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 for which I had grant support, and therefore, post-docs (no energy for computer vision).

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.