NHS or private health?

Some consider  gleason score of 3+3 as precancerous rather than cancer so there is a risk of over treatment ?

Do  you drink  cows milk and consume alot of saturated fat - there are many things you can easily switch in your diet to try to  prevent pca from progressing 

Edited by member 07 Jan 2025 at 09:56  | Reason: Not specified

Hi JohnnyReal.

I'm sorry to see that youve had to join our club, but welcome to the forum mate.

Four years ago, I was diagnosed Gleason 6 (3+3), T2c. I was on active surveillance for almost 2 years before they discovered disease progression. This link tells my story:

https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/posts/t29997-T2c-disease-and-active-surveillance

On hindsight, as I now know it is very rare for a true Gleason score to get worse, I believe I was unlucky and that my initial biopsy missed the more aggressive cancer cells.

Active surveillance is increasingly being used to try and prevent over treatment.

https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/prostate-cancer-active-surveillance-increasing

Although my AS failed, the majority do not. If this option is offered to you, please just ensure, particularly with a T2c staging  that you are properly monitored. 

Good luck mate 👍 

Edited by member 07 Jan 2025 at 15:30  | Reason: Typo

Hi Adrian- i wanted to thank you for many of your comments and messages here. i have been following the site since RP on November 19th and reading peoples experiences and treatment. it has been very encouraging to read people's experiences and the support through messages.

i had been on surveillance from 2021 to summer 2024; i had opted to go private and new results came in and the consultant said that the cancer was 'misbehaving' and needed to get going with treatment. at that time it was Stage 1-2; 3 cores 4,3, but fully contained. however after surgery, there was another area that had been high grade PIN that in the space of 12 months on the NHS had progressed into the seminal vesical duct route from the base of the prostate but with otherwise fully clear capsule, and neurosafe allowed full nerve sparing. biopsy showed full clear margins, no node involvement. i was shocked to hear the seminal issue as this hadnt been detected. i face the PSA test next week to assess how its gone, and im more anxious now than before surgery, and other biopsy/MRI scans..!

interestingly, during all my consultant meetings, i always asked "what would you do, if you were me" and this allowed me to understand what the consultant would do. obviously not always the best choice but we had developed trust and there was always time to discuss things. i also knew more due to my dads own diagnosis in 2021 and we lost him to PC in 2022. the consultant also drew things for me and also talked through the scans, my 23mm urethra (which he was pleased about). i was aware that the consultants approach was "i am a cutting man, my man, where possible" and he had conducted 3000+ robot and around 60 single point robotic surgeries. i was able to have single point robotic surgery and back at work just before christmas. 

thanks 

Hi gee_baba - i asked about HiFu also, thinking and reading that it was possibly an easier and less intrusive option. the NHS consultant in the brief five minutes he spared me said possibly but wasn't sure. when i went to the private consultant, he said i could look into it but felt that with the grading of what they had found albeit small, he felt that there was a high chance there would be other satellite PC - he said rarely one area. he had prefaced his conversations with him being a PS surgeon and that his primary course of action for me, at my age, (51) and being in his words very fit and healthy was surgery. he was concerned that hifu and other local therapy options woudl lead me to more treatments, more biopsy and MRI work. He added was closely following the whole aspect of the treatments, that it wasnt widely supported but that he was open and in dialogue. as mentioend before, i asked what he'd do! the consultant rehab meetings (yes, i didnt know there was a hting until went private) talked about single versus multi port, and i asked her what she would do, and she said if i was her brother or husband she'd go single port due to recovery time and being back up and running. but with all of these things, its very specific to individuals, health, history and mental approach (and the consultant!). i had made clear that after 3 years of AS and a change, i wanted physical removal as primary treatment. 

i havent read anywhere that GL 3,3 isn't cancer but more likely to be watched under Active Surveillance. interestingly, my first biopsy found 3 cores of 3,3 and the year later biopsy only showed 2 cores of only a small area of 4, and coudln't be classified properly. the consultant said the accuracy of the cores and positioning means that there are 5mm gaps around core samples so small areas can be missed.my next biopsy showed an area of 4,3.  i'm unsure of the numbers of upgrading, but my experience was that the GL was 4,3 at my last biopsy and after RP they discovered small ductal spread into the seminal vesicals. i had lived in hope that my PC was slow or low grade but it was starting to change at the end of a 3 year period. 

Edited by member 08 Jan 2025 at 10:01  | Reason: Not specified

We are veering away from Mark61's question which was - will private treatment be more or less than NHS treatment 

All links to  GS 6 prognosis  so far have cited US data