Undecided

Hello : in my case it was a Gleason score of 10 diagnosed in early 2022, with PSA of 17. I have chosen the 'triple whammy' of the radical prostatectomy surgery, the radiation treatment (33 sessions), and ADT injections over 18 months. My PSA is now negligible 0.04 which is good news, until I have re-occurrence god knows when, hopefully in 5 or more years I hope. I am also relatively young at 61, and not ready to kick the bucket yet.
Having said all that, there were many days and weeks last year when the side effects of these treatments - such as lack of energy, post-op pain, sleeplessness, brain fog, extreme anxiety and depression, incontinence, etc - caused me to prefer a quick death over the miserable life I was leading then. What made a massive difference to me at that time was the love of my wife and daughter, who never stopped caring for me, and encouraging me to go on...
Personally, I would not go with active surveillance, as to me it is a euphemism for a 'do nothing' strategy. Wishing you all the best on your prostate cancer journey!

Hi Paul thanks for your advice I’m not going for active surveillance I know it would just make me a dead man walking . I’m glad your ok at the moment and hope youfeel better for a long time to come .

Hi - similar situation here. I am 58 and was diagnosed with a Gleason 3+4 after an MRI and biopsy last June. I'm now 4 weeks post RAP. I had three second opinions plus endless research online and all pointed me to have the surgery. My dad had PC in his 70s and I want to have some options in the future in case it does not go away completely or comes back later. I was told that surgery is not an option - or is more difficult - after radiation. Hang in there and develop a strong support group for yourself. So far, the surgery has been a life-changing experience but every day holds new hope. Wish you the best.

- Sorry to learn of your diagnosis but know you are not alone. Should you decide on radiation as your first choice please understand that the treatment makes it very difficult to do follow up with surgery should the cancer return. The reverse is easy. A Gleason 7 is not insignificant and while it can be watched for a while it most likely can spread and impact more of your body - requiring more aggressive treatment. The successful outcomes for both surgery and radiation are reported to be about the same. Radiation just takes longer for issues relating to erections and more to occur.


Depending on the skill of your surgeon and how the cancer has impacted your body you can have a very successful outcome with surgery. It took me 3 months before i was dry at night and I was totally dry by 6 months - some men are dry in a month. As far as sexual activity I was seeing erections 4 weeks after the catheter was removed. Is my life different after surgery? Yes but i am still alive 10 years after being diagnosed with a Gleason 9. It is all about personal choice when it comes to treating this disease.


My neighbor had a Gleason 6 and following surgery he learned it had spread and needed radiation just weeks later and is currently on ADT. One guy in my support group had a Gleason 9, had the same surgery and surgeon as i did and had never had an issue. You just do not know in advance what your outcome will be. Best of luck and please keep us posted Dennis(ProstateCancer.net TEAM