Andrews Organ Recital

Organ Recital: a tale of woe, my organs and cancer

(As you get older conversations drift into a comparison of ailments, organs and illnesses. In our family this is called an Organ Recital.)

Or: are you over 45yrs and male? Please monitor your PSA annually

I didn't. I didn't do ill. Until it was too late. PSA>45, stage 3 prostate cancer with very bad histology, inoperable.

You can do different (as the UEA motto says) and monitor your PSA. With PSA<10 what matters most is the doubling time. Doubling times of years might need attention. Doubling times of months are dangerous.

Unexpectedly, I have survived 5.5 years on hormone therapy. Physically it has not been a comfortable period. I shed my academic activities (Head of School, etc.) and focused tightly on the research started when Head of School for which I had grant support, and therefore, post-docs.

Now (June 2013), however the doubling time is one month and I'm hoping chemotherapy will hold it back. And there are side effects of both cancer and the therapy - I've just survived the consequences of a DVT. Time could be tight.