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What to ask the radiation oncologist about prostate cancer?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: May 12 3:54pm | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
Here is a good website to compare odds of cure for the major treatment paths. You have to determine your stage, low risk, intermediate, or high risk (risk of recurrence). So if you are intermediate, pull up the intermediate chart and you can see the odds of 10-20 yr survival, etc. based on the treatment you pick.
https://www.prostatecancerfree.org/compare-prostate-cancer-treatments/
It is best viewed on computer or just print it on paper. Not so viewable on phone.
To make the graphs easier to read, i drew a dot on the endpoints of the elipses, and then drew a line through the dots. This turns the elipses into lines.
Also be aware the the graphs don’t show any salvage radiation benefit. This would boost the surgery odds up a bit.
And, this is a very dysfunctional industry from my view. Loads of bad info mixed in with the good info. Same with the docs. Many of them are more dangerous than the cancer.
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Yes, but one has to look at individual presentation to make valid decision.
My husband is basically none of the "standard" groups used for that diagram. For example, his PSA was 7.6 (now 5.2), he has low tumor burden BUT he is actually "unfavorable intermediate" because he has IDC and cribriform present. IDC and cribriform are the one that put him in high risk so he has to have aggressive approach, regardless of the fact that it is one singe core in the whole prostate with gleason 7.
On the other hand, because he has one single core with that presentation and because his cancer is one singe spot contained inside the gland RP is by both experts deemed as curative in his case. Yes, they both said "curative" for RP. I even asked about "salvage" radiation and RO told me "nah, I do not think he will need that". I was surprised, but hey, was nice to hear it. IDC and cribriform sometimes show resilience to radiation so to choose radiation as the first step would not warrant complete eradication no matter what any diagram shows.
Only time will tell if RP was "curative". One has to choose the step that is "the best at the moment" and at the moment for his particular case RP is the recommended path.