Seeking advice on treatment options

I am 64 with a Gleason score of 5. I have had one biopsy in which I got two infections going for another MRI. First one looks contained. My father had prostate cancer and treated with radioactive seeds. Later in life he had issues wearing a bags. Lived till 90. My question is is one treatment better than the other for early stages of prostate cancer? My PSA went from 6.7 to 8.2 within 6 monthes. Doctor tells me your quality of life goes down no matter what treatment you elect. Isn’t it better to treat earlier than later? Doctor seems to want to wait but me with history and rising PSA would rather proceed with treatment. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Robo

Gleason 5 or 6 treatment is usually watch carefully and often. I have heard that 5 or 6 will not spread. I would want to be tested again at an excellent facility to confirm a 5 or 6. Good luck, no need to rush a decision here.

welcome, @robo45vt. I moved your question about deciding on treatments for prostate cancer to this existing discussion:
- Seeking advice on treatment options
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/seeking-advice-on-treatment-options/

I did this so you can read through the previous posts from helpful members like @hbp @jc76 @bens1 @michaelcharles @bjroc @edmond1971 @ozelli @hammer101 and many many others. If you use the search function in the group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/prostate-cancer/ you can search for more experiences about treatment decision making or search by treatment type.

Watchful waiting or active surveillance is a treatment option that others have chosen. See this discussion for example:
- active surveillance no longer recommended?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/active-screening/

Robo:
2 resources that may provide information and context:
Prostate Cancer Foundation (pcf.org) - new, free Patient Guide for initial concerns/diagnosis; downloadable or by mail.
Patrick Walsh MD's book "Surviving Prostate Cancer " has been very helpful to many on this site.
Best wishes.

A lot of good advice previously, but will give you my story/treatment decision. I had just turned 56 when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. My Gleason Score was 7 (4/3) and MRI showed PC contained to prostate. I did a significant amount of investigating options (reading, online research, talking to men who went through PC treatment, etc.). For me, the personal experiences I gained from talking to others that went through PC treatment were the most impactful. Also, I had an uncle that died of PC that metastasized to his bones. I had another uncle that was in his 80's that had PC and went with active surveillance - He ultimately died of something else.
In the end, I chose to go with a robotic radical prostatectomy. This treatment plan was the most aggressive option, but given my relatively "young" age, I wanted to make certain that all known cancer was removed from my body so as to provide the best chance of 30+ years of cancer free life. Obviously, cancer is cancer and you never know. This is one of the reasons I am so very much against active surveillance at lower ages. I cannot imagine letting a known cancer continue to grow within my body and possibly metastasize. As I am sure you know, you can only treat prostate cancer that gets out of your prostate.
I know many men are concerned with the possible negative implications of a radical prostatectomy. For me, this was not a concern - My #1, #2, and #3 goal was life. My next want was for continence and a distant want was for erectile function. At 56 I had retired a year earlier and had a lot of hopes/dreams of spending decades with my wife, son, family, and friends. To go with a less aggressive treatment option just did not make sense to me. However, everyone is unique and has different expectations/goals.
Bottom line, I would highly recommend going to a center of excellence such as Mayo-Rochester (thinking you are there already - Great choice!!!). The second decision is treatment plan and doctor. As you know, all doctors are not created equal. Do your research and pick the best doctor that has done thousands of whatever treatment plan you chose. For me, Doctor Igor Frank was my choice. What an amazing surgeon. He and his team removed my prostate, seminal vesicles, and 9 lymph nodes. Final pathology of all removed items showed that cancer was contained to prostate. Nerve sparing was done and incisions were minimal. The only uncomfortable part of the surgery was the referred shoulder pain and catheter. However, after a week, they were gone and I was good to go. For me continence back after a month and erectile function about 90% ten months later (continues to improve monthly).

Good luck with your decision and God bless.

Jim