Connect
← Return to Living with Prostate Cancer: Meet others & introduce yourself
Discussion
Living with Prostate Cancer: Meet others & introduce yourself
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Mar 16 1:38pm | Replies (607)Comment receiving replies
I have had an MRI that showed a lesion. Then did a trans perineal 30 core MRI fusion guided biopsy. I have a 100 gram prostate and 5 cores all taken from the area of the lesion that showed two cores that were 3-4 and 3 that were 4-3 Gleason. My PSA is 2.9 and the cancer is confined to the prostate and that was verified by a PSMA Pet scan. The oncologist wants 6 months of Lupron at age 73.5 and 28 proton sessions. I am in the process of getting a 2nd opinion on the biopsy samples as some of what I have read about pathology upgrading is very concerning to me. I am also waiting for my Myriad Genetics test results to come back. My question is has anyone had the CyberKnife procedure? It seems like a no brainer because of its accuracy and only 5 treatments.
Replies to "I have had an MRI that showed a lesion. Then did a trans perineal 30 core..."
CyberKnife to my understanding refers to Proton Beam SBRT, (Stereo Tactic Body Radiation Therapy). I believe they refer to the knife because of the precise nature of focusing the radiation to minimize potential of impacting healthy non-cancerous tissue.
I received 5 doses at Mayo Clinic, Rochester in January 2023. The process was very easy other than the stress of knowing that you are being treated for "Cancer". The radiation itself is painless, non-intrusive and takes a very short period of time for each treatment. The longest part of treatment can be waiting for "The Beam" which is shared by 4 or 5 treatment room.
Prior to Radiation, there are two prep sessions in which 4 carbon markers are inserted into the Prostate. These are used during treatment to precisely target to the Prostate and avoid other organs. At the same time SpaceOAR Hydrogel is injected between the Prostate and Rectum to further reduce any risk of damaging the rectum during radiation. Additional steps are taken to optimize the position and fullness of the bladder during radiation. You will have a second prep session in which marks are placed on your abdomen for positioning/targeting purposes. A short MRI was taking as well as CT Scan.
The only potential for pain is during the two prep sessions. Everyone experiences pain differently and I had little to no pain for the marker placement or the hydrogel injection. Only pain support given/requested was injected Lidocaine. Some prefer additional pain support including full anesthesia. If you handled Biopsy with minimum of distress, you would likely feel even less for prep sessions.
Reading Dr. Walsh's "Surviving Prostate Cancer" was extremely helpful. My wife liked the book, "Invasion of the Prostate Gland Snatchers".
Might want to get a second opinion on the Lupron.
Best wishes for a successful treatment!
Connect
Sounds to me like you are on the correct path. Kudos to your Doctor. The one thing I have learned is minimizing the amount of Lupron you take. The more take the lower the chances that your testosteron will recover. My gleason score is 9 and I had 13/15 cores with high grade cancer. Good luck my friend