Hello Poppathesailorman, 

I can imagine there is a lot for you to process at the moment after receiving this phone call on Monday confirming your biopsy results. It is a lot to take in and going through the start of treatment is bound to make you feel a little nervous as to how it will all develop. I hope that the bicalutamide will be effective and that you suffer minimal side effects. Best of luck too for your first hormone therapy injection on Tuesday. It sounds like this is indeed the recommended route for your prostate cancer but you can if you are not fully sure this is the best option for you consider getting a second opinion - there is no harm in doing so or in asking any questions to your current medical team that have sprung to your mind since your diagnosis. 

Feel free also to talk things through with our cancer nurses - you can reach them on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. 

You will see in our information page on prostate cancer that we have a section on survival but what it says really is that you can ignore the unreliable Dr Google - there are general statistics but they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case so don't pay attention to anything Dr Google says as it will only make you worry unnecessarily. 

I hope you won't mind but I've edited your title slightly to include information about your diagnosis - this will hopefully help your thread be spotted by other members of our community who have had a similar diagnosis and treatment plan before. It helps to talk to others in a similar situation and one lovely person that springs to my mind is eddiel who was diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer July 2022 and also took bicalutamide. This is just one example amongst many and I hope you will be welcomed soon by others who have been in a similar place before. 

Best of luck for the start of your treatment - keep us updated on how things progress if you get a chance!

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hello Poppathesailorman, 

I can imagine there is a lot for you to process at the moment after receiving this phone call on Monday confirming your biopsy results. It is a lot to take in and going through the start of treatment is bound to make you feel a little nervous as to how it will all develop. I hope that the bicalutamide will be effective and that you suffer minimal side effects. Best of luck too for your first hormone therapy injection on Tuesday. It sounds like this is indeed the recommended route for your prostate cancer but you can if you are not fully sure this is the best option for you consider getting a second opinion - there is no harm in doing so or in asking any questions to your current medical team that have sprung to your mind since your diagnosis. 

Feel free also to talk things through with our cancer nurses - you can reach them on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. 

You will see in our information page on prostate cancer that we have a section on survival but what it says really is that you can ignore the unreliable Dr Google - there are general statistics but they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case so don't pay attention to anything Dr Google says as it will only make you worry unnecessarily. 

I hope you won't mind but I've edited your title slightly to include information about your diagnosis - this will hopefully help your thread be spotted by other members of our community who have had a similar diagnosis and treatment plan before. It helps to talk to others in a similar situation and one lovely person that springs to my mind is eddiel who was diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer July 2022 and also took bicalutamide. This is just one example amongst many and I hope you will be welcomed soon by others who have been in a similar place before. 

Best of luck for the start of your treatment - keep us updated on how things progress if you get a chance!

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator