PSA rising, back on Hormone treatment

User

Posted 03 Sep 2015 at 20:06

Good evening everyone.

Well I'm back on here after quite a while away.

That's not because I've lost interest, far from it but time goes on and things move on.

My PSA has been rising since completing Radiotherapy in late 2010 and has gone from 0.1 to 11......It has risen quickly over the last 18mths....last September it was 3 and this September it is 11.

I saw my Oncologist this week and now await dates for re scans..Bone and CT scans followed by Bicaltumide and the dreaded Hormone injections...Leuprorolin 3.75mg this time....

I had a chest x-ray this week and now hope that the re-scans go well.

Has anyone else had similar experiences ?

I was first diagnosed in Spring 2009 and underwent Radical Radiotherapy later that year.

My Gleason score was 4+3 =7.......original PSA was 81 the highest reading which reduced to 47 with Casodex before starting Radiotherapy.

11 out of the 12 Biopsies were cancerous....

That's my very quick biography but I would like to hear from anyone... especially anyone who has had a similar experience.

I dread going back on the Hormone treatment after last time when I suffered with several side effects...it was a bad time.

Anyway. that's it....I'm back on here and would appreciate to talk to anyone who is interested.

Regards to all

Dave

User

Posted 03 Sep 2015 at 21:23

Hello, sorry I can't offer much except a friendly ear as I've not opted to go down the hormone route, I'm sure someone will be along soon to pass on their experiences....

Duncan

User

Posted 03 Sep 2015 at 22:10

Hi Dave,

Just wanted to say welcome back but I'm sorry it's because of a PSA rise. I'm sure there will be many here who can give you information and support, I've found that to be the case.

I'm sorry, I'll post again on your thread but I face a difficult day tomorrow would rather write when I've not got so much on my mind.

Try not to worry.

Steve

User

Posted 03 Sep 2015 at 22:21

Hi Dave,

Unfortunately you are in a somewhat similar position to me. I had RT in in 2008 but by 2010 my PSA began to rise slowly but persistently. (This can be because the RT did not kill all the cancer cells or because cancer cells have reestablished in the prostate. It can also be because some cancer cells escaped and established themselves elsewhere.)

Extensive scans I had this year showed cancer in the Prostate and I had this treated at UCLH with HIFU which has hopefully dealt with that. However, scans also revealed cancer in an iliac lymph node and the only way UCLH proposed to deal with this is by HT. They gave me a syringe of Zoladex and a Bicalutamide precursor if I chose to start it. But I wish to have this node treated more aggressively if possible, so I reverted to the Marsden who had referred me to UCLH for the HIFU. The Marsden said they would like to see my scans and might be able to remove the offending node or treat it will Cyberknife, (a more precise way of delivering RT) but meanwhile NOT to start HT! Having experienced 8 months of Zoladex previously, I want to avoid this for as long as possible so will see what my alternatives will be at my consultation later this month.

So treatment depends on where recurrent cancer is found, in how many places and how much there is of it. HIFU is a possible treatment for cancer in the Prostate and very occasionally a prostate can be removed after RT if a surgeon can be found who will do the much more difficult Prostatectomy after RT. Cryotherapy is another possibility. But if the cancer has spread to more places than can be dealt with appropriately, HT looms to treat systemically.

Edited by member 03 Sep 2015 at 22:24 | Reason: Not specified

Barry

User

Posted 05 Jul 2016 at 12:25

Similar to the OP -

original diagnosis 2005, RT 2006 followed by 2 yrs Zoladex.

Then no significant problems until 2015 when peeing rapidly became too frequent and very protracted.

Put on Tamsulosin to relax bladder muscles which helped a lot .

PSA had slowly risen to 4 over the intervening years but then doubled to 8 in three months.

Bladder scans showed Prostate was pushing into the wall of the bladder but the judgement was that it had not metastased to the bladder,

although no bladder biopsy done.

Put on Casodex for 3 weeks, and Zoladex started after 2 wks.

Side effects for the first two months were far worse than on my previous 10 yrs ago (although my memory is not that good).

Seems the side effects have reduced a little now but am very tempted to give the Zoladex a miss for six months.

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