[Nucky]

Originally Posted by biker1

If I am reading this correctly, you are asserting that your blood sample was mislabeled? A rapid rise in PSA can be triggered by infection or trauma. The standard protocol for a rapid rise in PSA appears to be a dose of antibiotics and then retesting. I believe it is more likely that you had an infection than your blood sample was mislabeled (unless they specifically told you that they suspected a mislabelling).

Just going by what the Doctor said. He said not to get upset that over his years of being a Doctor he had seen the mislabeling many times. Nobody ever actually said they mislabeled. I did speak to the person in charge of The Facility that took my blood. I did it so they could try and find the other person who may have been mislabeled and think they are Ok but really still have a problem.

I read about infection and trauma also. I believe you're correct. I was guided by what the Doctor said.

[tophcfa]

[QUOTE=roob1;1671938]Robotic surgery performed by an experienced surgeon is far from very major surgery. You get about 4 very small incisions in the stomach area, one night in hospital and catheter for 10 days or so. It is generally done in under an hour.

Again, the operative word is "experienced"...find one who has done hundreds and hundreds. Side effects are also highly related to the experience of the surgeon (as well as other factors).

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Surgery. 30% of those that get their prostate removed (and this is very major surgery) end up doing radiation. And the side effects can be awful.

There are lots of opinions on the pros and cons of robotic vs open retro pubic radical prostatectomy surgery, and yes, the robitic surgery is less difficult on the patient with quicker recovery. However, there is no evidence that robitic surgery will yield better results. The patient is looking for "the trifecta" in terms of results. First, clean margins and complete cancer removal, second is continence control, and third is avoiding complete ED. Hospitals that invested heavily in robotic technology will push this meathod to get a return on their large investments. Also, most younger Doctors are only trained in robotic surgery.

All that said, what the robotic surgeons won't tell you is that without their hands actually doing the surgery, they can not feel the prostate and the tumor, and use that most important sense to help determine how much tissue to remove, giving the patient the best chance of clean margins. And with clean margins, no post operative radiation is needed.

I had the open surgery, and it is a major surgery, but in the grand scheme of life, a harder surgery and a few more weeks of recovery time was well worth it. Dr. McGovern is my hero, he gave me the trifecta : )

[flyguy909]

Bob47 is absolutely right. I was diagnosed at 58, urologist pushed surgery but I opted for radiation called Cyberknife after doing my own research. Very impressed with the procedure and the outcome as I am cancer free after 8 years. Another big plus is all the plumbing works. Three of my friends have had surgery... 2 had major complications. But that's too small a sample to derive anything.

With Cyberknife, a urologist implants 3 tiny gold seeds into your prostate using same technique as a standard biopsy. These are used by the robotic radiation machine for precise targeting. The oncologist uses MRI's and CT scans to develop a program to shoot many radiation beams into your prostate but at the same time avoiding as much collateral damage as possible. I layed on a table with my butt in a custom fitted cushion so I couldn't shift position while a big robotic arm went all around me shooting individual focused beam radiation shots. I did this 3 days for about 45 minutes a day.. and that was it.

You'll get many different answers as there are several options. I am happy with the path I chose.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

I was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer last year. Gleason 8 and PSA 8.5. I did extensive reading and research. I found the doctors here locally were focused on the cures that lined their pockets. My urologist was a surgeon so surgery was the only answer to my problem. I found a radiation oncologist and that was the only answer and it had to be the radiation machine owned by his practice which was photon radiation. An unbiased opinion was very difficult to find.

I read the book by Dr Patrick Walsh and 30 other books about the different types of prostate cancer treatment. I found out a lot of interesting things. Our daughter is a nurse practitioner and she got me access to every medicial paper published on prostate cancer. There are 100's and I read them all. Here is some stuff your doctor probably wont tell you.

Surgery. 30% of those that get their prostate removed (and this is very major surgery) end up doing radiation. And the side effects can be awful.

Photon radiation. (what is available locally) The collateral damage done by this type radiation is fairly extensive. A very high percentage of patients end up with incontinence, ED or both plus bowl and bladder problems.

After all my research I decided on Proton radiation. Very different than Photon radiation. There are only about 30 places in the country that have a cyclotron (cost for a cyclotron is in the 150 million range) that can offer this type treatment. And only about 5 of those that specialize in prostate cancer. Fortunately UF Health in Jacksonville has a cyclotron and is one of the top facilities in the world for treating prostate cancer. Lou Melinda University in California, MD Anderson in Texas and Mass General are the others.

