I was diagnosed with Ca prostate (Gleason 3 + 4) in December 2000 just after I had HoLEP for urinary symptoms. The Ca was found in the tissue sent off after the op for examination under the microscope. After 18 months of Active Surveillance I elected to have HIFU to treat the areas seen on the regular multiparametric MRIs. I did so because the side effect profile for this struck me as being potentially lower than for many of the alternative options and I had private health insurance cover at the time to pay for it. I now have my PSA every 6 months and am currently able to switch off completely in between given that I have no significant side effects and feel that something definitive has been done which has had a relatively low adverse effect profile, and buys time for if I may need further treatment in the future when hopefully the management will combine increasing success with less adverse effects.
It has had no adverse effects and I understand there is a good chance that nothing further will need to be done.
Yes
I had a mpMRI and transperineal prostate biopsies in mid 2017 following raised PSAs. The biopsies were negative for Ca in all 32 samples. When prostate cancer was diagnosed in December 2020, I was advised to have Active Surveillance given the staging and grading, but this soon became "Anxious Surveillance" and I was not looking to have ongoing biopsies and MRIs with ongoing uncertainty. I felt it best to have some definitive treatment with a relatively low adverse risk profile.
I feel that I have had a treatment which combines a realistic chance that no further treatment will be required with the fact that I have experienced no lasting adverse effects.
Ensure that you are happy with the management option you choose and recognise that with Active Surveillance you can "come off" this and choose another option.
I felt that I was always waiting for the situation to change for the worst
Not sure
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