Originally Posted by
OldTryGuy
Appreciate the link. Do you have first hand experience using the 3TmpMRI regarding PCa scanning? At issue is since a urologist can not perform a MRI in her/his office their TRUS services takes precedent. IMO and others, this has to change since the MRI SCAN can show if a biopsy needs to be performed. Those using it are finding missed GL7 and higher after a TRUS has been used. The TRUS found GL9 in my case with Dr. Onik's saturation transperineal 3D Prostate Mapping Biopsy yielding GL10 that was missed by the TRUS. A MRI would have revealed the greater extent of my cancer but of course not the fact that it was GL10. Are not some scanning and treatments being used for years in Europe and proving to be successful finally receiving FDA and insurance approval?
In my case, the TRUS , 16 sample biopsy, showed Gleason (3+4)=7 and MRI showed the cancer confined to the prostate. I took my time and got three opinions on treatment: the first was IMRT + brachytherapy, the second all kinds of additional pre-tests, which I thought unnecessary and being done only for the money, followed by IMRT and brachytherapy, and the third at Moffitt Cancer Center, where the doc said that subject to his seeing the actual biopsy slides, he would recommend active surveillance. i.e. do nothing other than a PSA every 6 months. However, after Moffitt detected Gleason 5 in the biopsy slides, he told me I should go with the radiation and seeding, but that I would not need all the pre-tests. So I went with the first option and so far, 3 years on, I am very pleased with the result.
So, once diagnosed, I recommend getting at least a second opinion on treatment.