← Return to Cribriform cells: Does their presence change treatment approach?

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Hi, based on the research I have done for my prostate cancer diagnosis, I think your Urologist is giving you good advice. With a Gleason score of 3+4 and cancer that is contained to the prostate, active surveillance could be one of the options available. I don't say this to suggest this treatment option, but rather to indicate that from the information you have provided, his form of cancer is not aggressive and not likely to progress significantly in six months or likely even longer.

I am also from Canada (central Alberta). Before having a biopsy, I had a PSMA MRI, which detected a small lesion that extended outside the capsule of the prostate. A subsequent biopsy confirmed that the lesion was cancerous (Gleason 4+3) with Cribriform Pattern 4 present. I had a subsequent PSMA PET Scan that showed no indication of spread. Because my cancer had more aggressive indicators than your husbands (i.e., it extended outside of my prostate capsule, was Gleason 4+3 and had Cribriform pattern), I definitely required treatment and had a robot assisted radical prostatectomy on July 14th. My follow-up pathology showed no cancer in any of the margins of what was removed or in removed lymph nodes and seminal vesicles. This was good news and post surgery pathology is standard testing that they will do if your husband opts for surgery.

A few things to consider:
1) Check if the biopsy results mention anything about Cribriform Pattern, which is a more aggressive form. If it was not found this is a good sign.
2) If your husband had a PSMA MRI test before getting a biopsy, this provides an image of prostate and whether the cancer is confined to the prostate or may have spread to surrounding tissues. I was not sure what you meant by "Contained in both side prostate", but if you meant that the cancer is confined to the prostate this is also a good thing.
3) I did a lot of online research from reputable sites and spoke to two different urologists, but I still wasn't sure I knew enough about the treatment options to be sure that a prostatectomy was the best option for me. I decided to book private consults with a urology surgeon and a radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic. It cost me a few thousand dollars US, but I was able to get all of my questions answered within a couple of weeks and I am very happy I did it.
4) If your husband decides on a prostatectomy, make sure he gets a robot assisted radical prostatectomy or RARP and not an Open prostatectomy. While research may indicate that the outcomes may be similar, the recovery is much faster RARP.
5) I suggest at least checking into active surveillance as a treatment option, if only to give you comfort that your husbands cancer, based on what you posted and my understanding as a fellow patient only, is likely to progress slowly.

I empathize with you because I found the uncertainty on not being sure what to do and then not being sure when it will be done to be the hardest part.

I wish you and your husband all of the best.

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Replies to "Hi, based on the research I have done for my prostate cancer diagnosis, I think your..."

Your post surgery results look good, I was also a 3+4 after my biopsy and 4+3 after surgery. Still around after 15 years with BRCA2.

I attended a UCSF webinar about Gleason and cribriform issues. If you have large cribriform (over .25mm) that means your cancer is very aggressive even if you only have a Gleason 3+4. Chance of Metastasis with large cribriform is very high. You need to find out if your cribriform is large.

Not sure if you can find this out, You could have it reviewed by another doctor that specializes in prostate cancer biopsy reviews. I know a couple of them if you are interested. Considering the amount of money you spent on doctors this might be even more informative.

I mentioned this because at a PCI conference in March Kwon and Moyad agree to this. Seeds for metastasis were already there when surgery was done, waiting to grow

That explains why so many people are coming back after surgery and needing salvage radiation. I needed it 3 1/2 years after surgery.

Did you get a decipher score so you know how likely it is that you are going to have reoccurrence. You can do it any time

Thank you for replying in detail! My husband 68 years old, non diabetic and non hyper tensive, non smoker, has acinar adenocarcinoma stage II. On both sides of prostate but within the prostate. 3 out of 15 cores positive. first core 10% 3, second 15% 3 and the third one 25% consisting of 19% 3 and 6% 4. No cribiform. PSMA pet can and MRI clear except for the prostate. I think there were 3 areas on the prostate, 2 of them less than 5mm and 1 was 10 mm. biopsy done 30th april. surgery may be in Oct. Just wondering if the wait is too long. Surgeon is very experienced wth good ratings. refuses to precribe ADT while waiting 6 months. Can you tell me how long you waited from date of bipsy for surgery and if you were prescribed any medication during the wait? Thank you.