Good comments being posted by everyone! I have a Gleason 8, Stage cT3b, and ranked very high risk. I am schedule for RARP at Mayo on Monday. I spoke with a radiation oncoligist at Mayo and was informed that to get the equivalent results from radiation, I would also need to be on hormone replacement therapy for at least a 18 months. I was also told that since I have coronary artery disease, the hormone replacement could be quite detrimental to my health. Additionally, she said swelling in the urethra from radiation would severely aggravate my already present BPH, so she recommended that I have RARP. I still have concerns about surgery but believe it is the best of two undesirable options. One way or the other I have to get treatment moving because I too have grandchildren that I'm not ready to leave yet!