My Gleason score is 7 - 3+4. How long can I live without treatment?

Posted by mayoclinicadvice23 @mayoclinicadvice23, Jun 11, 2023

My Gleason score is 7 - 3+4,. How long can I live without treatment? Since I decided not to get any treatment, because of horrible side effects, I was wondering, if someone who experienced the same condition, will share his experience with me.

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@spino

Very interesting! This is the first I've heard of this approach. From what I just read online, it is an offlabel treatment for prostate cancer that has been approved for cancers in the liver and pancreas. It works by placing 3-5 needles around the tumor and generating a current between them during the interval when the heart is not beating (to avoid interfering with heart rhythms. As such, it works best when there is one or very few nodules of well-contained cancer cells, which could be a gleason 3+4.

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I believe the Cleveland Clinic is also using this method.

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You don’t mention any other tests: Pet scan, biosps. I wouldn’t want to live knowing I have cancer in me.

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After my biopsy, I also had a Gleason score of 3+4=7 in two cores out of 14. After doing some research and talking with RP patients and 2 surgeons, I chose removal, which occurred in November. My pathology report came back with an actual Gleason score of 4+5=9. My post-PSA just came back recently at < 0.01. Hoping for more of the same in the future. My point is this: take whatever steps necessary to make sure your Gleason score is accurate. Otherwise, know your treatment options. BTW, my surgery went very well and I had NO incontinence issues. I did Kegel exercises religiously. Best of luck!

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I too had a Gleason 3+4=7. I opted for removal in early December. My pathology report confirmed the 3+4=7 and showed negative margins and no spread elsewhere so I'm optimistic. The pathology did show, however, perineural invasion (PNI) was present which reinforced for me that I made the right decision for removal. Based on my research PNI is the pathway for spreading so I'm very glad it's out vs. going on AS. This was only found on the whole gland pathology, not the biopsy.
As for side effects, everyone is different, but you can ask your surgeon whether they think you are a candidate for nerve sparing (ED) and the hood technique for reconstruction of the urethral complex (incontinence) as these can lead to more successful outcomes with respect to side effects. Here's a link to some info on the hood technique (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33067016/).

Best of luck on your decision, it's certainly not an easy one!

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Just make sure your Gleason IS 3 + 4...and NOT 4 + 3...there is a difference!

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I have a 3+4 and a 4+3 what does it mean?

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2 cores. Active surveillance is keeping you from treatment when you could be really needing it. prior to proton therapy my urologist ran a test and told me you have a one percent of still being here at 10 years and so I went for the therapy and my PSA keeps dropping and I know I have beat it.

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@bobbygene

I have a 3+4 and a 4+3 what does it mean?

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Gleason scores are assigned to biopsy results and they are reported as 2 numbers.
The first number being the most prevalent cancer grade and the second number being the second most prevalent cancer grade.

So 3 + 3 equals Gleason 6
3 + 4 = 7
4 + 3 = 7, but indicates more aggressive cancer because the predominant cancer found was a Gleason 4.

My final postop biopsy results were Gleason grade 9 ( 4+ 5).
I also had a number of Gleason 8s (4 + 4).

Prostate Cancer is graded on your highest score, so I am considered a Gleason 9, which is in the aggressive category 8 - 10.

Best wishes,and I hope that this is helpful.

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@bobbygene

I have a 3+4 and a 4+3 what does it mean?

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Because the first score indicates the most common grade of cell in the sample, a 4+3 moves you from intermediate favorable to intermediate unfavorable, a change that would lead most clinicians to recommend against active surveillance, leaving you to consider more immediate treatment options. Generally the recommendation in this range begins with radical prostatectomy, because you have significant cancer in the prostate, but a good chance of removing the existing cancer before it spreads beyond the prostate.
However, since a good number of clients do not like RP, there are other treatment options, most of which involve ablation--killing the cancer in place, with radiation or some other strategy. Radiation is not really clinically preferable, so the search continues for something better than both existing forms of ablation and existing forms of RP.
[I've tried to be fair and inclusive here, but emotions do run high among clients, and ambitions to do better run high among clinicians.]

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I've sent a PM response.

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