Starting Proton Treatments for Prostate Cancer: Any experiences?

Science is great. Loma Linda was as I understand it was a pioneer in proton radiation therapy..If I recall correctly, it was 1993 or so the multi-million dollar "machine" was built.

My last day there..a "brotherhood of balloon" kind of get together..there were nearly 100 people in a audience who went thru the process. The moderator began by asking.."who had a PSA over 200?" Two hands went up..then finally down to "who has PSA over 20?" and most of the rest of the men there raised their hands. All raised their hands when asked if their PSA was under one (1). Many lives were saved. I might add..just after treatment, I went to Uganda to train a select battalion of Ugandan soldiers who were headed to Somalia. That was the last of my deployments both as US Army Officer and DOD contractor. Happy Holidays..

Science and the amazing folks who develop these techniques and the necessary equipment... blessings. People have great potential to most problems given the time and educations to perform.
Merry Christmas and may 2023 be Bountiful and Healthy!

I am at the stage where all i know is that I have prostate cancer and am scheduled for a biopsy. Reading the comments from the group are so helpul. So what my eary question is relates to a better understanding of proton therapy verses hormone. naturally, i want to make the best decision which will be basd on which procedure will be the most effective. That is where I am right now, and look forwrd to your experiences.

The biopsy will tell the doctors what your Gleason score is and how many areas of the prostate have cancer and depending on that, they will recommend different treatment options. Mine was a Gleason score of 7, 3 +4 as I recall. The proton treatments are radiation that is very focused on the cancerous areas. The hormone treatment is an injection that can be used along with the radiation treatments. Another option is surgery to remove the prostate. I’m sure you will be learning a lot in the next few weeks, hope it’s not very advanced and it is an easy process for you.

Hi, I am deeply grateful for your input, and now i am just waiting to hear what the biopsy will reveal. Thank you so much for your input, and i wish you well, and the best of health. Bill Moskowitz Bradenton, Florida

@jb2buckwater Did you not get the SPACEOAR inserted?

Dave,
SpaceOAR was injected in same procedure as the 4 carbon marker injections. Found the whole procedure to be relatively painless, without added pain killers other than the Lidocain injections. Have also not noted any added "obstructive" feeling when having a bowel movement.

So far, very happy. Will continue to report my experiences on this board in hopes that it assists others and removes concerns regarding actual process.

Cheers and Merry Christmas to all participants.

@billmoskowitz you might consider getting a second opinion when you meet with a radiation oncologist. Also, the decipher test makes use of your biopsy and measures the aggressiveness and suggests whether you need one type of treatment or two types. It seems to be the preferred test over the Prolaris because of its sampling size.

Thank you so much for your reply to my question. I would like to know the order in which to have the decipher test. I am scheduled to have the biopsy three days from now, and am hesitant to tell my urologist what he should be doing. I will do my homework to learn about the decipher test prior to the biopsy. Do you think that i should contact my urologist prior to the biopsy to let him know that I want the decipher test?

I asked my Urologist to request the testing before I met with him 3 weeks after the biopsy so that when I met with him, he could evaluate the results for me. I also requested that Decipher email me the results for my own records and to pass it on to other doctors when I wanted an opinion. The biopsy material is used for testing for the Decipher and the Prolaris test.