Newly diagnosed

Many doctors don’t even Consider a Gleason six to be cancer. It may never get worse. The usual thing to do with a 6 is go for Active Surveillance where you get PSA tested regularly. Your PSA isn’t that high. You could wait until it rises a little more to see if your Gleason score goes up. You don’t want to do surgery or radiation if you don’t have to, There are so many side effects that can result from either one, not worth it with a 6.

To give you even more comfort in picking active surveillance, get a PSE test. It is an FDA certified test that will tell you whether or not there is cancer in your body, it is a blood test. That way, you don’t have to do anything about your Gleason score being a six if this test finds you have no cancer in your body. Ask your doctor to get you that test. When they do a biopsy, they cannot check everywhere in your prostate. Many people, including myself, have had higher Gleason scores after surgery when they could check the whole prostate.

If the PSE comes back positive you want to get a decipher test, which would tell you if your cancer is more aggressive. Even with a Gleason 6 (or higher) a decipher test can tell you whether the cancer is likely to spread or metastasize. .

I had a catheter in for two weeks after surgery and it really wasn’t painful, just annoying, not having to go pee for two weeks was sort of convenient!

You want nerve sparing surgery if you can get it so that it will be possible to get an erection after surgery.

Bladder neck preservation sounds like a good idea too.

You can request these of your surgeon, but if the cancer has spread into that area it would not be possible. They don’t find out until they get into surgery

@thematrix, it is scary. But you are actually in pretty good shape. @jeffmarc says it all. Surgery shouldn't be in your thoughts for a while, maybe never. You've caught the cancer early. Ask for the Decipher, the PSMA/PET and the PSE.

Thank y'all so much for the replies. I will ask my Doctor about these tests. I had been reading studies on PubMed website. That's where I learned about the Bladder Neck Preservation surgery technique.

@jeffmarc , @gently
I noticed several folks talks about Mayo clinic. I live in TN. Is Vanderbilt a good place to go to? That's where I am seeing a doctor now. Any thoughts please?

Many men, including me, began our research by reading Patrick Walsh MD's book Surviving Prostate Cancer and recommend it highly for its comprehensive and easy to understand presentation.
Also the Prostate Cancer Foundation pcf.org has a free Patient Guide by download or in hard copy.
"Begin at the beginning" and try not to be overwhelmed.
Additional education will help you determine your comfort level with your Dr in identifying the nature and concern level of your diagnosis, and the choices that you will need to make regarding if, when and how to treat your Prostate Cancer (PCa).
Best wishes.

Thank you @michaelcharles. i placed an order for this book now.

As others have noted, a G6 is generally at the low end of the risk spectrum. Even if you're scared, which is normal, take deep breath and don't rush into any treatment plan. I know urologists, mine included, will generally push RARP ASAP. However, I opted for a course of ADT and five rads of SBRT radiation this past spring. And I'm doing pretty well with my second follow up set for next week.

You have time to do research and get a second opinion, or a third. Beyond Dr. Walsh's fine book, you may also want to look at Dr. Marc Scholz' s "Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers". And he has number of YouTube videos discussing various PCa treatments done in conjunction with the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. This group is a great resource for knowledge and support. so you are not alone on the journey no one wants to take. Explore options, ask questions and do what's best for you.

Take care of yourself, and fight on warrior.

You may want to watch this lecture from this past September by Dr. L. Klotz, the doctor who invented and advocated for Active Surveillance. It is an excellent presentation regarding Gleason 6 prostate cancer. It begins at 1:34:52

Yes, I believe Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is an NCI recognized cancer center of excellence. @jeffmarc and others gave you some excellent advice above. I'd only add that whatever you ultimately decide to do, if it's an option for you it'd be a good idea to get multiple medical opinions from doctors at recognized Cancer Centers of excellence. There's no indication yet that you have to hurry, so while you should pursue this aggressively there's no reason to blindly rush. Here's a link showing the recognized cancer centers of excellence: https://www.cancer.gov/research/infrastructure/cancer-centers/find Best wishes.