A retired teacher and a committee member of Prostate Cancer Society Malaysia. He was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in August 2018.

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August 2018. After having persistent backache for some time, I visited a physician at the Oriental Hospital in Melaka. My prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 558 ng/ml! Further investigations revealed that my prostate cancer cells (Gleason score 3+4) had spread to the seminal vesicles and several parts of the bone.

I was immediately administered with LUCRIN (a type of hormonal therapy) to block the secretion of hormones feeding the cancer cells. Chemohormonal therapy was my main treatment in UMMC. The chemotherapy worked pretty well with minimal side effects such as occasional constipation, lethargy and some hair loss. The PSA level dropped from 558 to 5.4 ng/ml after the first month of treatment and gradually reached its nadir at 0.4 ng/ml. I am absolutely delighted with this outcome!

To date, I am still continuing the hormonal therapy and maintain the PSA level at 0.58 ng/ml. When I looked back on the early days in 2010-2014, I did experience some signs and symptoms including blood in semen and elevated PSA level of 22. I was advised not to pursue further when the initial prostate biopsy result was negative. Should I insist on regular PSA testing then, would it make a difference in my cancer survivorship?

As a prostate cancer survivor, I believe that regular PSA testing is VERY important for early detection and always seek for a second opinion.

I am currently a member of the Prostate Cancer Society Malaysia. I encourage all prostate cancer to join this society for support and access to new, useful information about prostate cancer.

I was feeling contented during the recent holidays in Europe to celebrate my successful treatment.