Hope you dad is doing well post op. I too have a Gleason score of 9 but my diagnosis/prognosis is considerably different. Gleason; 9 Tumour T3b PSA: 4 Treatment: -6 mos androgen treatment -39 sessions of Radiation (2 grays per session.) -Tests -Resume androgen treatmen for a further 12 months -more tests Prognosis: 90% chance of a cure. I'm surprised that your dad was not referred to a urologist as soon as it was known that he had an abnormally high PSA. Even though I had a 4 PSA, the value had doubled in two years which set al;arm bells going. Next I had a repeat PSA test which confirmed the 4 reading Then I had an MRI scan which showed a "shadow" I then had a biopsy which confirmed the Tumour and the Gleason Following a panel evaluation of data it was decided to have radiation rather than surgery because in my case the prognosis was similar. My urologist advised me that each case is different depending on T rating, PSA, Gleason, age physical condition etc. I wish your father every success and tell him that it is best to stay fit, eat healthy and dont overthink the situationand trust his oncology team. Zol, ... View more

Hi leftoeve, I have had a few delays so rather than overstress my bladder I simply went to the toilet and recommenced to 40 minute countdown by drinking another half litre of water. i have also had the linear accelerator break down but lucky enough they transferred me to another one right away so there was no bladder overfull problem. Generally though everything goes like clockwork; I go to the toilet 40 minutes before radiation and drink the half litre of water. I then get into the car and drive to hospital which takes about 30 minutes so my wait is only 10 minutes or so.. How far are you into your radiation program? Cheers Zol. ... View more

I'm now half ways through my radiation treatment. I have got used to the daily ritual Monday to Friday; bowel movement at least once a day, 2-3 glasses of water 2 hours before radiation, pass urine 40 minutes before radiation and drink half a litre of water and hope that my bladder is full for radiation but not too full to be uncomfortable, Then stay hydrated for the rest of the day. I have a weekly follow up meeting with my radiation oncologist. Its a two way info session: she asks a few questions regarding how I'm going and I ask a few questions about what to expect and what her impression of progress is. The session dose of 2 Grays is accumulative but so far, touch wood, there has been little or no side effects.I have taken up the hospital's offer of a weekly light fitness program and I have busied myself gardening and painting the house. Occassionaly I get nightmares which I suspect is my subconscious mind working out this cancer kick. I intend to have a few sessions with a talking doctor just to make sure that this is normal and that it will abate as treatment progresses. My androgen injection ran out 2 weeks ago but I'm still getting the hot flushes, albeit not as severe as before. I am building up muscle strength in lieu of the loss caused by the androgen (HT) treatment. I think that I'm now past the "why me" and "what have I done wrong song" stage and I have now resigned myself to the medical experts and the radiation regime. I try to tell myself that it is what it is so there is little point stressing about worst case scenaria. The radiation oncologist has reaffirmed that the chance of a cure is 90% which in agressive prostate cancer is almost as good as it gets. Relaxation is very important so I have embarked on an on-line program called Mindfulness Base Stress Reduction and its free.I also find gardening relaxing because it takes my mind away from overthinking the treatment and feeling sorry for myself. I'll report back in two weeks or so. Cheers Zol. ... View more

