my brother just found out he has stage 3 prostate cancer.Does anyone know anything about this?
It has spread to his lynoids (spelling?) He goes for a bone scan today. I am so scared..didn't sleep at all..Everything I'm reading is so scary..Thanks for any information you can give me.
Cancer - 6 Answers
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1 :
My Dad had it and with treatment lived a long time. My brother was diagnosed early and is free and clear now. There are more issues that go with it that would determine how serious this is. It's hard to say without more details. Depending on whether he has cancer cells or tumors he will likely need radiation or chemo. Sounds much scarier than it is. He will in all likelihood be ok but he needs to stay positive and so do you. If he has tumors that can't be removed they will use radiation to shrink them. If he has tumors that can be removed they will use chemo to kill any cancer cells left behind. It's a long illness but it's not as deadly as it once was. He will have physical problems that will make him cranky - not just from the treatment but because of where the prostate is and what it affects. Look up all the gory details for a better idea. Remember that no 2 people suffering from cancer will experience the same things so don't read the horror stories and freak out and don't read the wonderful ones and think everything's fine. Find a middle ground to be realistic. Good luck. It's as hard on the loved ones as it is on the patient.
2 :
go to this website: http://www.urologychannel.com/prostatecancer/prostate_stage3.html
3 :
Stage 3 prostate cancer is very treatable.. If it has spread to bones/liver then the prognosis goes way down.
4 :
Do you mean lymph nodes? If so, it is not a stage 3 it is a stage 4. Depending on the outcome of his bone scan, Gleason score, PSA and his age, it is possible for him to live with this for several years.
5 :
I've got the same problem. Surgery was December 2007. Started Hormone injections in April 2008 and everything is fine. Lots of side effects but I'm alive. Good luck to your Brother.
6 :
your brother will understand these numbers. I had a PSA of 377, my Gleason was 9 and the TNM was at almost 4. After 8 weeks of radiation the PSA is .4 and I have to get shots of Lupron for several years and further treatment when that stops working. He will have to make some life changes in what he eats and drinks. He should begin an exercise program to help keep his body fit. His Dr. may or may not want to remove the prostate. If he does I recomend having it done by a live surgeon rather than a machine. The treatments are not painful but there are sideeffects that are irritating to say the least. Allow me to suggest a web site-- Johns Hopkins.com. I found all the answers to all the questions I had at this site. Tell him not to freak out as that will just add to the irratition of this problem. We who have it know that at some point we realize that we should have got the digital exam sooner except for the problem men have with that. Any man reading this listen up, if there is a history of any male family member having this cancer in your family then get the digital exam at age 40 and every year after that. If there is no history then get the digital exam at age 50 and every other year after that. As we age this cancer is a very real possibility for all men, so get over the stigma of the digital exam and get it because your life is more important than that exam is uncomfortable. I was 63 when I finally got tired of the problems I was having and got the digital exam. The Dr. told me later that had I put it off any longer all he could have done for me was to tell me to get my paperwork in order. Tell your brother to hang in and do not give in to this cancer but to follow the Doctors advice and keep in mind that this is a slow cancer and the sooner the treatments begin the better it will be for him in the long run. I hope I have helped to alleviate the stress of his problem. Good luck to him and one last note, the people in his circle of family and friends will need to give him moral support and help him through these next few months while he begins to understand and accept his situation. Again, good luck to you " brother".
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