What?!? "Curing" oligometastatic prostate cancer???

I'm pretty sure I've heard Dr. Mark Scholz make similar statements in some of the PCRI videos

Anything is possible, but it’s more likely that a chronic disease is what you end up with more than a cure. Some chronic diseases don’t need much attention.

Yes, that's been my thinking too. It was just jarring seeing the word "cure."

Since oligometastatic suggests a very limited spread that is open to targeting, it doesn’t surprise me that the word cure is used. When I asked my radiation oncologist, what cure meant in medical terms for her she responded with, cured for today.
Until I heard that answer from her, as a layman, I thought I would not have to worry about it again.

Words have meaning...

What does "cure" mean?

I have two friends who had surgery around the same time in 2014. Eleven years later, they see their urologist once a year, review the annual PSA test, talk about the family, vacation...and go their merry way until next year. Are they cured, likely, definitely, nobody can say with absolute certainty, thus the annual PSA tests.

I am of the mindset that yes, if one's diagnosis is truly "localized," it is possible to cure. However, if it is advanced, then, no, you can manage and live with it, but cure, unlikely.

If one is oligometastatic, then treatment may be definitive, say MD.T alone, or MDT in conjunction with short term ADT with off cycles of progression free survival (PFS).

I have high risk PCa, GG 4, GS 8, rapid PSADT and PSAV. Despite a very successful surgery, I experienced BCR 18 months later. SRT was unsuccessful...I have been able to manage my Advanced PCa for some time now using doublet and triplet therapy for defined periods

Kevin

I think “cure” is inappropriate since we all know that just because you can “see” it in two or three areas doesn’t mean it’s not in multiple locations somewhere else.
But even on this forum men have had SBRT to a few locations successfully - some on ADT, some not, and some on it forever.
I think Ben’s oncologist said it frankly and pulled no punches.

Thanks for all the replies.

I agree that in the absolute sense of the word, no one with cancer is ever "cured": the word is used loosely for NED (no evidence of disease) after ~5 years, with low statistical likelihood of recurrence, and among themselves, oncologists prefer terms like "long-term remission" (without the need for meds) or "functional remission" (helped by meds, like in my case).

I'm just surprised that some oncologists think modern treatments for oligometastatic cancer might sometimes bring an outcome where they would be willing to use the (imprecise, unscientific) word "cure" with a patient, the way they do for early-stage PCa.

North, don’t be too surprised…I met a man at Sloan having salvage radiation for a rising PSA just months after surgery from his local urologist.
After his second “bump” he finally was able to speak to the surgeon who said,
“What are you worried about? I removed your prostate - you’re cured!” Very, very scary….
Phil

Yes, that man should definitely get a second opinion. 😕

It might turn that the oncologists who believe oligometastatic prostate cancer can be "cured" are right — I very much hope they are, and there's increasing evidence to support them — but it still feels a bit early to use the "c" word with patients for any type of stage 4 cancer. My hopes rise only as high as long-term functional remission (for now).

Perhaps a “well controlled Stage 4”? Make it just like Diabetes and we’re done.