HDR Brachytherapy as a standalone treatment option

Posted by patrickpyper @patrickpyper, Jan 10, 2023

There is so much to learn before I make my decision on treatment. Is there anyone in this group that had prostate cancer confined just to the prostate and just did HDR Brachytherapy without any additional treatment options and came out of it successfully. I want to avoid as many of the side affects as possible with other treatment options. I am 64 and have 2 lesions with a 3+4 =7 on just the right side of my prostate. Thanks.

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mar1957 | @marshallfeller | Nov 12, 2023

I had consults with 2 radiation oncologists and 2 urologists, both of which did not recomend the low dose brachythearpy, one had concerns about rectal problems the other felt that she had better results with HDR and Proton. If you are thinking about Mayo I would not rule out the 5 sessions of proton, especially if he has a health condition that puts him at a higher risk for anesthesia. Depending on where you live you can have a virtual vist with the urologist and the radiation oncologists at Mayo. They scheduled me for the virtual visit within 2 days of my call. Do not be surprised if you get a variety of opinions on what the best treatment options are for your husband. I believe most urologists would place him in the low to intermediate risk group so you have time to decide what is best for your situation.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Nov 15, 2023

In reply to @rosewg "Thanks a lot, @marshallfeller and @rt57 ! Jim, my husband was diagnosed ~6 wks ago with..." + (show)

@rosewg, how is the treatment-decision making going?

Rose | @rosewg | Nov 15, 2023

In reply to @colleenyoung "@rosewg, how is the treatment-decision making going?" + (show)

We're really looking forward to our conversation with Jim's Urologist tomorrow afternoon. We've educated ourselves well and spent a couple of hours today listing points that we hope we can cover in our appointment with him. Learning all we can really helps in making us more "comfortable" in this unfortunate reality of prostate cancer. We're optimistic! Thanks for asking, Colleen!

Rose | @rosewg | Nov 16, 2023

In reply to @marshallfeller "I had consults with 2 radiation oncologists and 2 urologists, both of which did not recomend..." + (show)

Thanks so much mar1957. I really appreciate your telling of what you were told by some doctors you talked with! We're hoping that Jim is a good candidate for HDR brachytherapy. We know the radiology oncologist we'll talk to on Monday does LDR but not HDR. But of course he has colleagues who are experienced with HDR, as we understand it. Jim is 71, skim, in good health. We hope that his frequency of urination and some hesitancy is not a contraindication for him. Especially since the snow will soon be here, we aren't thrilled with the idea of driving 50 miles, one way, on a daily basis. Not sure if SBRT might be a good choice for him if brachytherapy is not seen to be his best option. We're researching, learning a lot, but want to be open-minded about what we learn from the urologist (today) and radiologist (on Monday). These are first appointments in office since diagnosis, so we're really looking forward to some good interactions. Thanks for writing - and All the Best!