Connect
← Return to The decision I have to make is tearing me up
Discussion
The decision I have to make is tearing me up
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Feb 22 3:21pm | Replies (37)Comment receiving replies
@wwsmith Great question for any of us on this forum! My treatment goals were determined by my own personal experience dealing with cancer among my siblings and parents over a 50 year time frame. What I saw was quality of life, and death, caused not by the cancer but by the very treatment that was supposed to cure them.
My personal goal was ensuring QOL not 5 or 10 years down the road, but 15 or 20 years down the road. I helped my Dad struggle through his prostate treatment side effects that showed up 20 years after his treatment, and was not how I envisioned the end of my life to be.
Statistically, all modes of treatment have the same cure rate. I am comfortable that my cancer could be put to rest; I was seeking the treatment that would provide the safest experience for a long life and protect me from the inherent dangers of the treatment itself. I evaluated surgery, IMRT & SBRT , Proton Beam, cyberknife, "radioactive painting"of the Prostate (a term coined by Proton Therapy, but really applicable to IMRT and SBRT too), and all the safety modes including spacers, low dose-long rad vs High dose-fast rad, and the newest technologies using adaptive radiation treatment.
Given my disposition, age, physical condition, tolerance for wanting to deal with side effects, and a huge consideration for internal karmic feelings, my treatment mode will use CT Scan Adaptive Radiation with real-time x-ray tracking. I chose 28 days vs 5 (smashing your fingers with a hammer vs hitting your fingers with a soft rubber hose). Using the latest technology in spacers, Bioprotect, which provides more space than SpaceOAR between the rectum and prostate and is also saline filled to absorb some of the rad dose to the rectum. My treatment plan includes radiation sparing lower dose to my urethra and distant seminal vesicles, and a focal boost in radiation to my lesion.
This is just what felt best for my goals and concerns, your selection will be personal to you and your own situation.
I started Orgovyx last week and now I have to sign off so I can get to my first Rad Treatment this afternoon.
Best wishes for all to make good decisions for their own best outcome!
Replies to "@wwsmith Great question for any of us on this forum! My treatment goals were determined by..."
Connect
@jesse65 I can see that your experience with your dad really brought home the benefit of using something like Bioprotect to help insure that you have minimum risk of side effects from radiation in the future. I looked at some of your previous posts as well and noticed that like me you also took both the Decipher (0.81) and Artera-AI (true) tests. In my case the tests essentially agreed that ADT was necessary. But I had often wondered that if Artera had scored false, what score would I need on Decipher to override a false on Artera? It sounds like you had exactly that situation! If I may ask, what was your Decipher score and what was the threshold Decipher score that you and your doctors settled on as the trigger to override a false on Artera?
Another thing I learned from your old posts was a great comparison of proton versus conventional photon radiation. This post https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pc-treatment-prostatectomy-or-proton-beam-therapy/ really explained the pros and cons of proton radiation. There has been so much hype about the more gentle nature of proton radiation that it seems like it would be the hands down best radiation to use no matter what the situation. I know that every post from @rlpostrp certainly says that. You actually visited two centers that offered proton radiation but they also sold you off proton! More patients should definitely be aware of the pros and cons of proton radiation.
I too chose radiation and ADT. You can see full details in my bio. I sure wish every participant on this forum would put some info in their bio on what their pathology was and what treatment they chose. It helps so much to know where someone is coming from when you read one of their posts.
Congratulations on having your first radiation treatment. I am sure that you found it anti-climatic. Enduring your ADT period will be far more taxing but that too will be over before you know it.