Prostate Cancer

[Graeme]

Last April I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. My case has progressed to locally advanced stage 3 so the radiotherapy starts next month. I’ve been adding the following link to my emails for the last couple of months to people that are over 50ish, male, or that have a male relative or friend over 50ish.

Check your risk in 30 seconds | Prostate Cancer UK

The symptoms of prostate cancer are not extreme and easily put down to getting on a bit. If you’re male and have a Dad or Brother that has had prostate cancer, the odds of you also being diagnosed with it are a lot higher. If symptoms are diagnosed early then it’s treatable before it becomes cancer. If it’s left to grow and becomes a stage 1 cancer it gets worse quickly. If it gets to the stage of metastasis it will spread and become life threatening.

Please forward the link.

Regards

Graeme

[HansV]

Hello Graeme,

I am very sorry to hear that. I sincerely hope that the radiotherapy will eliminate the tumor, and that the side effects will be bearable.

Hang in there!

[GeoffW]

I hope all goes well Graeme.

I'm older, so I know I'm at risk. I have annual lab tests, one of which is checking PSA levels. So far, so good - in that department anyway.

[Graeme]

Thanks Hans

The side effects, I'm told, start off slight and get worse as the course progresses. Hopefully I'll get my astro gallery web site done before I feel any bad effects. The Xray targeting machine they're going to use is the latest model. And they've tattooed the targets on my hips all ready to go.

[Graeme]

Thanks Geoff

Regular PSA is good, especially if you have some symptoms of if it's in your family. I hope you stay good.

[BobH]

Graeme, I too am sorry to hear your news.

I had 5 brothers; one didn't live to be 40; 2 others passed in old age. Both of the latter 2 had prostate cancer. One lived past his 95th birthday, the other past his 88th and died of a stroke. The older brother had radiological treatment and the other had radioactive crystals implanted. Both lived decades beyond their diagnosis.

I share this with you to let you know that it is treatable with good result.

Thank you for sharing this with us. I shall discuss another PSA and perhaps other diagnostic tests with my GP at my visit in a few weeks.

[Jay Freedman]

Graeme, I also offer condolences and wishes for a good outcome.

At age 55, I had a general blood test offered by my employer, and it unexpectedly turned up an elevated PSA reading. A urologist found no other symptoms, but did a biopsy anyway. That showed a small number of abnormal cells, which could easily have been missed.

I had several conferences with other urologists. I heard that many men die after decades with prostate cancer, from other causes. But being diagnosed at a relatively early age was not a good sign. I was told that both radiotherapy and implantation of radioactive seeds can leave scarring that would preclude later surgery. I elected for surgical prostatectomy. It was completely successful, with no metastasis. I'm here 20 years later, still with zero PSA readings every year.

[ChrisGreaves]

Last April I was diagnosed with prostate cancer....

Dear Graeme, this is not the sort of thing that I want to find on cranking up the cranky laptop first thing this morning. Nonetheless I do appreciate your post and you ability to spark this conversation.
First off, I echo the get-well comments already posted. From what I know of you you will deal with this hurdle in a sane manner, and with a fair run-up, go soaring over it.
I have had regular PSA tests since about 2005, mildly protesting that in Canada blood tests are "free", except for the PSA test which is, I think, an add-on fee of about $20. I suspect the political argument that it affects only men, and to subsidize the PSA test would not be fair to women or some such silly logic.

About six years ago my (Toronto) GP found some sort of 49%-51% borderline reading and sent me off to Mt Sinai (Toronto) for 12 stringy extracts; one of those showed something, but it wasn't fearsome, so I came home and continued bottling jam and writing VBA.

Please keep (preferably) us all or at least (selfishly) me updated on progress.
Here is a strange request: Please continue your postings of strange and marvelous shapes, with all the work that that involves, but only when you have nothing better to do as you "fight the good fight". You mention " Hopefully I'll get my astro gallery web site done before ..." but in my not at all humble opinion, your gallery is nowhere near as important as you, so that's where ***I*** think your priorities should lie.

