Prostate Treatment Need Quote

[rocky123]

Been told by AA nsurance in Pattaya I need to get quotes for Prostate cancer treatment before they pay bangkok pat prices. After my biop and gleeson score of 6 doc say need MRI and bone scan then decide on what treatment. SO where is the best place and what the price for Bracitheropy ect. I am 52 and had a PSA of 16, thats why i had biop. Now shiting myself so please advise. Cheers guys.

[Bagwan]

I Googled and came up with this.

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Every year there are about one million prostate biopsies carried out in the United States alone, of which about 25 percent show the presence of prostate cancer. However, another 25 percent of these biopsies also produce false negative results, which means that a quarter of those men undergoing a prostate biopsy are being cleared by their biopsy, despite the fact that they do in fact have prostate cancer.

These results do not means that there is anything wrong with the prostate biopsy procedure as a tool for identifying prostate cancer, but it does mean that there is a need to identify those patients who, despite returning a negative result, are at high risk from prostate cancer and should therefore undergo a second follow-up biopsy.

Until now there has been no simple way of identifying patients at risk, however, a recent study of more than 500 patients being investigated for prostate cancer may provide a solution.

All of the men in the study group had previously received a negative biopsy result and researchers found that when they looked at both a patient's prostate specific antigen (PSA) test results and adjusted this for the size of the prostate gland they were able to identify those patients who were more likely to receive a positive result on a follow-up biopsy.

The researchers also discovered that a Gleeson score of 7 or higher suggested the presence of a life-threatening prostate cancer and the need for a further biopsy. The Gleeson score, which runs on a scale between 2 and 10, is derived from a microscopic investigation of biopsy tissue, with a low score indicating a cancer with a low risk of spread and a high score indicating a cancer which is more likely to spread.

A prostate biopsy is an expensive procedure and one which can also be very worrying for the patient. It can also be a painful procedure which can be accompanied by bleeding and patients run the risk of infection following the biopsy. For these reasons it is in everyone's interest to identify those patients for whom a second biopsy is advisable and to reduce as far as possible the number of unnecessary follow-up biopsies being performed each year.

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PSA test is almost useless. It is wildly inaccurate. My PSA has been between 12.5 and 14 for the past 10 years. I have undergone 2 biopsies and they were both clear. The last paragraph of the above Googled report in no way mirrors my experience. The procedure was quite painless and I was given antibiotics afterwards to ward of any possible infection. I was a little sore the following day.

Chemical orchidectomy is often recommended since testosterone feeds prostate cancers. IMO shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Bear in mind that Thai doctors are not unknown to indulge in gouging. Shop around and you will find charges can vary considerably.

[padfoot]

Bagwan, I'm sorry to hear of your cancer. I went through that about 6 1/2 years ago. I did the radiation seed therapy and have been cancer free since then. My last PSA was negligible and I don't go back for another check for a year. I know several other men who have been through the same thing and they are cancer free. You are lucky in that you found this early. The earlier it is discovered the better. I was fortunate in that aspect, also in having one of the men who invented this treatment doing the surgery. My best wishes to you as you go through your cancer treatment.

[bratpack]

ROCKY,

Realy hope everything goes well for you and 52 is no age to be having problems.Makes me feel very stupid sometimes when i have a moan about little problems in Thailand but we should all think that health is by far the most important thing in life.

good luck mate,and keep your chin up.

Best wishes

[bratpack]

Rocky,

forgot to say,the queen sirikit hospital is very good and better priced then bk/pattaya or the one off pattaya klang.This hospital is on the way to Rayong i think,just after sattahip.

[Sheryl]

Rocky,

Putting aside the insurance issue for a moment:

With what is at stake I think you really ought to get treatment in Bangkok. Brachytherapy is a fiarly new approach and you really should be sure you have someone who is fully trained and up to date. Also, as there are pros and cons to every treatment option, you really want a doctor you cvan talk to who will give you the straight facts and respect your need to be theu ltimate decsiion maker.

Dr. Thanoo at Samitivej peerfromed brachy on a close friend of mine who was very pleased with him, other TV members have also recommeneded him. In addition there is a urologist at Bumrungrad some have recommeneded, forget his name but it is in thep inned notices under looking for a Urologist.

The hospitals in Bkk will likely not cost anymore and may even cost slightly less than Bangkok Oattaya. Nonetheless, this isn't going to come cheap. Be prepared to fight with the insurance company or even pay the difference yourself if need be tio ensure whatever treatment you decide on is done by the very best.

[Bagwan]

Bagwan, I'm sorry to hear of your cancer. I went through that about 6 1/2 years ago. I did the radiation seed therapy and have been cancer free since then. My last PSA was negligible and I don't go back for another check for a year. I know several other men who have been through the same thing and they are cancer free. You are lucky in that you found this early. The earlier it is discovered the better. I was fortunate in that aspect, also in having one of the men who invented this treatment doing the surgery. My best wishes to you as you go through your cancer treatment.

Huh? I'm as fit as a butcher's dog.

[padfoot]

Bagwan, sorry about that; I intended that for rocky.