How long should I expect it to take to get consults with oncologists?

Your highest Gleason score was 4+3, so you are a Gleason seven 4+3. The other numbers don’t really matter as far as doctors are concerned.

A Gleason seven is slow growing, so waiting a month is not really a problem for most people. The fact that you’re going to Mayo, and at the Rochester clinic, gives you the best chance of really good treatment. The only problem you mentioned, from your biopsy, is cribriform. It can be very aggressive. You want to find out if it was large or small cribriform. If it’s small, then surgery can remove it pretty easily along with the prostate, And it’s also treatable with SBRT radiation. . If it’s large, it’s very aggressive and may require surgery and radiation Or a combination of a couple of different types of radiation. My brother had small cribriform, It was specifically mentioned in his biopsy. He had SBRT radiation and that seems to have handled all of his prostate cancer issues.

At this point, they normally want you to see a urologist first, And they will talk about surgery. After that, you meet with the radiation oncologist to discuss radiation. You do have two options. How old you are is important. If you are in your 60s, it might make more sense to have surgery since you could have radiation if that cribriform causes a problem after treatment. They do say that surgery and radiation have the same long-term results so you do have both options to consider. Listen to the doctor carefully when you go to them to find out what the best treatment would be for your specific case. Make sure to emphasize the cribriform As a potential serious problem.

It would make sense to get a Decipher score to see if there is a chance of reoccurrence. Cribriform can make that score higher, It would be really helpful to find out what your long-term chances are.

mur11, you might call your urologist or whoever did the biopsy and ask him to order the Decipher. https://decipherbio.com/decipher-prostate/physicians/decipher-prostate-overview/#

You don't mention the PSMA/PET. That's probably next and the urologist will order it on the 29th. Then you'll have till the 17th to have the scan and get the results.
With cribiform I'm thinking you'll want ADT. Someone (your urologist) could order that for you now.
The timing is pretty normal. It always seems like such a long wait.
You could try to get in on a cancellation.

we're on a similar path. my biopsy at Mayo Rochester was August 26, pathology report was 3+4 for me. Next step is visit with my Mayo NP Urologist on Sept 11. What was the process to get your Oncologist appointment...did u first meet with your Urologist and they sent you to Oncologist? waiting is stressful for sure, I keep thinking of one step at a time.

I'll be 77 in December.
I communicated with the Mayo referring NP yesterday, inquiring about the cribriform & Decipher. (I've not seen an MD urologist at Mayo; I went to Mayo on my own w/o a urologist referral because no one in Kansas City was doing the transperineal biopsy w/o anesthesia that Mayo performs. My Kansas City urologist wanted to do a transrectal biopsy w/o first doing an MRI. I had to talk this urologist into ordering and MRI & it showed 2 PIRADS 5 lesions, one of which was an anterior lesion that might not have been caught during a standard grid transrectal biopsy.) The Mayo referring NP indicated that because of the cribriform he could order a PSMA PET scan at Mayo, which would be useful to have prior to my meeting with the oncologists. (Again, one has to wonder why the patient is the one who needs to initiate such matters. The Mayo NP discouraged me from having this PET scan done in Kansas City. [We have a National Cancer Institute Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center here]) He further indicated that when I have my consults with the Mayo oncologists they may want to do a Decipher test.
Thanks for your prompt response to my query. I appreciate this & your numerous other informative posts on this forum.

I have my name on a cancellation wait list. I did receive a Mayo communication yesterday afternoon about a new opening. I responded in no more than a minute, but someone beat me to it.

When I had a telephone consult with the Mayo NP as a follow-up to the biopsy pathology report, he put through orders to the Urology and Radiation oncologists and gave me a phone number to call for scheduling.

It’s great to hear you’re being so proactive. Yes, that is necessary in order to get the proper treatment, It seems to be illogical But not every doctor really knows what they’re doing when it comes to an advanced case of prostate cancer like you have.

I have a really great GU oncologist But at one point, she put me on a PARP Inhibitor since I have BRCA2, But I knew that having Nubeqa Would be a better start since I could then have the PARP inhibitor when that failed, And the side effects of the PARP are quite aggressive,. She allowed me to switch and I’ve been undetectable for 20 months . She can answer almost every question I’ve ever come up with, But I have been proactive like you need to be.

I will be 78 in November and have had prostate cancer for 15 years. I still look for the best treatment, you never know when it’s coming back.

maddening, hope you get another chance

Sorry for this frustrating event. We had the same experience with online offers for an earlier appointment with Radiation Oncology at Mayo Rochester between January and March 2025, even though my husband has been a patient since 2011 and has had many episodes of radiation there since then. The radiation oncologist who did the SBRT was new to us and pretty new to Mayo. He told us their patient numbers have exploded for Radiation Oncology appointments and even online consults and that he and colleagues are working many hours per week to try to keep up. He did apologize, and said they are still trying to hire more colleagues. We can attest that the department is MUCH busier these days than it was in 2011, especially for prostate cancer radiation consults and treatments. Hang in there.