Anybody get treated in Portland, Oregon?

Posted by Beachcomber20 @itsaquarter23, Nov 30 2:03pm

I live in Portland, Oregon. I have a urologist I really like, and in keeping with Dr. Scholz's YouTube videos, I'm leaning toward radiation rather than surgery for treatment. I still pondering whether to go with external beam or HDR brachytherapy.

Here's my dilemma: I'm not sure whether to get treated by a Portland-based radiation oncologist or travel out-of-state to UCSF, Stanford, or UCLA for treatment. Getting treated locally would be incredibly easier and cheaper than trekking to California and spending thousands of dollars on hotel rooms and other costs. Also, it would be nice in terms of follow-up if I could live in the same city where my provider is located. But the provider's skill is extremely important at reducing the risk of side effects, and I haven't a clue how to find out in advance whether the local radiation oncologists are any good.

Here's what's available locally: Portland is home to Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU), which is a center of excellence that offers IMRT and SBRT (Calypso). But OHSU seems more oriented toward surgery than radiation, and its radiation department strikes me as second-tier in certain ways. For instance, it doesn't have MR-Linac, HDR brachytherapy for prostate cancer, or proton; focal seems like an afterthought; and its radiation providers don't publish very much. But in terms of beam radiation for prostate cancer, OHSU is definitely high-volume. And it's 10 minutes from my house.

Aside from OHSU, a local community hospital (Providence Hospital) owns an MR-Linac and has been using it to treat prostate cancer for about four years. It's one of only three facilities on the West Coast with an MR-Linac. In addition, a local radiation oncologist in Portland who does HDR brachytherapy served his residency at UCSF (which is where I'd probably go for HDR if I traveled). He also co-authored a major textbook for clinicians on radiation therapy.

Given those facts, what's your opinion on whether I should seek treatment locally or bite the bullet and travel? Also, if you've been treated in Portland, I'm appreciate any specific recommendations for providers you've liked. Thanks!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

jeffmarc | @jeffmarc | Nov 30 5:58pm

There are groups that will get hospital rooms for cancer, patients for free or very small fees. You can search it on the web many will show up, When people here will also add him with their advice.

You don’t mention anything about your diagnosis and that makes it hard to give it advice. What was your Gleason score and your final PSA When you were diagnosed? Did they have any other things they found? Have you had a PSMA pet scan? Many things determine your best treatment.

To get more information, you should sign up with Ancan.org and attend their advanced prostate cancer meeting on Monday at 5pm. They have weekly two hour online meetings. The people there have 15 years experience handling prostate cancer treatment. There’s always at least three doctors at the meetings. You need some expert advice and they can give that to you. We just recently had somebody from Oregon and they were discussing OHSU and other options You may be more suitable for their low/intermediate sessions, but you could attend the advanced one to get help right away.