← Return to Surgery V Radiotherapy 64yr old
DiscussionSurgery V Radiotherapy 64yr old
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (27)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "Age 64. 6 tumors bi-lateral. Gleason 7 (3+4) in 2 tumors with cribriform, gleason 6 in..."
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@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!)