Treatment
The waiting question is interesting. I was required to wait 6-8 weeks after biopsy, which would put the procedure smack in Christmas week. I decided to put off the surgery another month so as to still have the vacation and family time, and to get my job situation squared away in January. Must admit to being a little nervous about this, imagining the disease progressing wildly during the extra month. I sought some reassurance from a couple of sources:
The "Ask Arthur" column on ProstateCancerInfoLink.com replied to my query about waiting: "In such cases, a deferral of treatment for a few months is rarely associated with any significant increase in risk for disease progression. Can it be ruled out with 100% certainty? No. It can't."
My surgeon hedged a little bit more, stating: "Risk is considered low and cancer is considered slow growing, but cancer is never predictable and we don’t know the exact grade or amount until the gland is out. Generally, we accept a 2-3 mo wait on surgery. Again, fairly low chance that 1 month later will make a difference, but this is ultimately up to you."
The "Ask Arthur" column on ProstateCancerInfoLink.com replied to my query about waiting: "In such cases, a deferral of treatment for a few months is rarely associated with any significant increase in risk for disease progression. Can it be ruled out with 100% certainty? No. It can't."
My surgeon hedged a little bit more, stating: "Risk is considered low and cancer is considered slow growing, but cancer is never predictable and we don’t know the exact grade or amount until the gland is out. Generally, we accept a 2-3 mo wait on surgery. Again, fairly low chance that 1 month later will make a difference, but this is ultimately up to you."