It's been a long year. We were back to the doctor yesterday.
His PSA is far too high for someone whose prostate has been removed (0.58).
Dr. says he wants two tests done: CT Scan and Bone Scan to see if they can pinpoint the prostate cancer cells that remain. This should happen before late October. The last time it was at the Civic, which is a difficult place in which to get a parking spot. sigh. The doctor is the Urologist Specialist at the General. He is very good.
The quickly rising score,PSA 0.28 in early 2014 after surgery, to June 0.46, to this one of 0.58, indicates that it's distant cancer, meaning it has metastasized. The scans will let us know if that is the case, and where it is.
What this will mean is a late October appointment with the doctor to set up a new treatment plan.
Micrometastatic disease, possibly in the lymph nodes or bone. Possibility of local recurrence.
Want to do a CT scan and bone scan to look for possibility of limited diseases.
If see signs of distant disease, put on hormone therapy (androgen therapy – i.e., chemical castration to limit the testosterone in his system).
If not sign, sit tight.
Or radiotherapy for a local treatment. Won't help if it's distance disease, with a Gleason 8 score it is likely metastatic, i.e. spread.
Radiation treatment: 5 days/week for 7 weeks. I just shudder. We live 73km away from the hospital.