Please Help

Welcome AEG :) Sorry to have to welcome you.

I hate to tell you this. But if they only took four samples and 3 were positive that pretty much is a guarantee that he has cancer.

No one can tell you right now whether it is confined to prostate or not, or whether gleason is higher or not.

But I would encouage you to start looking into all your options. You do have options. And i also would think with his stats that you might want to pursue a bone cancer scan and/or MRI. (I certainly don't want to scare you, but with a Gleason of 7, 3 out of 4 cores positive, and 30%, i would insist on further tests).

This is a big (((((hug)))) for you. Please keep us updated.

Best wishes,

Tanya

In recent times, it is not usual to take only 4 biopsy samples.

Personally I would obtain a 12 sample biopsy and request 2 opinions on the reading: Biopsy readings are subjective, so good advice is also to obtain the 2nd view as you will be basing your treatment decisions on the results.

Gleason scores with 3 as the main figure are very usual results and are obviously not the most agressive scores one can have.

It is very rare for someone with a PSA under 20 to have bone problems.

Once you put it all together you can then consider the various treatment options.

While many people and doctors have thier own prefered treatment  option, the facts often indicate that  several treatment options can yield similar results, so it could come down to personal preference.

Most here will advise that selection of your doctor is the most important consideration, regardless of the treatment chosen.

 

AEG,
I'm sorry to hear about your husband. I can see that my friends here are giving you some great information but also some scarry stuff. I assure you they don't mean to frighten you. The main thing to do is try to keep calm. I know it is a horrable time for you but the more calm you are the better you will be able to think about what you must do. It is NOT the end of the world although it must seem that way. Like the others said, get a second opinion from the best Doc in your area or if you are able to travel, go to one of the well known centers known for their work with PC. Find someone you trust and are comfortable with. It really makes a big difference. There are a lot of great people here to help with any questions you can think of. People who have been there so please don't be a stranger. Let us know how you and your man are doing. My prayers are with you.
Your friend,
Pete

AEG, sorry you had to join our group. Like your husband, mine is also one of the young ones at 47. You can look below to see his stats. He also had a low PSA, but high for his age. Every urologist we spoke to said that a bone scan and CT scan were not important. I have a trusted onocologist who sat up the test for us. He assured us that chances were, they would be negative, but why not just make sure. The partin tables scared me to death. I felt more comfortable knowing for sure, as did my husband.

With the help of all the great people here, and our local onocologist (who we also saw despite what the urologist said), we made a quick decision to go with the da Vinci. We had to travel to have it done by a doctor with a lot of experience. Once that decision was made, we were very relieved. It has been 4 almost 5 weeks since surgery. Kurt is back to work, only leaks when he sneezes, and continues his rehab for ED. We are truly bleased to be rid of the cancer. Our lives are on the way back to normal.

If you have kids, there are many web sites out there to help you talk to them. Kurt tried to shield ours a little at first, but after the initial shock of "dad's going to have an operation and everything will be ok" wore off, (maybe 30-45 minutes), we told them the "C" word. After that, we had open convesations, both with the boys (ages 14 and 10) and infront of the boys. It helped them to feel part of it all. If someone asked me a question in front of the youngest, he would often jump in with the answer. And he was proud to be part of the adult conversation and in the know.

Reseach all your options. Surgery is not as scary as it seems at first. The side effects will decrease with time. A lot of men live a healthy, full life following treatment. Let us know where you are from, that way the locals can help even more. And have your husband start walking daily and doing kegals. Keep posting, and more importantly, keep your head up and know that we are here to help you along this journey. One of my favorite sayings is "Life's a Journey, not a destination". Courtney

November Posting: Bringing this information forward so we have it here! Quote from previous thread Started by:                                                AEG on November 2006 thread:   Questions about prostate issues   Hi everyone. I'm new here and I can really use your expertise. My husband is 43 years old and here is the history of his prostate issues: 1. My husband's psa readings over the past few years have been between 2.9 and 3.2 2. July 2005, my husband went to a urologist:    a) he had a prostate biopsy    b) results indicated atypical cells    c) urologist wants to repeat the biopsy 3. one week after the biopsy:    a) PSA was done and it was 5.1 (the highest it's ever been)    b) urine had blood in it 4. August 2005, my husband went to a radiologist that specializes urology for a second opinion, during the visit:    a) the dr. performed an ultrasound    b) he saw what looked like inflammation (possible residual of biopsy)    c) husband's urine still showed blood in it d) dr. said it should clear up on its own in about a month or so e) dr. wants to repeat ultrasound in six months 5. In September 2005, my husband had a semen analysis done (as part of an infertility protocol) and test indicated that white blood cells were found in the semen sample (possible residual of biopsy since previous semen analysis were normal) 6. In November 2005, my husband went to an infertility urologist:    a) PSA was repeated and it was 4.9    b) blood still found in urine    c) dr. wants to repeat urine test in one month    d) if blood still found in urine, dr. wants to perform cat scan    e) I asked dr. if he thought antibiotics could clear this up and he said no 8. As far as we know, my husband didn't have blood in his urine prior to the biopsy My questions are: 1. Could a biopsy cause the psa to rise? 2. Could blood appear in the urine four months after the biopsy? 3. Has anyone here experienced this before? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Hugs, AEG     April 15, 2007 New Posting.....   I'm new here.  My husband is 44 years old and he's been recently diagnosed with PC.  His psa is over 3 (he takes Propecia and now we learned that it lowers the psa by 50%), gleason in 3+4, cancer 30%, however only 4 biopsies were taken (3 out of 4 positive) so the stats may not be very accurate.  He also had a biopsy done 2 years ago where 10 samples where taken and the results came back as atypical.  Since there is no family history of PC, we didn't follow-up properly.   I'm really scared that the cancer is not confined to the prostate and that his gleason could actually be higher.  Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.   AEG

Hi Everyone,

I'm overwhelmed by everyones respones. Thank you so much for your support and encouraging words. I forgot to mention in my previous post that my husband is scheduled for open surgery with a Urologist in NY. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. G-d bless everyone here.

Big Hugs,

AEG

Dear AEG

i can't imagine any doctor only taking a 4-sample biopsy. I had a 29-sample biopsy taken by a top urologist. some doctors think that 12 samples is adequate, but a minimum of 20 should really be taken to get a more accurate projection of the stage of cancer. i don't understand why your husband has been scheduled for surgery when it appears that an inadequate biopsy was taken. the biopsy is one of the principal tests to determine if cancer is present and to help the patient decide on an appropriate treatment. it is also advisable to have a complete body bone scan and an endo-rectal MRI. I would not let any surgeon or radiologist treat me without adequate pre-testing. i strongly suggest that a more complete biopsy be taken and that your also obtain a 2nd opinion on that biopsy. best of luck to your husband.

Dave