Back to selfish: I hope for a speedy and permanent recovery for you; I still need much astrological mentoring from my tutor!

Truly, best wishes, Chris

[StuartR]

Best wishes for a good outcome from the treatment

[LineLaline]

Oh this is such sad news! I am new to this forum but still this already made me feel sad for you.
I just posted a follow-up on your HTML question, I understand that you would prefer to continue the way you did it.
Would you like to have some help with your gallery though? If you would I could set it up with HTML and CSS and all you would have to do is add images and, if you don't feel well, I could pick some things up for you.

[Leif]

Hi Graeme, please add me to the list of well-wishers - I hope everything goes to plan. Stay positive!

[John Gray]

I suspect the political argument that it affects only men, and to subsidize the PSA test would not be fair to women or some such silly logic.

Unfortunately the political argument you propound is incorrect, because non-male persons also have an equivalent to the prostate gland - the Skene's glands - which produce the same enzymes as the prostate. "Not a lot of people know that."

The PSA test seems, for the moment, to be the best indicator of the presence or absence of prostate cancer, but it is known, maybe even notorious, for giving false positives and false negatives. The only definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer comes from a somewhat-painful biopsy, presuming the needle cone has encountered/captured some of the cancerous cells present. The target area for the biopsy needle is often indicated as a result of an MRI scan.

Statistically, it seems to be more likely that men will die with prostate cancer, not as a result of prostate cancer. I know I'm certainly aiming for that! My profound sympathy to anyone whose prostate cancer has reached a more advanced stage or is more aggressive.

[ChrisGreaves]

Unfortunately the political argument you propound is incorrect, because non-male persons also have an equivalent to the prostate gland - the Skene's glands - which produce the same enzymes as the prostate. "Not a lot of people know that."

I suspect, therefore, and humbly submit, that my suspicion is correct.
Based on your premise that "Not a lot of people know that." I would put forward the supposition that "Not a lot of politicians know that.", and since politicians are people too (Not a lot of people know that), it must follow that the shared and heightened ignorance of politicians would be enough to apply an inconsequential reason to a folkloric argument.

The PSA test seems, for the moment, to be the best indicator of the presence or absence of prostate cancer, but it is known, maybe even notorious, for giving false positives and false negatives.

Now this I agree with, but give me a few more hours ...

I have a friend who was given a panicky diagnosis some fifteen years ago, still alive and kicking.⁽¹⁾

The only definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer comes from a somewhat-painful biopsy, presuming the needle cone has encountered/captured some of the cancerous cells present. The target area for the biopsy needle is often indicated as a result of an MRI scan.

I did not find the process that painful (apart from having to sit in an above-average number of waiting rooms that month). The surgeon was assisted by a youngster, and I was able to add my own questions and debate some of the answers, always good fun when you are lying on a table ... I got to see the biopsy at the end; that is how I know of those stringy bits.
For this I did not have an MRI scan, as far as I can remember.
The decision for a biopsy was based on PSA results from a regular blood-clinic test.

Statistically, it seems to be more likely that men will die with prostate cancer, not as a result of prostate cancer.

So you've read your Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker then? This is the type of argument that those great and careful scientists put forwards regarding cause and co-incidence.
I am inclined to believe this statement without necessarily seeing the data.
I suspect a great many Covid deaths were of people who died and were then found to have been in contact with the virus.

Finally, I hope that my relatively benign response to your statements will not damage the otherwise antagonistic relationship that you and I enjoy.

⁽¹⁾Aptly, in his case. He was from Birmingham, used to work in an abattoir, and could still smile when he said "Lambs hearts make great footballs. Especially when they are still in the lamb". But that's the kind of guy he was, even married a Technical Writer to prove it!

