New to prostate cancer
Prostate cancer runs deep in my family, I found out at age 43 that I had a low grade prostate cancer found in 2 core at roughly 5% at a gleason 6 (3+3) so i went on active surveillance. 2 1/2 years later I'm still at a gleason 6 (3+3) but now it's in 9 cores ranging from 2% to 54% so my doctor told me that I should start thinking about treatment over the next 6 months. Because of my age (46) and the possibility of recurrence, he recommends that I get it removed. I know he does robotic surgery but I'm not sure which one at the moment, he did explain it to me but I was so off in left field about the results and surgery I really didn't understand a word he was saying, now that I've processed everything I will schedule another appointment. I have a few question for you guys.
Is there a preferred robotic surgery over another? I recently read about the nerve sparing robotic surgery but unsure how it differs from standard.
For guys who have gone through this what does ones future look like post surgery?
What to look for in a surgeon, what questions to ask?
What type of down time am I looking at post surgery?
Sorry for all the questions but I'm honestly terrified, my father went through this 15 plus years ago and he has every possible side effect still to this day, he is so miserable I feel sad for him. Please chime in and help me out any way you possibly can, I'm in New Jersey, if anyone has any recommendations please let me know.
Thank you all in advance and sorry if any typos, I'm up in the middle of the night posting on my phone.
Get some other opinions. and then some more. Dr. MARK SCHOLZ is a prostate cancer doctor with a couple of websites and YouTube videos. Great insight and information. With Gleason 6 you have a bunch of options. Look to see it you are a candidate for radiation therapy, cryotherapy, brachytherapy. Before jumping into surgery, talk to an Oncologist and Radiation Oncologist. Both my Oncologist and Radiation Oncologist explained that the cure rates for surgery vs. radiation for Gleason 6 are identical.
I recently completed Radiation Therapy for my Gleason 6. Virtually no side effects, no ED, no incontinence. Nothing. Everyone is different, however.
YMMVSorry for the late reply guys, I had to take a mental break from all this. I truly appreciate all your comments and suggestions, I'm making an appointment with the radiologist and a medical oncologist.
The one thing I am afraid of is making the wrong decision, I have read in some cases after the removal it was realized the gleason level was incorrect.
If the prostate is removed does that get rid of the situation completely or can the cancer still come back in the area?
If I choose radiation and the cancer comes back are you screwed at that point since you can't get radiation again in the same spot?
What is considered a skilled surgeon? Number of procedures? What number does one look for in a surgeon?
Thanks again guys.
Hi
. It is completely understandable that trying to figure out what treatment is best is confusing. Arranging to speak with various specialists is a great start. on top of questions related to overall curative aspects of treatment, don't hesitate to ask questions specific to you, such as related to your age and long-term side effect avoidance. I want to share with you this page from the American Cancer Society which offers some information on initial treatment for prostate cancer by stage and risk group: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/treating/by-stage.html. Please feel free to keep us posted on what the specialists have to say (be prepared that each specialist is likely to advocate for their treatment - it's human nature). Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team) 
None of this is easy. When my wife and I were meeting with the urologist for the first time she summed it up well " So here we are the most uninformed medical people in the room trying to make a medical decision that will forever impact our lives"
With prostate cancer you are offered treatment options such as ... watch and wait or move forward with some type of treatment. Not only is the skill of the surgeon important so is the skill of the radiation oncologist who is mapping out where to focus some form of external beam radiation. The same holds true for the implanting radioactive seeds etc.
My approach has been to interview several MD's and also ask your GP to offer an opinion on patient impacts they witnessed after patient treatment. Ask which MD's appeared to have better results. The surgeon I used had over 2,500 robotic surgeries prior to mine. My radiation oncologist was the head of the department and had done countless procedures prior to my undergoing 8 weeks of treatment. When all is said and done my advice is ...do your research and go with the team you have confidence in. Dennis(Prostate Cancer.net TEAM)