Radiation Treatment: I have had 8 radiation sessions out of the scheduled 39. The dose is 2 Grays per session and a total of 78 for the complete program. I was a bit apprehensive about the initial radiation session because despite assurances from my radiation oncologist and the oncology nurses that it was like having a prolonged X-Ray, I had to have that confirmed before I felt comfortable. Four weeks ago I had the planning session where, among other things, I was put on the radiation machine for a measure up and having my tramp stamps (tattoes). They are small dots, one on either hip and one in the middle of my pubes about 50 mil above my penis. The proceedure before having radiation is: (a) empty one's bowel at least once a day (movicol is recommended) (b) drink two large glasses of water 2 hours before radiation (c) pass water 40 minutes before radiation and then drink a half litre. The objective during radiation is to have an empty bowel and a full bladder to minimise collatera damage. It took a few goes before I got the timing and the water quantity right. For those who have not had prostate radiation the idea is to radiate the prostate only and not the surrounding organs or tissue. That being said, however, I'm having my seminal vesicles radiated as well which are outside the prostate capsule as a safety precaution. (my Gleason Score is 9 & my tumour rating is T3B). One removes outer clothing and shoes before getting on the carbon fibre slab. When one is lying down the assistants put a small props under the head and knees and ones heels fit into a moulded support. The idea is to have the body in approximately the right position and then this position is finely tweeked by aligning the tats referred to above with the electronic beams. Of course, the machine also reads the 3 gold seeds implanted earlier in the prostate. These seeds give a 3d map of the prostate with a focal point which acts as a reference point for plotting the radiation targets. Once on the slab you simply fold your arms across your chest or clasp your fingers and the staff scurry out of the room. Then you hear electronic beeps and groans fron the machine as it circles ones lower torso. Its like a Dr Who contraption The machine circles the lower torso about 3 times stopping now and again (thinking perhaps). After about 6 minutes the carbon fibre slab moves ever so slightly and the the machine continues. There is one large rectangular screen which occassionally comes around and pauses directly overhead. It has 13 x 13 black squares about 40 mm square (169 in total) I havent asked what it is but I assume it is a grid device for 2 dimensional measurement and/or photo imaging.Its odd and spooky to have a grid of 13 by 13 squares ! The whole proceedure takes about 10 minutes When the machine finally stops the attendants rush in, help one up from the slab with the assistance of a pull rope and hey presto, you are on your pegs like Lazarus ready to don one's dacks and face the non_radiated world and make a bee line for the nearest toilet. There is no risk I'm told of one's watch etc becomming radioactive. I'll report back when I'm half way through my radiation treatment PS: My testosterone now is 0.08 & my PSA is less than 0.03 and the radiation oncologist was very pleased with these readings. Before commencing my HT 6 months ago my testosterone was 7 and my PSA was 4. Cheers Zol ... View more

More to come later. ... View more

Hi Chatham, I'm sorry to hear that you have prostate cancer; it takes a while to get one'ss head around it. I have been on HT for almost 6 months and I commence radiation treatment on Monday. For me HT has been ok ; just regular hot flushes (flashes) and a slight loss of energy. I'm not quite sure whether the tiredness is directly due to the drug (Zoldex) or whether is due to interupted sleep due to the hot flushes at night. The loss of libedo happened within 3 weeks and has remained so since. My testicles and penis seem slightly smaller but nothing of concern. I have had no appreciable loss of hair or growth of man boobs yet but I still have a year to go. My Gleason score is 9 (4+5) and my tumour is T3a, and my PSA on diagnosis was 4.2 It had doubled in 2 years. What is your Gleason score and tumour stage? In summary, the hot flushes and the slight tiredness are less than I expected and for me its evidence that the HT is working. You will likely have a blood test and check up about 6 weeks after HT begins. My testosterone before HT was about 7 and it dropped to 0.3 and my PSA dropped to 0.6. Are you having radiation later? Cheers Zol. ... View more

21st April: The Planning Session. I had my radiation planning session today which involb=ved the following: -was on Movicol for 5 days to loosen bowel movement. -had an education session last week to generally outline the radiation program including possible side effects -had to have a bowel movement at 6 am followed by an enema. -checked in to the hospital at 7.40 am -filled out health & history forms -advised of specific risks and specific procedures -emptied bladder and drank 500 ml water -waited 40 minutes and then I was placed on the radiation table for measurements which took about ten minutes -had 3 mini tattoos; one on each hip and one central in my "pubes" - first radiation appointment for 11th May -further advice on parking and bowel/full bladder requirements. -advised that it can take up to two weeks for the team to design the radiation program. -I'm scheduled for 39 sessions. -support services offered re exercise, social worker and relaxation programs. I'll post again when I've had a few treatments. Cheers Zol. - ... View more

