"Remission" for oligometastatic prostate cancer

When going over the pathology report from my surgery in 2014, my urologist did not use the word "cure." He did however say "he didn't "see" any "problems" in the future given my pathology report and what he saw during the surgery.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at the pathology report and the final staging T2CNoMx thinking, they don't know if it has metastasized...! Which, given the state of imaging at the time, was a fair staging.

I was right, it had, as evidenced by the BCR 18 months later. The rest as they say is "history," as in my clinical history (attached).

My medical team - radiologist and oncologist (I'm beyond a urologist) generally believe that we are managing my PCa as a chronic disease with specific criteria about when to go on treatment, with what, for how long, when to come off treatment. We have never discussed treatment in terms of a cure once it became advanced.

It's worked for my PCa, one that is high risk - GS 8, GG4, time to BCR, PSADT and PSAV. I am fortunate, no resistance yet, no involvement of bones or organs. The day may come when that changes.

I do have friends who were diagnosed around the same time as I was, had surgery by the same urologist as I did and 11 years later, they see their urologist once a year for a PSA test and go on their merry way. I also have a friend who is terminal with his PCa.

My take is there is a possibility of cure with De Novo diagnosis, once it is advanced, we can control it as I and my medical team have done for10-1/2 years, but a cure, not there yet.

Medical research since 2014 has changed greatly (for the better) the imaging and treatment landscape for PCa, particularly advanced both castrate sensitive and castrate resistant. Sadly, for the 30k or so who die each year because of PCa, it has not changed enough.

Kevin