My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is 59. The doctor said his cancer is high risk, but he'll be okay if he gets a shot every month that slows down the cancer. How long could he live or how long do most live with high risk prostate cancer?
Cancer - 4 Answers
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The only shot at curing prostate cancer is to have it removed. I don’t know what he means by “high risk�. High risk for what? Maybe you mean high grade? Maybe you need to ask the doctor? Most prostate cancers are slow growing, but if it is high grade it probably is not. Men can live with prostate cancer 20 years or more.
2 :
In prostate cancer If possible, Radical prostatectomy is the best option with very good long term survival with good quality of life.Robotic radical prostatectomy has minimal morbidity. Your Dad is not that old where surgery is contraindicated. The stage of the disease seems to be advanced that may be the reason for his Doc to advise chemo. You need to talk to Doc. for this and or you can take second opinion from Uro oncosurgeon.
3 :
By high risk I'm assuming that the Doctor means high Gleason score. The Gleason score indicates how aggressive or fast growing the cancer is. If the cancer is confined to the prostate it is curable. If it has spread beyond the prostate there is no known cure as of yet. It has to be controlled or slowed down. This is usually done by androgen deprivation, such as receiving a monthly shot of Lupron or a similar androgen blocking drug. This normally works wonderfully for a couple of years or longer. Unfortunately the cancer over time will start to grow again. Then chemotherapy is started. Chemo was never thought to be useful against prostate cancer, however it has been found recently that Taxotere and Estramustine can be highly effective. Others are currently being tried also. Provenge is a new vaccine therapy that has just been approved by the FDA but it's extremely expensive and only increases median life expectancy by 2 months. Prostate cancer usually spreads to the bones, especially the spine. In that case radiation can be useful to kill the cancer metastases. It's about at much fun as the Chemo. Sorry for the longwinded answer but I've been researching it for years. My Dad was diagnosed at age 59 also back in 1999 with a Gleason 9 and just past away 2 weeks ago at 70. So even with a high Gleason it is possible to live a long time. And many there are many promising treatments in clinical trials right now so hang in there and good luck to your Dad and you!
4 :
The shot is probably Lupron. I get a shot every three months instead of once a month. He may have to decide what treatment to under go. It may be 8 weeks of radiation or kemo. He will be talking to his Dr. and they will come up with a plan that is best for you father. Every male over 50 should get a digital exam and those with a family history of any male relative, father, brother, uncle should get the exam at age 40. And ask for a blood test caled PSA. Prostate cancer is no fun and I know what I am talking about because I have it. My PSA was 377 when I had the test and after treatment it went down to .4 . Don't give up Dad. Go to a websight at JohnsHopkins.com . You will find a lot of info you may want. Good luck to you.
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