Side effects using proton radiation are significantly less than other types of prostate cancer treatment. I went to Jacksonville for 8 weeks for my treatment. My PSA has gone from 8.5 to <.01. I have zero side effects. No incontinence, no ED, no bowl or bladder issues. I call it my radiation vacation. I had to have 78 grays of radiation done with 39 treatments. Takes about 15 minutes for each session. The rest of the time I played golf, went to the beach, ate well, and enjoyed what Jacksonville and St Augustine have to offer. Deciding to go their for my treatment was the best medical decision I have ever made. You are treated like a guest there vs a patient. The doctors and staff are the best I have ever had anywhere.

If anyone wants to discuss this type of treatment more I will make myself available to you. PM me, send me a phone number, we can meet, however it will help you make the best decision for you.

Thanks for the good information. Hopefully I will never need it, but if my PSA ever shows up as anything but undetectable, Proton radiation will be the next option for me.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by flyguy909

Bob47 is absolutely right. I was diagnosed at 58, urologist pushed surgery but I opted for radiation called Cyberknife after doing my own research. Very impressed with the procedure and the outcome as I am cancer free after 8 years. Another big plus is all the plumbing works. Three of my friends have had surgery... 2 had major complications. But that's too small a sample to derive anything.

With Cyberknife, a urologist implants 3 tiny gold seeds into your prostate using same technique as a standard biopsy. These are used by the robotic radiation machine for precise targeting. The oncologist uses MRI's and CT scans to develop a program to shoot many radiation beams into your prostate but at the same time avoiding as much collateral damage as possible. I layed on a table with my butt in a custom fitted cushion so I couldn't shift position while a big robotic arm went all around me shooting individual focused beam radiation shots. I did this 3 days for about 45 minutes a day.. and that was it.

You'll get many different answers as there are several options. I am happy with the path I chose.

I am glad for your outcome. Where did you have your procedure done?

[flyguy909]

"I am glad for your outcome. Where did you have your procedure done?"

I had it done at a hospital in Hartford, CT before I moved down. The nearest one to here may be Tampa... not sure.

[biker1]

There are pros and cons to each treatment. I wound up choosing da Vinci robotic surgery for several reasons. The first was that I am relatively young, in good shape, and I have no other medical issues, so the prospects for success were good. However, the surgery is long and complicated - typically about 3 hours. I chose a surgeon who has performed this procedure many times. If I was older and/or had other medical issues I may not have opted for surgery. Secondly, the post-surgery pathology will tell you exactly how serious the issue was. Thirdly, if I had opted for one of the radiation treatments, I would not be able to be treated again. In addition, prostate removal after radiation is typically not an option. My PSA level is at the limit of detectability and I don't have incontinence or ED issues.

I did talk to several urologists. One pushed radiation. At Moffitt, where I had the procedure performed, they offered several treatment options and presented the pros and cons but did not push one treatment option over the other. They did, however, make it clear that doing nothing was a bad choice. My own research confirmed everything they told me.

Originally Posted by flyguy909

Bob47 is absolutely right. I was diagnosed at 58, urologist pushed surgery but I opted for radiation called Cyberknife after doing my own research. Very impressed with the procedure and the outcome as I am cancer free after 8 years. Another big plus is all the plumbing works. Three of my friends have had surgery... 2 had major complications. But that's too small a sample to derive anything.

With Cyberknife, a urologist implants 3 tiny gold seeds into your prostate using same technique as a standard biopsy. These are used by the robotic radiation machine for precise targeting. The oncologist uses MRI's and CT scans to develop a program to shoot many radiation beams into your prostate but at the same time avoiding as much collateral damage as possible. I layed on a table with my butt in a custom fitted cushion so I couldn't shift position while a big robotic arm went all around me shooting individual focused beam radiation shots. I did this 3 days for about 45 minutes a day.. and that was it.

You'll get many different answers as there are several options. I am happy with the path I chose.

[Altavia]

It is great to see all the success stories and information sharing and I hope all remain healthy.

The RedCross center that has a room where I donate granulocytes, also collect white cells from prostate cancer patients. These are processed and used for a relatively recently approved immuno therapy treatment.

If i understand correctly, the a cells are treated and become a drug call Provenge which is re-infused 72hrs later.

Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Foundation