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Is "no treatment" a "treatment"?

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User
Posted 13 Sep 2021 at 17:05

I have just had a telephone consultation with my oncologist.  Three months ago she took me off prostap (and cyproterone) to see if my PSA would spike and suggest any active cancer that needed additional treatment.  The only treatment this has left me with is basically tamsulosin.

Today she said that my PSA hadn't changed from 3 months ago, stable at 0.5.  My testosterone had doubled, but from a very low level after three years of prostap.

She wants to wait another three months until the next blood test and see what happens then.

Anyone else getting this?

Also, my meandering Cancer blog has been updated at https://stewart124.wordpress.com/the-prostate-thing-22-unforeseen-consequences/

User
Posted 13 Sep 2021 at 18:04
Well counterintuitive though it may seem, sometimes taking men off treatment can give cancer a jolt causing it to pause for a period of time while it gets used to the changed situation. So you are clearly not having any active treatment for a time but this is sometimes an option that your onco thinks is worth giving a try until your cancer has adapted to the change and active treatment is resumed.
Barry
User
Posted 13 Sep 2021 at 18:18
Don't know your original to staging but assuming you are on a curative path this is normal treatment in protocol.
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User
Posted 13 Sep 2021 at 17:54

That sounds very sensible to me (I assume you still have a prostate). Do you know what your testosterone is doing, I would think it will take many months to come back to normal, then if the PSA gets to nadir plus 2 something may need to be done, if it doesn't then you may live a happy life with no further treatment. If PSA does increase maybe ADT will need to be started and can be used intermittently.

Dave

User
Posted 13 Sep 2021 at 17:59

Hi Dave, thanks for the reply.

I am trying to feel reassured that this whole episode is really good news... but this is cancer we are talking about, so I daren't get complacent about it.

Yes, I do still have a prostate, and it has been zapped by 37 shots of radiotherapy.

PSA nadir was 0.1 nine months ago.  I don't know the exact status of the testosterone, but she just said it had doubled in the past 3 months - from what was, I presume, a very low starting point.  She did say that the hormone imbalance/balance would take a while to level out.  Maybe I'll have a clearer idea in three months' time.

Take care.

Edited by member 13 Sep 2021 at 18:01  | Reason: missed out a point

User
Posted 13 Sep 2021 at 18:04
Well counterintuitive though it may seem, sometimes taking men off treatment can give cancer a jolt causing it to pause for a period of time while it gets used to the changed situation. So you are clearly not having any active treatment for a time but this is sometimes an option that your onco thinks is worth giving a try until your cancer has adapted to the change and active treatment is resumed.
Barry
User
Posted 13 Sep 2021 at 18:18
Don't know your original to staging but assuming you are on a curative path this is normal treatment in protocol.
 
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