Need Your Input

YaYa, it sounds like your hubby is a decent candidate for watchful waiting. Having been through all of this, with his stats, I would have watched and waited. I'm voting with doc #2 as well.
Best Regards, Jeff

Yaya,

Count me among those that counsel in favor of another opinion and the prospect of AS or WW.

With your husbands numbers I would have most certainly given strong credence in selecting that path in the beginning.

Sonny

YaYA, not to sound like a bleating sheep, but I join the same flock here too:

If anyone had the stats for safely starting WW or AS, it's your husband, you guys and the dr. can keep a close eye on things while he can continue to function normal for as long as he can, even perhaps forever. Dozens and dozens of us only wished we had had the options, but didnt have the stats to do so safely.

Good luck and keep us posted.

David in SC

I would only add that because of the low PSA and the mulitple locations, that a color doppler or some other test that can show exact locations and extent of tumors might not be a bad interim step.

To find three locations with 6 probes, is some indication that something is fairly widespread. Too many times the Gleason is upgraded after surgery because the biopsy did not hit best sample spot.

Overall tho, I would agree that you don't need to be in a hurry on this.

Welcome to HW, and good luck to both of you.

Hi YaYa,

You may not wish to hear this, but I received several opinions.    You may wish to get 3-4 opinions.

There are ways you can do this and not spend too much money.  You may have friends or friends of friends who are experienced with PCa diagnosis and treatment.  You already have enough information to ask those friends what they think about your plans in general.

The one problem with any positive diagnosis of finding cancer is that you know for a certainty that you have cancer inside of you.    That is both scary and creepy to some.   It was to me and I wanted it out or dead!

Due to my age, I chose surgery.   Any treatment or non-treatment path forward has risks and benefits.   Your hubby does not need treatment immediately, so you do have some time to ask around.

Find out more about the pros and cons about deferring or having treatment.

Maybe that'll help.

Barry

There are risks in any decision and certaintly risks in any treatment and no 100% garentees.
The largest risk in AS is underestimating the initial biopsy results, this is why it is imperative to get another biopsy or a color doppler ultrasound within 6 months.
If it truely a G6 then there is a 70% chance that it will not progress. This is well documented by studies from Hopkins and Klotz. If it does progress to a G7 or if psa doubling time is less than 3 years then treatment should be given and the results are exactly the same as if treatment was given immediately. This is also well documented. Progression, if it occurs, almost always happens within 3 or 4 years.
These are simply the facts, but are often overridden by emotion, as 25% of those on AS choose treatment without any signs of progression.
The treatment success in a G6 is in the high 90% regardless of the treatment chosen. The chance of permenant side affects are well over 50%. You have to do your own risk benefit analysis, but the risks of AS seem very favorable especially when you consider that 60% of men your husband's age have some sort of PC and only 4% actually die of it and these are almost always those with G8 or G9 cancers.
JohnT