I'm going to wrap this blog project up now. Long story very short: at a relatively young age, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had surgery, but it failed to cure me. I underwent salvage radiation just over a year later, and it--apparently--cured me. It has now been 10 years since my PSA became undetectable.
That's a major personal milestone, and even though there is a chance of recurrence, after 10 years it is pretty low. And after 15 years it will be practically zero.
So, good enough. I'll keep getting an annual PSA for the foreseeable future, but there's no longer any anxiety about the tests. And at some point I will be done with them. (My dad, who was successfully treated in his early 60's, has stopped testing after 20 years of undetectable results).
This blog got some attention in its early days (it used to be pretty high on the Google results list for "salvage radiation") but no longer. Technology and treatments have progressed, and my story isn't nearly as compelling as it once was. If you're stopping by after I hit the "publish" button on this post, you are basically seeing an archive. I won't be updating it.
Here is the message I want to send you: if surgery didn't cure your prostate cancer, don't despair. There may still be a good chance of a cure. If you are in that situation, don't sit back and wait. Explore your options now. Time is of the essence.
If you're in the battle at any stage, I send you greetings, best wishes, and with a bow and flourish, adieu.
2 comments:
hey I would appreciate your insight and advice as I just received my 1st post op RP USPSA reading above threshold on 9/14/2017. It was less than 0.006 on 6/5/2017 18 months post op and I was hopeful that BCR / prostate cancer was behind me for good.
If possible I would like to talk / converse with you to gather advice with regards to SRT.
Now it is an open question as to whether or when SRT is in my future as I will get tested every month starting 10/13/2017 to determine the rate of change if any. I could get lucky and my USPSA stays constant or declines. I could get unlucky.
I look for people like yourself that have successfully and thoughtfully travelled this difficult road before me.
I was retired at age 54, diagnosed at age 56, post op pathology was 3+4, 20% +4, 1.2cc tumor, incredibly thin negative margins (< 0.1 mm).
many thx in advance, jeff ronne
Hi Jeff. Why don't you email me at galileo1962@cox.net?
I'm curious as to how high your PSA is right now. I'm not a doctor, so don't take this as medical advice, but if I were you I would seriously think about salvage radiation if you hit 0.1 or higher, or if you see a sequence of rises.
The evidence has been clear for some time now that for SRT, the earlier the better. Optimally you would want to start at 0.5 or before. Failing that, 1.0 is another line in the sand.
The monthly testing will show you the way.
If you're interested the odds, there is a nomogram at https://www.mskcc.org/nomograms/prostate/salvage-radiation-therapy that will give you a rough idea--but bear in mind that you are an individual. It's a bit of a gamble as to whether it will work. But the upside to the gamble is enormous, while the downside is fairly minimal.
For most men, SRT is very easy. Side effects are rare, and when they do happen, they're usually temporary. There is no sensation at all during the treatment, other than boredom.
Anyway, if you'd like to chat in private, just shoot me an email at the address above.
Post a Comment