Hi lefteova, You are very lucky to have the accommodation available; i'm sure it takes the day to day stress out of commuting to and from. You are lucky that your Gleason is 6 which I'm advised is the lower end of the scale for intervention. The T2a is also moderate too. Have you had any side effects from your radiation so far, like fatigue or diarrhoea etc.? it seems unusual that with a testosterone of 13 that the oncologist hasn't recommended HT because testosterone feeds and drives the prostate cancer. My planning session is next week and the radiation begins a few weeks later. I'll post further details after the first few radiation sessions sessions. Zol ... View more

Hi leftoeva, What is your Gleason Score? The Gleason Score indicates the level of your cancer aggression. As you are no doubt aware, testosterone drives your prostate cancer and your blood test apart from indicating your PSA should also tell you what level your testosterone is at. The higher it is the the more rapidly your tumour is likely to grow. The role of the HT (hormone therapy) is to supress the testosterone and thereby starve the tumour of fuel. Its a cheap and non-invasive therapy. Why not check with your Radiology Oncologist re your testosterone level and seek advice from him/her if HT is suitable for you. Good luck and thank you for your post. Perhaps you could let us know later how the remainder of your radiation treatment went, your PSA & testosterone levels etc? Cheers Zol ... View more

Continued: No matter how prepared one imagines oneself to be, the C word is a stunning diagnosis. My first reaction was to study it by every means available. I read all the publications by the Cancer Councils of Queensland and Australia,. I talked to my GP, Specialists and friends and acquaintances who have cancer. I even attended a two hour post Doctoral presentation on a two year Queensland prostate cancer study which was attended by urologists, GPs, Radiation Oncologists, nurses etc. And then I Googled prostate cancer for months to learn as much as possible. I soon learned that a Gleason score of 9 is a very aggressive cancer but at least a 3a staging means that the tumour is confined to the prostate and perhaps the seminal veslcle. I had a bone and soft tissue scans which came up clear: there was no sign that the cancer had migrated to the nodes(N) or beyond (M). These tests are about 95% accurate which means that there is still a 5% chance that microscopic amounts of cancer may have already escaped. During this time my wife , family and friends have been very supportive but I still had niggling fears and doubts. Perhaps the best advice that I got was from a friend who has breast cancer. She said : "don't overthink it, just pick the right specialist team and then trust them to do what is best for you." Finally the team came up with the treatment regime: -6 months Zoladen (androgen theraphy) -40 sessions of external radiation -a further 12 months of Zoladen. Inclusion in an advanced androgen theraphy study was offered but the offer was withdrawn due to my testerone level not falling within the study parameters. Surgery was not offered because of risks for my cancer and my age: the prognosis with the above treatment regime was the same as surgery.ie: a 90% chance of being alive in 10 years. The Zoladen injection lasts 3 months and can have some side effects including a heightened emotional state, hot flushes and loss of energy and loss of libedo. Other side effects that have been reported have not effected me yet. I have had some slight depression which at this stage and I'm unsure whethet that is attributable to the androgen therapy or the psychological effect of cancer. I had my 3 month follow up in late February and my testosterone had reduced from 6.5 to about 0.6 and my PSA was 0.3 down from 4. This was a great result. Some explanations : The prostate is a sexual organ which produces seminal fluids to enhance and protect sperm which is stored in the attached seminal vesicles.(google a sketch) The nerves are located on the outside of the prostate which makes possible nerve saving surgery. Prostate cancer starts on the outside of the prostate and works inwardly and this is why some cancer patients can have had cancer for some time without symptoms. Testosterone is the driver of prostate cancer and this is why androgen therapy (hormone therapy) is used to shrink the cancer and to impede its progress. In my case that is why I'm receiving the AT before radiation. I'll post a follow-up post 22nd April when I'll have received my gold seeds implants and my planning session for radiation. Zol. ... View more