My Dad has been diagnosed with an aggressive prostate cancer and I am really worried?

My Dad is 66 this June and was diagnosed just before Christmas. I have read about different treatments and the fact that men can live with prostate cancer for a long time. He is already on hormone therapy and will start radiotherpay soon. He has results of MRI and bone scans this week. I am so dreading the results.


But I can't seem to find anything that says how long a man is likey to live if the tumour has grown beyond the edge of the prostate, and therefore can't be cured with either radiation or surgery.


I know that they can be treated with hormones that slow the cancer's growth.. but is this likely to give my dad months or years or what?


Please give me some hope - or if not - be honest. Thanks .

My Dad has been diagnosed with an aggressive prostate cancer and I am really worried?
Dear Clazza,





I am sorry, I understand how you worry about how much time is left. Although it may be a very long time 10 years with all the new medications it may be longer with new drugs coming all the time.





I did ask my husband's Doctor this question as well. My husband is 59 diagnosed at 57 with Stage IV Aggressive growing type, outside the margins, outside the seminal vesicle's and into surrounding tissue with a tumor on the bladder neck. Believe me I have scoured the Internet for the life expectancy answer. Some say 7 with what my husband has, some say 10 with the new meds coming. They can tell the Aggressive type by the markers I think.





We all want to know how much time we have left to plan, to do to be together. How many more Christmas's, Birthdays.


It is hard to tell.





I look at it this way. I want everyday with Dean to be wonderful and happy. In 1994 he was in a fire and was burned over 50% of his body. By 7AM my husband was in the Burn Care Unit of a hospital.





Life is short no matter what age God takes us away. I refuse to dwell on this because I learned that no matter what age or what disease we contract our life could be gone. Living in the now moment of life is all we ever really have anyway.





My prayers are with you both. Please do not hesitate to contact me. I am a good listener.
Reply:People can actually live years with prostate cancer, Since he is in treatment, you need to be asking these questions to his doctor so he can give you factual answers based on your father's case.
Reply:It is difficult to know even after the scan results are in. I know people on hormone therapy for a couple years but it is so individual that no one knows-even the Drs dont know. The important thing isnt how long he has left-but rather what quality will he have and that he does what he thinks best after being informed of the prognosis. I salute any physician who says that it cannot be helped with treatment after a certain diagnostic stage. Often I see persons going through hell of treatments even when there is very little chance of success because medicine can sometimes be a business and the medical establishment of course wants to prolong life as much as possible. But I am sorry that I really cannot answer your question. Your father is too young for this and I am very sorry to read your question. I know that you are a caring child and will make these next months or years the very best for him. An interesting site you may like is www.nccn.org and you can enter in the search your question under survival rate statistics
Reply:Look up Proton Bob ... a site on line.. it is about Proton Radiation treatments at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California.. I had prostate cancer and was treated there.. It is the best Prostate Cancer treatment available as far as Im concerned. Loma Linda started using this technique 17 years ago.. It is the most successful treatment there is and has little to no side effects... Three or 4 other places are now offering Proton Radiation due to Loma Lindas success. Oh I am 66 also and absolutely cancer free.





If you look at the website.(Proton Bob)..read the testimonials of men who have had the treatment.. and there are several survivors who were told they only had a short time to live... Your father needs to pursue it.. Ohh some of the places now offering the treatment are MD Anderson in Houston, Texas(just opened), the hospital at Harvard...and one in Indiana.. and one in Florida... Several are being built at this time.. A lot of Urologist dont recommend it because the consider it new... and plus they are not trained in it and dont have the facilities to treat patients for it. So it is an economic issue with them.... Just go to Proton Bob and read the testimonials and you will see what I am talking about.. All of us who have had the treatment feel the same.. we are totally sold on Proton Radiation.. Why not it has about a 90 % cure rate and no side effects to speak of... Medicare and most insurance companies will now pay for it...If you would like more information, please feel free to email me. Ohh Proton Radiation can be directed to specific areas... such as small brain tumors... so it treats only the effected tissue. It is very different from conventional radiation... dont give up on your dad with out checking with Loma Linda University Medical Center.... they have a website also...Also, it makes no difference if your dad has already had some of the other treatments.. I met several people there who had radical surgery and the harmone therapy that didnt work and they were cured with the Proton Radiation.....and one thing i noticed that was rather funny to me.. many urologist wont recommend it to their patients.... but sure were several doctors being treated for Prostate Cancer with Proton Radiation when I was there..as a matter of fact I think several doctors have testimonials on the Proton Bob website
Reply:Sorry for your news. You said your fathers cancer is aggressive that is a concern. And you are right once it has spread it is un operable and incurable stage 4. How do you know its aggressive??? The reason i ask is because my Mum was diagnosed with aggressive kidney cancer last year once discovered it had already spread to her liver and lungs. It 6 weeks the tumours had grown so much there was no point putting her thru treatment. One of the liver tumours (she had 3) Had grown from 3cm to 12cm in less than 6 weeks. Mum pasted away Sept 7 after a 4 month battle aged 60. Need any support contact me. xx
Reply:hello !!!





if you want read something about prostate cancer treatments


i just come accross this blog which may help you :


http://the-prostate-cancer-treatments.bl...