Starting Proton Treatments for Prostate Cancer: Any experiences?

My neighbor had prostate 5/4 lesion treated with 30 something Proton treatments 7 years ago. He also received ADT & PSA still undetectable. He was treated in Knoxville, TN.

To share: I had 5 treatments with Proton Beam Therapy for prostrate neoplasm. But I suffered little to no fatigue as the result of the treatment.

I'm an individual but I'd be happy to talk with you. Email me and I will send you my cell phone number. Grace and Peace, Rev. Donald Johnson

Thank you so much!
But I cannot find how to send e-mail here

Do you have an email address??? If so post it here. Thank you.

Hi @revjohnson and @popkovas, Mayo Clinic Connect is a public forum and it is not recommended to post a personal email address publicly. Please use the Private Message function. It is secure. Learn how in the Help Center https://connect.mayoclinic.org/help-center/

I might also add that by sharing here in the forum, you are connecting with several people where all can benefit from group support.

2020; age 75, PC localized to 1 lobe, score 3+4. I wasn’t a good candidate for surgery due to previous brain stem bleed that left a neurogenic bladder requiring self catheterization. Surgeon indicated i would very likely be incontinent post op. Statistics with Proton radiation excellent and underwent 5 sessions early 2021 without difficulty. Cancer seems to have responded and PSA< .2. No side effects until Oct 2021 when noted urgency and blood due to radiation cystitis. This progressed so had 60 sessions HBO June-Aug 2021. Discomfort and urgency improved but bleeding restarted and progressed until couldn’t drain bladder due to clots in March 2023. Admitted to St Elsewhere for 10d, transferred to St Mary’s Mayo for another 6 days, 2 more transfusions(total of 4) and a second cystoscopy with Alum that finally stopped bleeding. Miserable illness that took months to recover from. Had another 20 sessions of HBO. Currently, note flecks of blood maybe every 10 days, no discomfort. Scheduled for cystoscopy next month and hoping will see marked regression of the vascular abnormalities associated with radiation damage. Long story that isn’t over. Still, no evidence of active cancer, so i go with that! Good luck with your journey…

Proton radiation therapy 2010 at Loma Linda Hospital..2.5 months of every weekday morning. PSA: 6.1 low growth prostate cancer caught early. Gleason 3+3 Note the procedure has changed in the last few years in that treatment is much shorter and equally successful. Absolutely no adverse effects post radiation..none!

Post radiation for about 5 years remained zero to .2. Note PSA tests can vary. That said, my PSA has increased in the last 14 years now at 2.5. The question: Has cancer returned? Possibly, but not absolute, therefore, I intend to watch any further elevation in the future with tests every six months. There is a scanning procedure, but with such a low PSA, told any scan options would not be conclusive either way.

In short, I would highly recommend proton radiation therapy and have for many years. Location, expense and other facts enter into the decision matrix, but do give this procedure some serious thought. RH/Florida

I thought the Lupron was given to decrease the chance of prostate cancer recurring. Am I missing something?

@llsteve, Lupron is a type of hormone therapy for prostate cancer that works by lowering the amount of testosterone in a person’s body, which helps slow the growth of cancer cells.

Are you taking Lupron?