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Alternative to prostate removal surgery
So, my PSA is 8.5 but I am on finasteride and Tamsulosin which I'm told doubles the true PSA level. I'm looking for an alternative to surgery, some other treatment or medicine that will help me control the PSA level. The surgery is very untasteful for me to go through with.
Does anyone have any ideas to at the very least slow down the rise in my PSA level over the past two years. I'm 68 don't smoke or drink and have been going to the gym religiously for 8 years. I'm desperate for any alternative to removal or radiation.
Thank you
Dillon
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Can you enlighten me on how they went about removing the spot on your kidney. Also, what was the spot?
Thank you.
Dr Woodrum at Mayo did a cryoablation of my kidney lesion the year before I had Tulsa, it was super easy and recovery was just a day if that. No operation. It was some "atypical" cells (not cancer and not normal so half way to whatever - which I will never know since it get frozen). My lesion enhanced on MRI and usually only cancer enhances so it was cells moving toward cancer but not there yet.
I had Tulsa Pro with Dr Scionti in Sarasota, mayo didn't have Tulsa yet and I might have not qualified at Mayo since they are doing a quick study. Tulsa is a real good option.
Focal treatments focus on treating prostate cancer by attempting to kill the tumor(s) without removal or radiation. These treatments are not for everyone and seem to require that the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate. There are several types of focal treatment such as HIFU, cryotherapy, Irreversible Electroporation (IRE), and others. I chose the IRE Nanoknife treatment which uses electrical current to attempt to kill the tumor. This treatment was done at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
The Nanoknife procedure went well for me. It took about an hour in total, I'm sure a good part of that was the preparation after I was put under. I think the actual procedure is about 20 or 30 minutes. After the procedure, I had some spasms that were quickly relieved by medication. I had a catheter, which I was a bit concerned about. As it turned out, I had it for six days and didn't have any problems with it. I even removed it myself, which was surprisingly painless. I removed it in the shower so any urine that might have leaked out could be taken care of easily.
After removing the catheter, I had leakage and used pads in my underwear for about six weeks. For the first several weeks, there was blood in the urine, but that eventually cleared up. I still have occasional spotty leakage, like when I go to the gym or sneeze or cough. This really hasn't been a problem. Sexual function is the same now as before the treatment.
Three months after the procedure my PSA came down from 4.25 to 2.5. Six months after the procedure the PSA was down to 1.53. A multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) was also done at six months and it showed “post ablation changes of the prostate with no new recurrent tumor in the treatment area and no new suspicious lesions in the prostate." My doctor was very pleased with these results and deferred another prostate biopsy for the time being. Another PSA will be done at the one-year mark.
Based on my Gleason score of 3+4=7 and a Decipher test showing low risk, I was a candidate for active surveillance. However, one of the tumors abutted the edge of the prostate, so I chose the Nanoknife therapy to hopefully prevent a spread of the prostate cancer.
I'm very pleased with the results so far. Best wishes to you as you move forward with a treatment plan. I would highly recommend that you consult with a Cancer Center of Excellence. That type of facility is equipped with the specialists, staff and technology to be particularly effective in treating cancer.