Hi
I don't take an active part in this forum these days as between tests I try to get on with my life (a full time job, part time tutoring for the OU, family time and the archery that initially I took up to get some resistive exercise while on ADT and found I really enjoyed it!)
However, as I get them I have been posting my results to let newly diagnosed men and their loved ones know that there is hope and to let correspondents of old know of my progress, so here it is, my latest result from a high sensitivity psa test on a sample taken 2 weeks ago is good again: <0.01, that is my hospital's definition of undetectable.
To save you the trouble of checking my profile here is a precis of my cancer story.
Oct 12 PSA 13
Nov 12 Diagnosed (Biopsy + MRI) G3+4 T2c/T3a N0M0
Jan 13, PSA 18, Laproscopic Radical Prostatectomy + local lymph nodes removed, not nerve sparing because of perineural invasion and closeness of tumours to both sides of capsule.
March 13 Post op PSA 0.25! Pathology more or less confirmed the clinical assessment but PSA should have been undetectable - half life of post op PSA is about 3-4 days so I was T3a even though they could not see the microscopic escape.
April 13 PSA 0.35 (Rising! - referred to oncologist)
May 13 Started on ADT & joined Radicals trial, oncologist thought there was a microscopic escape into my pelvic floor and he wanted to zap it!
June 13 PSA 0.25 (ADT beginning to work) - more or less fully continent after surgery by then - no pads (incidentally I never did PFEs regularly, I kept forgetting to do them)
August 13 Radiotherapy (66gy over 33 sessions)
Sept 13 PSA 0.02 (Oncologist thinks RT is main cause of PSA drop), continence starts to deteriorate more or less at the end of RT, fortunately!
Oct 13 PSA <0.01
Jan 14 PSA <0.01
Apr 14 PSA <0.01
Sep 14 PSA =0.02 (I was alarmed at the time, oncologist said to wait and see), continence at worst up to 2 pads per day, developed late but mild radiation cystitis and proctitis
Jan 15 PSA <0.01 (it came back down!)
Feb 15 last ADT injection that was my 2 years for Radicals done!
Apr 15 PSA <0.01 onto 6 monthly testing
Oct 14 PSA <0.01 ... to me this is a milestone result 6 months off ADT and 2 yrs post RT, the RT cancer destroying effects have run their course and the ADT is now having no effect and the PSA is still undetectable. No only that but my continence is 99% recovered just a very rare drip - probably post micturation, cystitis and proctitis are improving too.
The testing regime is specified by the trial, I will have 6 monthly tests until 5 years post op then every year until ten years.
So, so far not a definite cure (significant chance of recurrence still) but a very promising start, now a long wait for the 10 year mark when I might be declared as in remission!.
I have no regrets about opting for surgery it got rid of 99% of the cancer, and the side effects (for me) of the salvage radiotherapy and ADT were tolerable. Primary RT targeted solely on the prostate may have missed the escapees and further RT would not have been a option.
I have also taken part in a genetic study aimed at working out what the factors are that lead to men tolerate (or otherwise) RT and I hope that and Radicals will lead to better treatment combinations.
I have also joined an unrelated Alzheimer's study.
Good luck to all of you as you find your own way through this feculent disease.
Batholith