What is SRT ?

We just had a fairly lengthy post about the badness of SRT. I cannot argue with most of the view points stated.

I would like to point out that SRT is a very broad term that has evolved by many degrees in the last 5 years. Some of the bad points listed about SRT are negated by IGRT. IGRT gives the RO the ability to very accurately direct the radiation beams, avoiding the rectum, urethra, and bladder.

Not sure about what the criteria should be to have one subject himself to the Bad Therapy, but when I started this fight, I started with the intention of winning. To me, winning means killing the PSA producing cells, and allowing me to die of some other malady, like Alzheimer's or dementia.

I have never complained about side effects of surgery or of radiation. Actually, I don't know of any side effects that I have from IGRT. Living is my number one goal.

We have talked much on here about the skill of the surgeon. To a much less extent, we talk about the skill of the RO. Probably the RO is just as important skill wise as the surgeon.

I am pleased to have had a good surgeon, and a good RO. As a G9, I am extremely happy and blessed to have a .05 PSA after 6 years, without commencing chemo or HT yet.

Best wishes to all of the new guys on here who are being advised by their doctors to have surgery or SRT. Trust your doctors more than our opinions that we all post on here. I would thoroughly recommend second and third opinions from doctors to insure that you do have a good plan in place.

Goodlife

I'm not an expert on this disease I was diagnosed with two months ago, but "Salvage Radiation Therapy" can come in many forms I suppose, except for brachytherapy obviously as your prostate is gone after surgery.

My takeaway was, and I think it's HUGE and I'm glad TA made me think of it, is since you no longer have a prostate there's one less organ (walnut size) there to absorb the radiation so it makes it difficult to avoid the rectum, bladder, urethra.

When it's beaming down though the skin and tissue it will certainly affect the bladder and perhaps the rectum more than otherwise.  I would say even with precice IGRT it would be hard to just radiate the bed of the prostate with any pin-point accuracy.

I believe this happened to my dad, though I can't be 100%.  He had to have cancer scrapped from his bladder and the urologist commented that it was "gummy" from the radiation.  If my memory serves, he had his prostate removed, had SRT and then got bladder cancer.  They tried scrapping and it eventually came to where they removed his bladder and made a new one inside his body.  (he has a bag for both urine and defecate).  He's still alive at nearly 82 though...

OK guys, it is bad form to open a new thread to continue a discussion that has been closed.

There was a reason I closed it.