Hi all..Im 71 .....My PSA has been climbing slightly higher for the past 7 years. It began around 4+ and now, fir the past few years is hovering between 9.2 and 10.8...May of 2022 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and a boipsy was performed. The results were a Gleason score of 6....lowest....So, at that time, we, my Urologist and family, decided to monitor my PSA every three months. It has been holding steady, again, between the above values I mentioned.
Two weeks ago I had a second biopsy, a focal biopsy, and the results were equal to the first...7 out of 13 tested areas showed signs of cancer...So the cancer is holding steady...not growing and/or spreading. At a recent appointment with my Urologist, to discuss the biopsy results, I mentioned my almost daily concern about it spreading into the nearby lymphnodes and metastisising..is that a word..haha...I increasingly anxious about that happening. We then discussed options...removing the prostate and /or radiation. He discussed with me the effects of both...With the removal it was reduced sexual performance or none along with urine leakage...With radiation it was 4 to 6 months of hormone shots, to reduce the size of the prostate prior to radiation and the effects of the shots.
Are the hormone shots necessary prior to radiation...Are there radiation treatments that can be performed with on an enlarged prostate and not have the hormone shots...What are the types of radiation treatments that are available to treat my low level prostate cancer??????