Oscar,

You in the right place to get the full range of experiences and to learn what were the drivers leading to individual treatment decisions. Ultimately only you can decide if and how anything you learn from us applies to your situation.

The first thing I learned with my 3+4=7 Gleason pathology report was that there was no reason for me to rush into ANY treatment decision….that I had time to do my own research. IMO if anyone (doctors included) are rushing you to make a treatment decision…I would consider that a “red flag” and a clear indication that you need a 2nd and even 3rd opinion. This is probably the hardest thing to get clear in one’s head, because we have all been trained to basically freak out when we hear the word cancer.

Towards this end I have attached a study that involved >8500 men with PCa and their 10 year outcomes after making various treatment decisions AND a list of the side effects they were experiencing one year after they had their selected treatment. Of course, the percentages reported will not necessarily define your individual response, but they are helpful when attempting to COMPARE treatment options according to the average response found in a large population of PCa patients.

There has been some excellent advise already written, so I won’t repeat.

My doctor and I decided on active surveillance (AS) after obtaining a 0.22 Decipher score (low risk) and coupling it with the information in my pathology report.

AS simply means I am waiting to see how things progress before make any irreversible treatment decision.

I decided to practice “aggressive” AS and have lost 25 lbs (BMI is now 22.5) by implementing a whole plant food diet and a vigorous running exercise program. My PSA dropped 25% at my 3 month mark after diagnosis, so I’m continuing my AS program.

I am older (67), so you have the age difference to consider.

IMO after you get through the first decision (to give yourself enough time to do your research) the second most important decision is to have a Decipher test of one’s cancer cores to determine the aggressiveness of one’s particular cancer.

The Decipher Prostate Genomic Classifier has just received a Level 1B evidence rating, the highest rating among molecular tests. This test is independent of all other clinical factors and can significantly impact one’s treatment decision for those with 3+4=7 Gleason.