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Dr. Bert Vorstman skeptical of any Pc treatment. What do you think?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: 54 minutes ago | Replies (37)Comment receiving replies
@brianjarvis Thanks again for the detailed explanation.
Someone with Gleason 6 needs a Urologist that aggressively pursues Active Surveillance. Not just a standard PSA and come back again in one year, the patient/Urologist need to follow an aggressive protocol like you listed above. Am I understanding?
Replies to "@brianjarvis Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Someone with Gleason 6 needs a Urologist that aggressively..."
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@jeff1963 The answer is “optimally, yes.” But, what you’ll often find is that (generally) urologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists will tell you everything you need to know….but not everything you’d want to know in order to have the best chance at an optimum outcome. (That probably applies to most medical treatments?)
When choosing active surveillance, most will recommend you come back in 6 to 12 months for a follow-up PSA. (But, you might want to request a follow-up PSA in 3-4 months until you’re sure of where you are; then you could stretch it out to 6+ months; and even have a confirmatory biopsy in 12 months.)
They’ll recommend PSA, MRI, and biopsy. You’ll have to request Free PSA, Biomarker (genomic) tests (there are at least a dozen of them), and Genetic (germline) tests. (Many of the others are calculations made by having the other tests.)
Prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment is one of self-advocacy and shared decision-making. The more someone can be better informed to be able to ask questions and have an active role in their treatment, the better.