My dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer in April of this year, and at diagnosis time, they said the bladder cancer had spread to the prostate. When they did the RC and removed the bladder and prostate, they discovered he also had prostate cancer but it had not spread to the bladder. Prostate cancer was a surprise as no doctor had ever mentioned that this could even be a possibility. Dad had regular PSA tests, which were always normal. So, how did they miss the prostate cancer and how long had he had it? Which cancer came first?
It was never suggested that he have chemo, either before or after the surgery. The bladder cancer had not invaded the muscle, but the doctor is not sure about the prostate cancer, which he said was near the margins. However, he said that prostate cancer grows very slowly and with my Dad's age (80 at the time) he wasn't concerned about any spread. There was no node involvement. But, since we don't know how long Dad had prostate cancer, how can they be sure it hasn't had time to spread? He didn't have a bone scan before the surgery nor did he have an MRI. Seems to me,lots of things fell through the cracks, including the pre-op bowel prep! So, every ache and pain he has now raises a red flag and a fear that some doctor missed something along the way.