← Return to 11 anniversaries since diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer
Discussion11 anniversaries since diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Sep 2 6:11pm | Replies (113)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I was reading this whole post again, wasn't totally sure on difference of 4a and 4b...."
Almost everything you read online about stage 4b prostate cancer is out of date now (assuming you're getting the latest treatments). I'm not trying to be a Pollyanna and pretend there's nothing to worry about — stage 4b is a tough ride — but prostate-cancer treatment has gone through a seismic shift in the past 5+ years. As an article in last month's Scientific American said
«These new strategies have begun to transform this once rapidly fatal disease into a chronic condition that people can live with for years or even for their full life expectancy.»
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/treating-prostate-cancer-at-any-stage/
So while there are no guarantees, it's no longer naïve to keep hoping. When I went to the Canadian Cancer Society's website to read about stage 4b when I was initially diagnosed in 2021, the advice was basically "Learn acceptance, put your affairs in order, and prepare to die" (in more-polite words), which was awful to read; fortunately, within a year my onco team was telling me a very different story.
Will I make old bones? Maybe not. But it's no longer a pipe dream.