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Prostate cancer diagnosis

Kaz_Girl
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Hi, My Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Tuesday but didn’t understand fully what the consultant was trying to explain. He’s 72 and on permanent catheter due to his bladder being blocked(presumably by the tumour), but what’s puzzled us is that they rang out of the blue yesterday to book him in for a bone scan on Monday. He has had significant leg pain at night would this be why? It’s all confusing and as my dad saw the consultant on his own we don’t know what was said because my dad didn’t understand him. My mum will be with him on his next appointment. If anyone could advise about this it would be great. Thank you  

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    Hi prostate cancer tends to spread out to lymph nodes and then bones in torso (spine, ribs, pelvis) as far as I know,, remember I'm no doctor. This is from personal experience. Hope you find out details.

    Billy 

  • Offline in reply to Billygoat

    Hi billy,

    thanks for your reply. We got the consultant report today and it said he’s got a PSA of 85, and the cancer is likely a minimum of T2c, he’s also got a CT scan as well as a bone scan to be done now. On the plus side he says the leg pain has eased up so maybe it’s nerve pain. 

    Thanks again

    Kaz

  • Offline in reply to Kaz_Girl

    Hi 85 is High but psa is only a rough guide I'm afraid mine was1500 gleason is best scale you should find it goes up to 10 mine was 8. They found my C over 3 years ago depends on if it stopped in prostate or gone other places what treatment he can get oh my result was t3b n1 m1b don't ask what they all mean. Be nice when you have all the details.. Best wishes.

    Billy

    P.s try [@woodworm]‍  his psa was 70.. 

  • Offline in reply to Kaz_Girl

    Hi Kaz,

    Sorry to read your dad has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. As Billy has mentioned My psa was 70 and my gleeson was 3+3=6 which just means the cancer was equal on both sides of the prostate. 

    I had two years on hormonetherapy and 37 radiotherpy treatments and my PSA dropped right down to 0.01, the lowest they can measure. So I hope my experiance will give you hope. 

    I can understand how worried you are, but if it has been caught early, it can be quite treatable.

    Wishing you both all good news, Brian

     

  • Offline in reply to woodworm

    Hi Brian,

    thank you so much for telling me your story, it does help to hear of positive situations. He has an MDM on 22nd May to discuss the results of the scans and what treatment they will give. He’s not in the best of health so they have already advised against surgery due to high BMI and a very sedentary lifestyle (yes both my mum and I have nagged him for years about this but it fell on deaf ears). I’m just hoping and praying that they can just control it with hormone treatment or any of the other non surgical treatments. 

    Thanks again

    Kaz

  • Offline in reply to Kaz_Girl

    Hi Kaz_Girl.

    I'm not a doctor, but I had surgery for prostate cancer back in 2010.

    I think it might help if you were to read the Cancer Research UK web pages on Prostate Cancer Stages.  I suggest you start with the section on TMN staging.

    If you look at the diagram and read the description of T2c, you'll see that this is a cancer that hasn't spread and is still contained inside the prostate. This cancer is usually curable either by surgery or radiotherapy, or a number of other treatment options. 

    Unfortunately, a PSA of 85 is on the high side for a T2c cancer, so your Dad's consultant will want to make sure that the cancer hasn't spread, which is why your Dad requires more tests. A bone scan is very common and most men who are diagnosed have one. It is also common to have an MRI or CT scan.  Let's hope these tests show no spread and the T2c can be confirmed. 

    [@Billygoat]‍ has mentioned the Gleason grade. This doesn't appear to be described in much detail on the Cancer Research page, but there is more information on the Macmillan web site.  The Gleason score is a measure of the "aggressiveness" of the cancer, but its actual significance for a particular patient depends upon the cancer stage.

    I am troubled by your comment that your Dad didn't really comprehend what the consultant was saying. Clearly, without such comprehension he will be unable to make an informed decision on treatment. He really needs to be accompanied by someone who has some understanding of the situation and can ask appropriate questions. Would it be possible for you to accompany him when he sees his consultant? 

    Finally, it is frightening for the patient and his family to get a prostate cancer diagnosis, but this cancer is highly treatable even when it can't be cured.  There are plenty of grounds for hope, so please try not to panic. Also, don't randomly surf the net for information - that way leads to madness. Instead I recommend you limit your searches to Cancer Research, Macmillan, Prostate Cancer UK, Tackle Prostate Cancer, and the NHS.  Avoid all US web sites, and in particular avoid US hospital sites. 

  • Offline in reply to telemando

    Telemando,

    thank you so much for the information it really helps to increase our level of understanding. We have decided that my dad will be accompanied to all his appointments in future wether he likes it or not, so my mum is going to be with him. Interestingly enough he got his CT scan appointment through this morning and it’s on Sunday evening (5th May) we find that very strange as well. His bone scan is being done today.  It all seems surreal at the moment but we are remaining positive and keeping everything crossed that the consultants initial thoughts of T2c are correct. I will post an update on here as it really helps to have someone who has experienced prostate cancer first hand. 

    Thanks for your support 

    Kaz

  • Offline in reply to Kaz_Girl

    You're most welcome.

    Radiology departments do stay open on Saturday and evenings, so it's not too unusual to have a CT on a Saturday evening.  A CT is far less stressful than an MRI, as it's a lot quicker and you're not inside a claustrophobic tunnel! 

    All you can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. But do remember that even advanced prostate cancer can be treated and controlled for a long time, and there's a lot of research being done. 

  • Offline in reply to telemando

    Just thought I’d update:-

    Dad had his MDM today and it’s good news the cancer is contained in the prostate so hasn’t spread at all. Consultant is still concerned about the high PSA level of 85 so has requested another blood test as Dad just had his catheter changed and it might have affected it. No Gleason score well I wasn’t there my mum was but tumour is definitely T2c. So relieved  

  • Offline in reply to Kaz_Girl

    This is good news, and grounds for cautious optimism.  There are several curative treatment options for a T2c prostate cancer.  I think it is entirely possible that changing a catheter could artificially bump up the PSA. 

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