My first hand experience with Prostate Cancer has been positive in that my PSA is less than 0.1 and has been for several years. I do not remember when I was diagnosed but over a period of a year or so my PSA went from <2.5 to 14.something. It bounced all over for a couple of years and I did have three needle biopsies all of which showed the same level of cancer. My oncologist told me that they had no idea why my count varied so much but just to be safe, he suggested the 40 days of radiation. It appears to be a success but it does have it's disadvantages.
In the first appointment with the oncologist, he laid out a probable course of action and inaction and he mentioned five methods of treatment. What I remember there was first, do nothing, radiation, implant radio active seeds, or surgery. I tried to explain to him that of all the options he presented the only one I was not in any way shape or form interested in was radiation. At that time I did not know anyone who had cancer and was subjected to radiation that did not die from the originally diagnosed form of cancer. I had no desire to go through what they had gone through. During the next few months I was examined or met with the "experts" in each method and all three said the same thing, I was not a candidate for that procedure. That left "Do Nothing" or "Radiation".
Knowing what I know today, I would have gone outside my HMO and paid out of pocket for the removal via the DaVinci method or have chosen to do nothing. My second choice would have been "Do Nothing". After I was declared cancer free I was finally told I only had a 20 to 25 percent chance that it would reoccur.
I have not felt that radiation was in anyway a good choice. I have refused ever having a PSA test again and against my wishes when I have a blood test for any reason, without my knowledge or permission the lab always runs a PSA test. I don't care what it says and I don' think it is a good indicator of anything other than MDs don't know what else to do. Being alive is nice but being alive and living with the effects of high levels of radiation for 40 days sucks.