About Me

Who am I and why am I here

My name is Chris and I am a 61 year old male. I have a multitude of hobbies but first and foremost are pool, motorcycles, and photography. Not in any particular order. I live in Omaha Nebraska and have a wonderful support group of family and friends. I am not a big fan of the winter months because of my addiction of riding my Harley (2008 FatBoy). Anyways, in November of 2024 my life changed forever after my cancer diagnosis. Many years ago I had another website called MyHopeSpace, it was more of a social networking website dedicated to those who have been dealt the cancer card. I was surprised that the domain name was still available and since my recent diagnosis with Prostate Cancer I wanted to use this opportunity to tell my story and maybe create a place of information sharing outside of the normal medical community. I see this website changing as the seasons change and life changes.

How My Journey Started

On November 21st 2024 I had made an appointment to get a new Primary Physician and had a CBC W/Auto Differential blood draw taken. The test results showed that my PSA was fairly high (18.50) and they immediately made an appointment for me with a local Urologist. At my first Urology appointment on December 5th 2024 a blood draw was taken and the results showed my PSA level was (24.60). I was then scheduled for a 12 core prostate biopsy a week later. After receiving the pathology report from the biopsy, the next step was a Skull Base to Mid-Thigh PET/CT Scan on January 20th 2025 at which time I was diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer. Of course this is a thousand foot view of what I went through in those few weeks.

My very first treatment was a loading dose, double shot of Firmagon, 28 days later I was put on Orgovyx which is a daily pill instead of the 6 month shot. I voted for the pills mainly because of price and the 1-2 week injection pain of the shot. Feel free to visit my Blog page for a more detailed view.

Biopsy and Pet Scan Results

Prostate Cancer
Adenocarcinoma
Gleason Score: 8 3+5=8
Grade Group: 3
12 out of 12 cores
69% involvement
Pattern 4 Present
Cribriform Present
Perineural Invasion
PSA: 24.6
Multiple PSMA radiotracer avid iliac lymph nodes concerning for nodal disease

Key Details of Diagnosis

Prostate Cancer, Adenocarcinoma: This confirms the diagnosis of prostate adenocarcinoma, the most common type of prostate cancer, originating from glandular cells.

Gleason Score: 8 (3+5):
The Gleason score assesses how aggressive the cancer looks under a microscope. It’s based on two patterns (grades) of cancer cell growth, ranging from 1 (least aggressive) to 5 (most aggressive).
Here, 3+5=8 means the primary pattern is Grade 3 (moderately abnormal) and the secondary pattern is Grade 5 (highly abnormal). A Gleason 8 is considered high-grade and aggressive.

Grade Group: 3:
Grade Groups (1 to 5) are a newer way to classify prostate cancer based on Gleason scores. Grade Group 3 corresponds to Gleason 8, indicating a higher-risk cancer with a significant chance of progression.

12 out of 12 Cores, 69% Involvement:
This means all 12 biopsy samples (cores) taken from the prostate contain cancer, with an average of 69% of the tissue involved. This suggests a high tumor burden and widespread disease within the prostate.

Pattern 4 Present, Cribriform Present:
Pattern 4 refers to a more aggressive growth pattern (irregular, fused glands). "Cribriform" describes a specific subtype of Pattern 4 where cancer cells form a sieve-like structure. Its presence is associated with worse outcomes and a higher risk of metastasis.

Perineural Invasion:
Cancer cells have invaded the nerves within the prostate. This is a risk factor for cancer spreading beyond the prostate, as nerves can act as pathways.

PSA: 24.6:
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) is a blood marker for prostate health. A level of 24.6 ng/mL is significantly elevated, consistent with advanced prostate cancer, though PSA alone isn’t diagnostic—it correlates with disease extent.

Multiple PSMA Radiotracer Avid Iliac Lymph Nodes:
PSMA (Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen) PET imaging uses a radiotracer to detect prostate cancer spread. "Avid" nodes mean they’re taking up the tracer, strongly suggesting cancer has spread to the iliac lymph nodes (in the pelvis). This indicates nodal metastasis (stage N1).

What This Might Mean:

Stage: Based on the lymph node involvement, this is at least Stage IVa (TNM staging: likely T2/T3, N1, M0), assuming no distant metastases (e.g., bones or organs) are mentioned. If distant mets were found, it’d be IVb.

Risk: This is a high-risk, aggressive cancer due to the Gleason 8, extensive involvement, cribriform pattern, perineural invasion, and nodal spread.
Management: Typically, this could involve a combination of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), radiation, and possibly systemic treatments (e.g., chemotherapy or novel hormonal agents). Surgery (prostatectomy) is less common with nodal disease but depends on the case and patient factors.

About Me

Who am I and why am I here

How My Journey Started

Biopsy and Pet Scan Results

Key Details of Diagnosis

This website uses cookies.