Men may be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in one of two ways: Some are initially diagnosed with advanced disease. Some men experience recurring prostate cancer after primary treatment fails them. Although they aren’t the same, we use the terms reoccurring prostate cancer and advanced prostate cancer interchangeably, because the treatments are the same.
“I don’t feel anything, so how can my cancer be so bad?”
Advanced prostate cancer often occurs without physical symptoms. This may sound surprising, but feeling healthy is not a good indicator of how life-threatening your prostate cancer may be. Many men in our Malecare support groups learned of their advanced-stage disease from elevated PSA scores or a suspicious image revealed by scans rather than having experienced any physical symptoms.
About 30% of men who have had primary treatment for prostate cancer eventually experience a return to more evidence of prostate cancer. Even after our doctors assured us that our treatment worked and that we were cancer-free, it came back. Truth is, prostate cancer never left us. The initial treatment failed to remove or destroy all the cancer cells in our bodies. It’s not anyone’s fault. In almost every case, your doctor treated you properly. But, it is a sad, although rarely discussed, fact that prostate cancer treatments are not foolproof. Their long-term effectiveness is unpredictable. Given the state of current medical science, that permanent “cure” that we all hope for is impossible to guarantee.
Cure is not a word that should be in our vocabulary – long-term remission, no evidence of disease, and chronic illness is our goal.
The most common concern is whether the prostate cancer cells have journeyed to distant parts of the body. When cancer cells have moved out of the prostate gland, we refer to this state as metastatic prostate cancer. Metastatic cancer is not a death sentence, though without a proper understanding of the disease, it can sound that way.
Helping you to understand the disease and how to work hand-in-hand with your doctors so that you live a long, happy, and healthy life is our primary goal.
Many men live many years after their prostate cancer is determined to have metastasized. Even men who are experiencing physical symptoms may benefit from treatments that can add many months and years to their lives.
Men experience advanced prostate cancer along a continuum of symptoms. In its more advanced stages, prostate cancer comes along with physical symptoms, including stiffness in the lower back, upper thighs, or hips. Some men feel aches and pains in their bones, which is the most common site for the development of metastasized prostate cancer tumors. Others experience swelling in the ankles (edema) caused by obstructions in blood vessels or lymphatic systems, weight loss, and insufficient red blood cells (anemia).
Now, the good news: you can learn to live a long and enjoyable life with prostate cancer.
Our goal is to teach you about advanced disease so you can get on with enjoying your life. Advanced-stage prostate cancer is serious, but there are excellent treatments available today, and many more are coming in the next few years.