SASKATOON, Sask. — Hearing a prostate cancer diagnosis is a life-changing experience, as it alters a person’s outlook, health, treatment plans and daily living. This is what happened to Glen Ertell when he received the news almost five years ago.
Ertell joined Prostate Cancer Support Group Saskatoon leader Murray Hill and Saskatchewan Cancer Agency radiation oncologist Dr. Philip Wright during the announcement of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Bit Service Company office.
Ertell said the process began with regular medical monitoring. Every three months, doctors checked his numbers and closely monitored them for changes. In the summer of 2021, those numbers prompted further investigation and eventually a biopsy.
The biopsy confirmed what Ertell had been hoping would not be the case: he had prostate cancer. The diagnosis brought a flood of information and difficult decisions for Ertell and his wife, but it also gave him a new appreciation for family, support and the importance of taking care of his health.
“Well, it's pretty overwhelming information, right, to get to find out that you have been diagnosed with cancer. And if you didn't make the best of every day in your life before, you sure as heck want to start making the best of every day of your life after,” said Ertell.
Immediately following the diagnosis, the couple were given several options for treatment, but Ertell said he quickly reached the conclusion that he wanted to deal with the cancer directly and undergo surgery to get the abnormal cells out.
His family played an important role throughout the process, with his wife, children and sons-in-law there to support him as he navigated the diagnosis, treatment options and recovery. He also spoke with others who had gone through similar experiences, which helped him better understand what lay ahead.
Ertell retired around the time of his treatment and underwent robotic surgery at the hospital. The procedure was successful, although recovery brought its own challenges, and he added that it was better than he expected.
Despite the successful surgery and recovery, Ertell said the cancer journey did not simply end when he left the hospital. Follow-up appointments, monitoring and additional health concerns have continued to be part of his life, showing that cancer patients like him and their families can continue to face uncertainty even after treatment is completed.
Through the experience, Ertell said the support surrounding him has been one of the most important parts of his recovery. He encouraged others facing a cancer diagnosis to seek information, talk to people who have experienced it and lean on their families rather than trying to navigate the process alone.
For Ertell, the experience has reinforced the importance of paying attention to health checks and acting when doctors recommend further testing. His message is straightforward: a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, but treatment, support and a positive outlook can make the journey more manageable.
More options, better outcomes
Wright said advances in prostate cancer treatment over the past decade have given patients a wider range of options, helping doctors manage the disease while focusing on both longevity and quality of life, including for those men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery or radiation.
In the past, a rising prostate-specific antigen level would often indicate the cancer had returned, with hormone therapy used as the primary treatment, which lowers testosterone. That approach remains important, but advances over the past 15 years have added new ways to build on hormonal treatment.
“There are additional options to advance that hormonal therapy. There have been improvements in chemotherapy treatment,” said Wright, who added that improvements in chemotherapy and other therapies have expanded the options available to men whose cancer progresses.
Wright said radiation treatment has also become more precise and pointed out stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT, which allows doctors to deliver a high dose of radiation to a targeted area while limiting exposure to surrounding tissue.
He said the broader range of treatments means patients can receive therapies tailored to where and how their cancer is progressing. He pointed to radium-223 as a treatment used in certain cases involving cancer that has spread to the bones and said it can help with painful bone metastases.
Newer targeted treatments, including Pluvicto, can be used for some men with prostate cancer that has spread to lymph nodes or bones. Treatment progress is reflected in survival statistics, although Wright cautioned against using population-level figures to predict an individual patient's outcome.
He said five-year survival for men diagnosed with prostate cancer and receiving treatment can be in the 90 per cent range, with some figures reaching about 92 per cent. Those statistics come from clinical trials that follow patients for defined periods to compare the effectiveness of different treatments.
“Regardless of what stage someone is at and their response to treatment, we try to get treatments available to help someone live longer, to live better, to live a higher quality of life, and also a longer amount of life,” Wright said.
Early awareness and diagnosis remain important parts of that effort, as identifying prostate cancer earlier can give patients and physicians more opportunities to consider treatment. At the cancer clinic, several physicians treat prostate cancer each week, helping distribute patients and appointments.
“Our goal is always to see them as soon as we can,” Wright said, adding that the number of available appointments and treatment spaces means there is not necessarily an instantaneous surge in demand, as doctors consider factors including the stage of the cancer and a patient's symptoms when determining who needs to be seen sooner.
Support group facing diagnosis together
Hill, a prostate cancer survivor, said that for men diagnosed with prostate cancer, the fear and uncertainty that come with the diagnosis can be difficult to face alone. Hill said a local support group is helping men find a sense of community and a place to talk openly about their experiences.
Hill said many men arrive at their first meeting feeling nervous or afraid, unsure of what to expect from a room filled with other people dealing with the same disease. From there, he added, newcomers can ease into the group at their own pace.
“The support group, we really try hard to make it a friendly and inclusive place. People come to the meeting nervous or afraid. And they'll get met at the door by some of the guys, and they'll invite them over to sit at their table,” said Hill.
“They start talking and just socializing and then work their way into it. And then they realize that once they get in there, everybody in the room has got prostate cancer. So, it takes away that sort of stigma that you have coming in the door.”
He said conversations often begin with simple socializing before men become more comfortable discussing their cancer experiences, and one of the most powerful aspects of the group is seeing the relief on a man's face when he realizes he is not facing the disease by himself.
“You can see the weight lifted from somebody's shoulders when they realize they're not alone. That's the hardest part about getting a diagnosis of cancer of any kind, prostate cancer or any kind. You feel sick. You feel alone,” said Hill, who added that a cancer diagnosis can leave people feeling isolated and vulnerable.
Hill also pointed to major advances in prostate cancer treatment, saying the options available to men today are dramatically different from those available when the support group was first established. Treatments have become more targeted, while surgery has moved from traditional open procedures to robotic-assisted techniques.
He said newer approaches, including focal therapies such as nano-knife, are also emerging, and drug treatments continue to evolve, giving men more options for managing the disease. However, early detection and communication remain critical. He urged men to speak with their health-care providers about prostate cancer and, if diagnosed, to talk with their families.
