My dad has been diagnosed with a Gleason score of 9 prostate cancer, it has rapidly spread throughout to his bones, would this be classified as terminal
I am very sorry to hear about your dad's diagnosis of prostate cancer, this must be a difficult time for you and your family.
I can appreciate you want to know more about what may happen to him however, we really cannot give you this information. This is because we are not involved in your dad's care. It is best discussed with the specialist team caring for your dad as they know him and have all his medical details.
There are some things that I can tell you that might help. Because the cancer has spread to his bones your dad has a stage 4 cancer. Stage 4 prostate cancers can be treated , if the patient is well enough to have treatment. The treatment may shrink the cancer and slow down its growth but is not likely to get rid of all the cancer. However, it is sometimes possible to get a good response from treatment and this could extend life.
We do have statistics about the outlook for different stages of prostate cancer and you can see this information on our website. However, please remember this is not going to tell anyone their individual outlook, only their doctor can do this and even then they will not know for sure. It should only be used as a guide. You can see this information here
You would be welcome to get back to us if you need any more information or support and you may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.
