Prostate cancer treatment delay.

Thanks so much for all the replies on my question of a 6 month delay. All of you have provided me with a lot to think about and consider. Best of all I now have a great list of questions when I meet the radiation oncologists on November 5th. I do have a Blue Cross Medicine Advantage Plan. I’ll research what they cover on my treatment plan and may have to upgrade to a better plan. My PSA was 12 (someone asked that question). I’m 79 and did the bladder cancer battle for about 4 years starting in 2008. Did the surgeries, treatments and thankfully still have my bladder. Thanks again to all the great people here for providing some guides. Ken

@kenporter
Where you offered to have a Decipher test done? This test shows the aggressiveness of your cancer. If your cancer has already spread outside the prostate the aggressiveness is probably at intermediate or aggressive.

If you are having radiation only there is a standard waiting period after your biopsies, if markers are put in, etc. to allow the prostrate to calm down.

As posters have stated here every cancer is different and everyone is different. For me I would asked for the Decipher test to help you understand the agressiveness of you cancer. The Decipher compay will send you a pamphlet if your insurance does not cover it and can set up payments or reduced cost options for you.

I sense your anxiety and getting more information is going to help you. Have you considered a second opinion.

At the time of my diagnosis, I was 70, now 71. I was diagnosed in July of 2024, and all of the appointments coming back for surgical consult, radiation consult, biopsy, etc. were *starting* in October. I found this unacceptable, even though the original urologist said it was a "slow-growing cancer." In the medical field, they focus on the "slow", we who have the disease, or at least me, focus on "growing!"

I did not accept their timeline and I pushed, not being a jerk, but being firm, that I found their timeline unacceptable. Lo and behold, I had my biopsy in August, surgery on September 16th, and my first PSA blood test tomorrow. I have already been scheduled for a follow-up with the radiation oncologist on November 18.

If you are not comfortable with the timeline you are on, then push back. It is your life, your disease, and if you push back, firm but nice, a lot of times they will cooperate.

The cancer institute I am using also has a "nurse navigator" assigned to patients, and she is a real "go-getter" and has helped me a lot moving up the timeline.

I have Medicare with United Health Medicare Advantage, and they have been fantastic to work with. We had BC/BS for many, many years and they were awful.

Best of luck to you.

I felt things were taking too long. I was a gleason 10. I would call my Dr's office often, and ask if there were cancellations, did the same with CT, MRI, scans. I shaved weeks off doing this. It took some effort, but it shaved about 2 months off total timing. My PSA was discovered up on June 1st, and I was on ADT by September 1st, radiation soon followed.

After my biopsies, Decipher, bone scan, PSMA, Space/Or, Markers, and two consultations, I was told it would be several weeks until radiation began. Like most of us we started thinking NO I wanted the treatments now if I have cancer and not let it get worse.

What I was told there is always a standard wait time after biopsies, Space/Or, markers, etc. to let the prostrate calm down. I did not like waiting. However, I had a Decipher test showing mine was low risk. If it had been any higher, I would not have been as patient.

I did not have hormone treatments just 30 rounds of proton radiation pencil beam.

give a look and listen to this talk by Dr. Mack Roach. Toward the end of his talk he addresses the effect of delay in treatment of 6-9 months. He says there is no impact. https://pcri.org/2024-conference#2024ourspeakers

Unfortunately, this link takes me to a top level PCRI page. Can’t seem to find the speech with this link.

Ken Sir , I live in Canada ....I never waited this long at all. Had operation decision in Feb 14th 2021 , and I was on the table March 31/ 2021 . About 1 month wait for Urologist . Surgery went well . All images and such were done over the month prior . With you , I would get that surgery sooner rather than later . Ask to speak to a senior manager at your ins company , tell them that you are undergoing treatment for PC and cant have huge delays and let them recommend something . Remember a "unreasonable" delay is a breach of your policy in most cases ! Unreasonable with PC delays is subjective but more than a week to pay for an image is indeed a breach !

So sorry. If you go to pcri.org home page, you'll see the 2024 Prostate Cancer Patients & Caregivers Conference. It was held live in September, but they now have the video from that conference available on YouTube. Dr. Roach is one of the featured speakers at that conference. I believe he's the 3rd speaker on the agenda. The entire conference is excellent if you wish to start from the beginning. Once at the pcri.org home page, just click on the video for the conference. If you're only interested in his talk you'll have to advance to his place on the agenda. The two talks before his are also excellent.

I live near Toronto . Given the long wait times for any MRI , which can be over a year . Ontarions cross the border near Buffalo , Williamsville NY to ProScan Imaging . Minimum wait times , days or a few weeks . 50 % of their business is Canadians , The have a former Canadian doctor on hand .
A Prostate MRI costs $ 535 USD . There are several , min wait times clinics in the area , Windsong Radiology for one .