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Living with Prostate Cancer: Meet others & introduce yourself
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Sep 10 6:24pm | Replies (648)Comment receiving replies
Hello all...great comments. I am looking for support, not the answer. And to see if anyone had the same experiences or knew someone who might. I am 50 years old. Very active in all aspects of life. Been on Testosterone Replacement Therapy since early late 2018. No health issues in my family. No health issues for me. Clean Colonoscopy back in July.
PSA levels remained under 1.5 until this fall. In September it was clocked at 1.6, then December read 2.26, then in March it spiked to 3.9. Had no other symptoms. Went to my general doctor who referred me to urology. Urologist did DRE and it was normal. A bit enlarged but nothing too out of the ordinary. He sent me for MRI. MRI came back clean except for one area that was 2.8cm. They gave the lesion PIRADS 3 score. Everything else in the MRI was normal. Went back and now they want to MRI Fusion Guided Biopsy. He told me he plans to biopsy all of the prostate including the area. Everyone has been supportive and feels if it PCa that I have most likely caught it early.
But, that is where I am at. Does the above point to prostate cancer? I am very concerned right now. Then reading about all the different treatments, etc has me worried as well thinking I have to possibly deal with side effects forever. The doctor was 50/50 on it. The nurse was 50/50. Pirads 3 says 50/50. But the size of the lesion concerns me. Any others out there know others or in similar situation?
Replies to "Hello all...great comments. I am looking for support, not the answer. And to see if anyone..."
windy4me: Trying not to make this a "solution" comment but in turn, and I hope, it may provide some support for you as it did for me. If you have your biopsy tested using the Decipher test, you will have a better feel for the aggressiveness level of what you have and whether multi-modal treatment is required. For me, it was comforting to statistically have an idea (6,708 patients) what my 10-year risk of metastasis with patients of similar clinical features at the time of biopsy was. My brother also has prostate cancer and it has metastasized. He takes hormone therapy and is weak and tired at times and he took the test as well to give he and his doctor additional guidance. Your right...its very scary and not always clear what to do or expect. Comfort for me came from family, friends and as you recognize, from people on this Mayo site but I found it also can additionally come from independent testing without any connection to a particular doctor or institution.
I agree with the other comments. Definitely get the biopsy done (not just lesion area but entire prostate, especially peripheral regions). If you catch prostate cancer early, side effects can be minimal for the rest of your life. If you let prostate cancer develop too long and then address it, side effects will be significant for the rest of your life.
FYI - Just had a friend go through same situation and biopsies came back negative.
Good luck and I pray the biopsy come back negative!!
Jim
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I agree with rockinat59. The biopsy will indicate whether you have PC. If your Gleason score is 6, you will go on Active Surveillance and be regularly tested. PC is slow growing so there is no real need for urgency.