New Member Denny

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group, !

I note that in your application you wrote:

" recently diagnosed at stage T3, I am 59 with a gleason score

4+3=7 and a

PSA of 5.0 Anticipating radical prostectomy in Feb. "

I urgently recommend that you slow down and take a critical look

at your diagnosis before selecting a treatment.

Here's why: A Gleason score of 4+3 is on the fine edge of

high-risk, and I believe that it would be prudent to have the

biopsy specimens evaluated by an expert. Insurance covers the cost.

Everything that is done from here on depends upon the accuracy of

the Gleason

scoring. It is critical.

Here is a list of such labs:

Bostwick Laboratories [800] 214-6628

Dianon Laboratories [800] 328-2666 (select 5 for client services)

Jon Epstein (s Hopkins) [410] 955-5043 or [410] 955-2162

Jon Oppenheimer (Tennessee) [800] 881-0470

Lucia (303)724-3470

This is a " second opinion " and should be covered by

insurance/Medicare. The cost, last I heard, was about $500. More

if further tests, which might be prudent, are ordered.

The chosen lab can give instructions on shipment arrangements.

In civilized jurisdictions, those specimens are the property of

the patient and not the medic nor the lab. Sometimes it is

necessary to educate them on that point.

The report of the clinical stage is incomplete. It should read

" T3_, the last position being a lower-case letter such as a, b,

etc. This is also critical.

But " T3 " clearly means that the tumor has breached the wall of

the prostate gland and that there may be PCa (prostate cancer)

cells loose. This is serious, but not necessarily awful IF proper

tx (treatment) is applied.

See, generally, the Prostate Cancer Research Institute at

http://www.prostate-cancer.org/pcricms/ and for the clinical

stage matter,

http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/staging/Pinchot_Clinical_Stage.html

Caveat! The PCRI strongly states, " T3 disease is not likely to be

cured with RP. Such patients are best treated with prolonged ADT

and with RT consolidation to the prostate and regional tissues. "

I urgently recommend that you consult a true cancer expert, a

medical oncologist; preferably one who is well-trained in tx of

PCa. Geographically, where are you?

Regards,

Steve J

" Empowerment: taking responsibility for and authority over one's own

outcomes based on education and knowledge of the consequences and

contingencies involved in one's own decisions. This focus

provides the

uplifting energy that can sustain in the face of crisis. "

--Donna Pogliano, co-author of _A Primer on Prostate Cancer_,

subtitled

" The Empowered Patient's Guide. "