Prostate Cancer Support Group

I am sorry to hear about your dad. I have advanced prostate cancer and was diagnosed in May 2005. All 12 cores of the biopsy had cancer 2 up to 75%, witha PSA of 23.5 and a Gleason of 7. Nine months after radiation my cancer returned. I refused formal treatment and went holistic. Today I am getting healthier each day with my approach. I was able to lower my PSA holistically from 2.39 to 0.45, the last 7 PSA blood test have declined from the prior. I am not saying don't have formal treatment but your dad may need additional help. According to web MD their is no cure for advanced prostate cancer. That being said check out my web site www.alternativeprostatecancer.com
You may need to think outside the box. My book is about my expierences and how I found my approach. When I wrote the book my PSA was 0.82 today its 0.45. I still have my prostate and I am not on any drugs or hormone treatment. I pray this gives you hope. there is life after advanced prostate cancer.
All the best
Dan

I just want to add that aggressive means the shape etc of the cells. The two scans are to determine if there is any sign of the CA outside the prostate. If not, one can still have any of the conventional treatments, or even HIFU. If it has spread, it is as skidan said.

Thanks Dan and Jeff for the info. Yes, I am aware that *aggressive* doesn't indicate how far advanced the cancer is or whether it has spread to other organs or tissue. That's why the scans this week are so important. Unfortunately I have not spoken to his doctor and don't have the details from the biopsy that I would have asked for. My Dad and his wife don't have any medical training or experience and didn't know to ask for additional info. I didn't want to burden Dad by pushing him to ask questions he may not be ready to face, so I will be there when he gets the results of the scans and discusses his treatment options. I really appreciate the holistic/natural info and the website Dan. I will definitely take all this info with me to give to my father when we go up next weekend. Thanks again!!!

The cat scan and bone scan will only tell you if there is a mass. Those tests don't pick up cancer cells unless there is a mass, there can be cancer cells too small for detection. What makes prostate cancer advanced is that its not confined to the prostate gland. My cancer was not confined but both those tests came back negative. My cancer was in the surrounding tissues and nerves. The most important number is the Gleason. It tells you how advanced the cancer is rom a scale of 2 to 10, 10 being most aggressive. Move slowly and do your research, it sounds like your dad might have a high gleason which usually indicates the cancer is not confined. Surgery will not cure advanced prostate cancer therefore he would need additional treatment like radiation and hormones. Recovery from one treatment is tough enough, the side effects can be nasty. Recovering from 2 treatments is very hard on you. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.
Dan

Thanks again Dan! I wish I had more info, but for now all I know is that the urologist used the word *aggressive* not advanced. We don't know if the cancer is contained in the prostate or not and we don't have the Gleason score. These are things my dad and his wife didn't know to ask. That is why I plan to be there next Monday when he gets the results. I am doing lots of research. I am a nurse so I hope I between my training and experience and the research I will know what to ask. I'll be in touch when I know more. Thanks!!!!