Diagnosed in October, PSA 97, Gleason 4+3/7
I just found this site this week so I guess I'm already 6 months behind. 😀
I'm 66, healthy and active and in October I learned my PSA rocketed up from 3 to 97; from there the journey has been interesting to say the least.
- Three days after the high PSA reading I had a biopsy showing me at 4+3 / 7 on the Gleason scale.
- Early-November I had a PET scan which showed cancer in some abdominal lymph nodes and in my collar bone.
- Mid-November I met with my urologist who basically informed me I had less than 5 years to live.
- Late-November I met with my medical oncologist who looked askance at the PET scan and suggested what was showing was a ghost due to an old injury; his reasoning was the scan was showing cancer in the shoulder joint. Oddly enough, I did dislocate that shoulder in the middle of a triathlon in 1990 and it has been intermittently painful ever since.
- Mid-December I had a high-contrast CT Scan and a Bone scan which did not show any cancer in my bones.
- Mid-January I had an orchiectomy performed in lieu of hormone treatment.
- Early-March I met with my medical oncologist who informed me my PSA had dropped to 10. He recommended additional therapies and we settled on Erleada.
- Mid-March I met with my radiation oncologist who wants me to undergo another round of scans this July to see the efficacy of the surgery and the Erleada, and to determine what he can do for me regarding radiation therapy.
- Late-March my Erleada arrived; I've been taking it for just over two weeks now with zero side effects.
At this point, the only real side effect I've experienced throughout this entire ordeal is what the doctors call "hot flashes", but which I call "hot hours". So here I am, still working full time and enjoying what I do for a living, I'm in the process of buying a new house, and yet I have no idea whether I'll live five more years or thirty-five more years. Given I'm a glass is half-full kind of guy, and given I have had exactly zero symptoms from the cancer, I'm more inclined to think I have several decades left on this planet.
Hi
. Considering that there seems to be some question concerning the nature of any metastasis for your cancer, has anyone mentioned a PSMA test? I ask because the PSMA is the gold standard at locating metastatic prostate cancer. This article from our editorial team goes into great detail: https://prostatecancer.net/treatment/psma-targeted-pet-imaging. I also want to note that it mentions that it is now also possible to use the PSMA to target specific radioligands more directly at the cancer.
I also want to note in regards to any mention of a life span that we have several contributors and community members who were diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer quite a few years ago and are still going strong. Here is the bio of our patient leader Tony as an example: https://prostatecancer.net/community-advocates/tony-collier. Treatments have come a long way in a short time and are only getting better. It is great to see your positive attitude and, given what is known and unknown about your condition, it will serve you well along with continuing to search for answers and treatment options. Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)Thanks
, I read the PSMA page and do not think that is something which has been discussed at this point; I'll reach out to my medical oncologist on Monday and run it past him.
I will of course keep you posted.
I met with my medical oncologist again today; just over a month since I started the Erleada (apalutamide), since my orchiectomy in mid-January my PSA has dropped from 97 to 10.7 to 1.24 today. 😀
, regarding the PSMA, I had one done in early-November and my radiation oncologist wants to have another one done in mid-July to determine any possible radiation plan.
Then there is this wrinkle, my wife and I have been hunting for a new home in the Gaithersburg/Bethesda area of Maryland since last fall; up until about 10 days ago not a single place has come on the market which met our criteria, and since then three have popped up. Early last week we got into a bidding war and managed to snag the second of the three homes which popped up; we'll be closing late next week with a plan on moving from our home in New Hampshire to Maryland by the end of June. This essentially rules out any further interactions with my current radiation oncologist, and only one more appointment with my medical oncologist.
Long story short, I'll be shopping for new medical providers over the next week or so.
great news about your PSA level. And, congratulations on your new home, that is very exciting! I hope you find a great health care team in Maryland. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Jill, prostatecancer.net team
My PSA has doubled over the last 2 years from a 5 to a 11. So I went to a different 3rd party lab and got a 5.32 result. Your going from a 97 to a 10 is crazy! How can that even be?? The PSA test needs to be used as a vague general guideline and never to be trusted. (IMO) Biopsy and 3T MRI's with contrast should be the guide not PSA scores. Go to blogs on this and you will find crazy stories about this PSA screening being horrific. Some stories about prostate removals that showed Zero cancer in them!! Thats how horrible PSA scores can fool doctors that rely on them.
