prostate cancer

[rolex]

so you get the news its curable. great news! You have to choose between 2 treatments. One radio therapy the other surgical removal. Both equally effective. Then they tell you both treatments are going to leave you impotant and wearing a nappy for the rest of your life. Great choices and NHS leave you to pick the best one

[NNH]

Good luck and best wishes. I'm sure the PH brain trust will have some input for you.

[technodup]

rolex said:

so you get the news its curable. great news! You have to choose between 2 treatments. One radio therapy the other surgical removal. Both equally effective. Then they tell you both treatments are going to leave you impotant and wearing a nappy for the rest of your life. Great choices and NHS leave you to pick the best one

My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was dead in a month.

Think yourself lucky. Dry your eyes.

[NNH]

technodup said:

y father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was dead in a month.

Think yourself lucky. Dry your eyes.

Sorry to hear about your father. That doesn't excuse you being an utter , though.

[Buster73]

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer about ten years ago , took the radio therapy option .

Treatment in the morning, back at work some afternoons.

He was in his 70’s at the time.

[Tebbers]

I run a private prostate cancer clinic in London specialising in robotic surgery. It doesn’t leave you incontinent and impotent IF you choose a good surgeon and the cancer isn’t too advanced. Surgeons are not all created equal - do your research and ask to see their results. Above all, make sure they frequently perform the operation as the NHS is full of urologists who perform the operation infrequently and have poor results.

Good luck OP - happy to provide advice if I can!

[Riley Blue]

rolex said:

so you get the news its curable. great news! You have to choose between 2 treatments. One radio therapy the other surgical removal. Both equally effective. Then they tell you both treatments are going to leave you impotant and wearing a nappy for the rest of your life. Great choices and NHS leave you to pick the best one

Does it leave you forgetful too?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[AB]

My Dad was diagnosed a few years back.

Good surgeon and as far as he tells me, apart from 'needing to go when he needs to go', everything is fine.

He was early to mid fifties when he went through it. He was told if he had the radiotherapy then the operation was no longer an option as I understand it. He just wanted it gone, for definite.

Good luck OP

[technodup]

NNH said:

Sorry to hear about your father. That doesn't excuse you being an utter , though.

I was always a .

But the fact remains prostate is one of the better ones to get.

[Riley Blue]

technodup said:

NNH said:

Sorry to hear about your father. That doesn't excuse you being an utter , though.

I was always a .

But the fact remains prostate is one of the better ones to get.

True, more men survive it but it can still be life changing. I couldn't have surgery due to heart problems so radiotherapy was the only option. My treatment finished five years ago and apart from not producing sperm (why would I want to at 70?) and having to pee more frequently, life is the same as before.

[Androgynous]

Tebbers said:

I run a private prostate cancer clinic in London specialising in robotic surgery. It doesn’t leave you incontinent and impotent IF you choose a good surgeon and the cancer isn’t too advanced. Surgeons are not all created equal - do your research and ask to see their results. Above all, make sure they frequently perform the operation as the NHS is full of urologists who perform the operation infrequently and have poor results.

Good luck OP - happy to provide advice if I can!

Isn't there a new treatment in early testing involving steam injections?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/21/five-m...

[technodup]

Riley Blue said:

and having to pee more frequently, life is the same as before.

Mine's enlarged and I piss for Scotland. I can never empty it all. Got the all clear on the test though.

Pancreatic on the other hand has no symptoms, or not until it's way too late. I know which I'd rather have.

[S100HP]

rolex said:

so you get the news its curable. great news! You have to choose between 2 treatments. One radio therapy the other surgical removal. Both equally effective. Then they tell you both treatments are going to leave you impotant and wearing a nappy for the rest of your life. Great choices and NHS leave you to pick the best one

TBF you could be like my Dad, diagnosed with stage 4, spread into his bones now. No cure, just being managed now.

[Big Al.]

I chose the radiotherapy route, bit drawn out with 37 sessions, and yes also had to have Prostap (oestrogen) injections for two years (every 6 months). That was nearly 10 years ago and not a nappy insight!

If you need to know more drop me a mail.

[The_Doc]

rolex said:

so you get the news its curable. great news! You have to choose between 2 treatments. One radio therapy the other surgical removal. Both equally effective. Then they tell you both treatments are going to leave you impotant and wearing a nappy for the rest of your life. Great choices and NHS leave you to pick the best one

A.If your urologist gave you this level of information, and this only, then he is doing you a disservice and his Clinical Director could either do better or pick him up on it.

B. If he didn't, and you just chose to come on here, partially quote what you've been told and vent your personal bad feelings, then what exactly are you achieving for the other patients suffering prostate cancer? Other than alarming and spreading half truths?

Treatment decisions are based on shared risk exploration and a choice made between the doctor and the patient, with all the facts laid out and explained. Which is some way from your post.

https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/standards-and-research/gs...

Imagine I was reading your post, having just been in a similar situation, nervous about the future and with worries.

[N7GTX]

If your prostate cancer is within the capsule either stage 1 or 2 then both these treatments have roughly the same results in that around 65% are curable.
If your prostate cancer has spread outside the capsule but not into other organs or bones or lymph nodes i.e locally advanced or stage 3 then that too is curable.
If your prostate cancer has spread to the bones then its a different ball game with much harsher treatment.

Assuming you are at stage 1 or 2, then the operation should remove all the bad cells and if the surgeon can save a nerve or two then erectile dysfunction can be avoided. Likewise with incontinence, this should be a temporary thing and normally back to fairly leak free within a few months.
If you choose radiotherapy then possibly less chance of erectile dysfunction and probably no incontinence although everyone is different of course.

Like Big Al I did the 37 radiotherapy visits in Jan '17. Also on Prostap hormone injections for 2 years. Since Oct '17 when all treatment finished, PSA has remained static at 0.8. To all intents I am now cured. No incontinence, no erectile dysfunction, no loss of libido but loss of 2" due to nerve damage. However, I am not officially cured until 5 years after treatment finishes under NHS rules.