Connect
← Return to Can prostate cancer ever go into remission?
Discussion
Can prostate cancer ever go into remission?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Jul 29 7:49am | Replies (38)Comment receiving replies
@northoftheborder
I know you did not tag me but I concur. I have a friend who worked with me back in 1990s that had RP. It is now 2025 and he is cancer free at least from the tests he takes to determine if he cancer.
The only problem with cancer is you can cure the cancer where it was found but you don't know if elsewhere. I think why so important to have test and take action on determining if you have prostate cancer and catch it at the earliest it can be found.
What concerns me is the radiation affects on healthy tissues and organs especially those who had photon radiation of secondary cancers caused by the radiation treatments. My R/O at Mayo said to me "well you would not have to deal with any secondary cancers caused by the raditaion for about 10 years." That response was when I questioned photon versus proton.
Replies to "@northoftheborder I know you did not tag me but I concur. I have a friend who..."
Connect
That's an important point. I think the risk of secondary cancers must depend a lot on the way the radiation is delivered (there's no difference in long-term outcomes between photon and proton radiation, last I read; it's just about managing side-effects). Photon radiation via SBRT is much more accurate than older types of radiation therapy, and because the machine moves around, secondary damage is significantly reduced.
My oncologist told me the odds of developing secondary cancers (e.g. bladder) from SBRT are only a couple of points higher than developing it without radiation. So in my case, when my cancer had already spread to the spine and there was a high chance of some local spread adjacent to the prostate, the odds tilted strongly in my favour for radiation. So far, so good.