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What is treatment for Gleason Score 8 at 80 years old in good health?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Mar 5 10:46am | Replies (87)Comment receiving replies
For sure, it is known, and I knew going into it my risks. Recollection is that bowels were 1-2% and urinary side effects were at 10-20%. But I think it is probably higher. Seems like it is also thought that 5 treatment radiation yields its side effects early on, while the 25-40 session treatments can happen years later. But like I said before, there is not very much that is certain and absolute in the PC world.
I just didn’t want to tie up 6 weeks of my life doing radiation. I still believe I made the right choice for me, but I can say for sure the two weeks of treatment and the two to four weeks following were a difficult time, and without support from radiation oncologist nurse, would have been REALLY difficult. She knew her stuff and how to medicate to a comfort level endurable.
Liked your video. Always learn something from pcri vids. Here is a link to Mayo info on proton SBRT
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prostate-cancer/in-depth/sbrt-for-prostate-cancer/art-20592262
Replies to "@brianjarvis For sure, it is known, and I knew going into it my risks. Recollection is..."
@oldgreenpaint
I was running a computer consulting business full-time when I had my 8+ weeks of IMRT radiation.
I had my radiation done at 8:30 in the morning and went to my client’s offices right after that. No one even noticed I was starting in the morning a little later, I usually could get to clients offices around 9:15.
I am not sure what you mean by this comment “ while the 25-40 session treatments can happen years later.”. After having proton salvage radiation, you could not have that 25 to 40 session treatments years later, because you would already have had a lifetime of radiation in that area.
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@oldgreenpaint One benefit I had being retired at the time I was treated, was that incorporating a 40-minute drive (to the proton center) there and back was easy to incorporate into my daily schedule. So, I simply incorporated that drive into my trip to the gym (since I exercised 6 days/week). My wife later told me that if she hadn’t known I was undergoing radiation treatments, she wouldn’t have realized it from any change in me. And the short amount of time that I was gone each day for treatment were no different than any other time when I simply left to go shopping or to the gym.
With my treatment planning, we researched available literature, data from clinical trials, and my ROs experience, to come up with a list of short-, medium-, and long-term possible side-effects (See attached graphic.), and ways to avoid/minimize each.
As for the side-effects happening “sooner or later,” one thing is certain - what radiation doesn’t hit, won’t experience side-effects. So, the #1 goal is to not overshoot the prostate. (With its Bragg-Peak characteristics, that was one reason that I picked proton.)
I have no expectations of adverse side-effects in the future, and whether or not there will be a recurrence, we’ll see…… So far, approaching the 5-year mark my numbers are still good.
That’s good info on proton and SBRT. Lots of good info for others who are deciding on treatments to use.
There are only 47 active proton centers in the U.S. The vast majority of them are east of the Mississippi River: https://www.proton-therapy.org/map/