Tuesday, May 24, 2011
REVIEWING AN OLD DECISION
I hate the term but, the truth is, I am a cancer survivor. It sounds so breathless. Or something.
I was diagnosed with PC in 1996 when I was 59 and opted for treatment. First decision. Then, because I could and because I am surgery averse, I chose radiation treatment. Second decision.
I have been cancer free for 15 years. Five is considered enough.
Whatever they tell you, the aftermath of a cancer treatment does not end with the removal of the cancer no matter how happy that might make us feel.
There are problems with both potency and bladder control that, for some people, are severe. I missed "severe" but I am not without collateral damage. All manageable.
So the decision to get treatment is one which is very important.
One's age has always been a consideration for PC. Older men who have it will most likely not die of it. It is a very slow moving cancer.
On the other hand, younger men who get it need to be treated immediately if not sooner as the cancer is very fast moving. Think Frank Zappa.
The problem with prostate cancer is that it will spread to all the parts you see in the diagram. It must be eradicated in time before it moves.
Since my treatment I have thought about the decision I made. I have never doubted that it was the right one but, at the same time, one looks for verification and it has been hard to find.
I was part of a study of after effects. They are slow to evolve with radiation. People who get the surgery have real trouble immediately and then, sometimes, improve. People who get radiation have a slow onset of scarring "down there" and collateral problems.
Now, a new study tells me that I probably did the right thing.
When to Treat Prostate Cancer".
Makes a lot of sense to me. Before 65? Do it. After, think it through. There is no life expectancy advantage.
That is pretty clear, huh?
I am lucky. The damage is moderate. The life appears to be going along pretty well. I am otherwise very healthy.
I still go to the doc for tests. The PSA and the digital. That will probably go on until the end. A study tells about averages it doesn't cover the outliers. But so far, so good.
Incidentally, don't fool around with this. Get the tests done regularly. When you are 65 you can back off if you haven't had it yet.
