up call with Darenth Valley Hospital in a couple of weeks about Prostatectomy
Then a follow up with UCLH early September about Focal Beam/Nano knife treatment.
The UCLH treatment if I get offered it will be my preferred treatment, if not that it will be Brachythreapy those 2 seem the least invasive.
Three years down the line for me and all good - I d go so far as to say great experience!
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