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Surgery V Radiotherapy 64yr old

Prostate Cancer | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (27)

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Age 64. 6 tumors bi-lateral. Gleason 7 (3+4) in 2 tumors with cribriform, gleason 6 in 4 tumors. After consultations at Hartford Health Care (Joseph Wagner - my oncologist/urologist - pioneering davinci surgeon with over 4k procedures) he advised that either surgery or radiation were equipoise. I met with MSK, Yale Smilow, and Tufts for second opinions with both surgeons and radiologists - all the same - both treatments were equal and effective. I opted for SBRT under the care of David Byun (MSK/Hartford - colleague of Wagner). Five treatments, 120 days of orgovyx, early psa undetectable, some discomfort early on to pee, orgovyx side effects: no libido, fatigue - all manageable. I exercised throughout - a lot. I lost some weight (5'8" 140 normal - down to 121 during treatment). 7 months post treatment and 4 months post orgovyx - all functions are very close to normal - some fatigue, no meaningful urinary issues, libido and function fine. Do the research (which you obviously are doing), get a couple opinions at centers of excellence, have confidence in yourself and doctor, exercise - a lot, watch Dr. Scholz's youtube videos (great help), and stay positive. Many contributors on this site are a GREAT help - Jeff Marci, Heavy Phil, to name two of them. You will find the option that works for you - we are lucky to have this type of cancer vs many others and we are not kids any longer. Good Luck and Go Easy - this works out.

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Replies to "Age 64. 6 tumors bi-lateral. Gleason 7 (3+4) in 2 tumors with cribriform, gleason 6 in..."

@jonathanack
I second your opinion re Jeff and Phil--two of the main "gurus" on this board, I feel!

But more generally for the OP, I'm a bit older than you, but likewise was told that my Gleason 8 could be treated equally successfully with either approach. With surgery the side effects appear immediately, then fade with time (ideally), whereas with RT, it takes quite a bit of time for them to manifest.
I chose the surgery as I figured that it would still leave the backup-option of RT if ultimately proven necessary, and really dreaded undergoing the requisite ADT as I have another condition that already causes chronic fatigue.
The biopsy after surgery actually downgraded my Gleason score to 7, which was nice, and, nine months later my continence is approaching normality, while my ED is still a work in progress (the nerves were indeed spared).
IF you choose the surgical route--and do keep researching your options--make sure you choose a surgeon who does this all the time! Mine, at a cancer center of excellence, actually does two per day, and my surgery was actually postponed by a couple of hours because he was actually doing a THIRD RARP that day. (The guy must be rolling in dough!)