Cheers, Chris

[Graeme]

I had 5 brothers;

Five brothers! I bet nobody messed with your family! Thanks Bob. I have two positives that will help, firstly the PSAMA PET-CT scan I had looked for prostate specific cancer cells anywhere in my body on a cellular level and found none. Secondly, all the Urologists and Oncologists I have spoken to are confident of a full recovery. The PET scan radiologist was very keen to describe in detail how the positrons (the P in PET (an antimatter particle)) annihilate with the electrons in the radioactive marker they inject into you and emit gamma rays, which are then detected by the scanner, if the marker comes into contact, specifically with prostate cancer cells. This was after I had asked if the process was similar to the emission of gamma rays at the core of the sun during nuclear fusion!

Another PSA on at least an annual basis is good. I hope you maintain your negative results.

[Graeme]

At age 55, I had a general blood test offered by my employer, and it unexpectedly turned up an elevated PSA reading.

Thanks Jay. An excellent example of catching this thing early. It starts off gently, without any major physical symptoms and it can hang around for years or it can escalate rapidly. I hope your PSAs continue to remain low.

[DocAElstein]

Hello Graeme
Thanks for sharing your news and that link, and I join everyone to wish you the best.

I am always thinking we need to more often step back and think in advance of these things, so thanks for the welcomed nudge with that link, which I looked at, - its quick and simple, so no excuses.
A major unexpected occurrence in my life recently left me hanging alone in the Bavarian wilderness, amongst other things temporarily with no health insurance. The health system here in Germany is very generous compared to many countries, so what I got out of that link is another welcome prod to get that sorted and catch up on the routine check-up for things which I am probably getting on to 10 years late on already!

I actually got late in life into computers: I got into the whole windows / office / Excel scene as part of dropping everything else in my life, (which was far from convenient to say the least), to speed up an important personal project which was to help speed up things I was doing to help someone else with a major Health problem. One way or another that problem is more or less out of the way now. (I still seem to be doing things with computers, at least as a Hobby… or maybe more later, I don’t know**)

In my life, the most significant and character building things always came from getting out of a very bad situation: A situation that no one in their right mind would want to be in and which some don’t survive, and I hope you pull through it all OK.

(** Yet to be seen if my little detour into computers lingers further, and will be one of my more significant little life adventures, Lol… )

Alan

[ChrisGreaves]

... the positrons (the P in PET (an antimatter particle)) annihilate with the electrons in the radioactive marker they inject into you and emit gamma rays, which are then detected by the scanner, if the marker comes into contact, specifically with prostate cancer cells.

Graeme thanks for this insight.
We could not have sent a better member of Eileen's Lounge to investigate this matter.

So the radioactive marker is in some way married/attracted/attached to the cancer cells, presumably some sort of bond at the molecular level, and the marker molecules clustering around their favorite cancer cells, when they emit gamma rays, those show up as a cluster of gamma rays from the target?

A body with no cancer cells would not cluster the marker, and so the gamma rays would not be clustered?

Is that how the detection goes?
Cheers, Chris

[Graeme]

Thanks Chris

About six years ago my (Toronto) GP found some sort of 49%-51% borderline reading and sent me off to Mt Sinai (Toronto) for 12 stringy extracts; one of those showed something, but it wasn't fearsome, so I came home and continued bottling jam and writing VBA.

The Gleeson Test is a good measure of borderline readings in biopsy results.

Back to selfish: I hope for a speedy and permanent recovery for you; I still need much astrological mentoring from my tutor!

Sorry, I don't know much about astrology!

[Graeme]

Best wishes for a good outcome from the treatment

Thanks Stuart.

[Graeme]

Oh this is such sad news! I am new to this forum but still this already made me feel sad for you.
I just posted a follow-up on your HTML question, I understand that you would prefer to continue the way you did it.
Would you like to have some help with your gallery though? If you would I could set it up with HTML and CSS and all you would have to do is add images and, if you don't feel well, I could pick some things up for you.

Thanks for the offer LL. But it is a labour of love for me at the moment! Having said that I am sure I'll come up with more questions for you before it's finished.