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My dad - metastatic cancer - advice wanted - aorta

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User
Posted 06 Nov 2015 at 18:52

Hi everyone, 

This is my first post here, just looking for some advice I guess, or reassurance. My relatively young (57) year old dad was recently diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer - completely symptomless, he had a friend who was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer who said he may want to consider having a PSA test if he hadn't had one. My dad decided to and thankfully so as his PSA score came back as 57.

He had a biopsy on the tumour in his prostate, Gleason score came back as 4+5. I am unsure how many cores were taken as I live in a different country to my parents so only have the information they give me to go on. At the time I wouldn't have even known about asking how many cores! Within the next month or two he had a Da Vinci prostatectomy and I think they also removed his lymph nodes that were close to the prostate. Approximately 4 weeks after he had a PSMA scan to determine exactly how far it had spread - he got the results a week ago and it has spread to his bladder, bowel, kidneys and aorta.

Most of the information I have read online regarding advanced prostate cancer mentions it spreading to the bone, has anyone else had similar experiences with it being around the heart - does this mean it has spread via the lymph nodes? Should I be extra worried?

He has now started 28 days of hormone therapy tablets, he has also had a 4 month injection of hormone therapy 3 weeks prior to him starting chemo, he will have 6 injections at 3 weekly intervals. He will then start a type of radiotherapy where PSMA 617 is attached to a radioactive substance and can attack the cancer from the inside of the cells - I don't know much about the chemo or radiotherapy but here is an article with more info regarding the radiotherapy https://www.dkfz.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/2015/dkfz-pm-15-26-Award-winning-agent-developed-for-prostate-cancer-diagnosis-and-treatment.php

Basically, I guess what I am trying to ask is has anyone been in a similar situation regarding the spread of the cancer or the types of treatment being offered? Can anyone give me any advice or help as I am finding it quite difficult being so far from them and I am finding it hard to remain positive about his diagnosis. I thought my dad would be around for a lot longer yet and although he says the doctors seem positive, I know that they might not always tell me 100% how bad things are until they absolutely have to in order not to worry me. 

Thanks in advance for any information anyone can give me.

 

User
Posted 06 Nov 2015 at 19:20

Hello Jenwah and welcome

I'm sorry that your dad has been diagnosed with Prostate cancer but I'm glad that you have found your way here.

I cannot help with the specifics of your enquiry as PCa was/is different for us but there are many members on here who will be along at some stage to offer their advice so take heart from that.

Best not to trawl the internet looking for answers as it isn't the best way to glean information. We are all different and all react differently to the various treatments.

Best Wishes
Sandra

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails
User
Posted 06 Nov 2015 at 20:15

Hi jenwah, there are at least 27 types of prostate cancer and they can behave in different ways. Adenocarcinoma is the most common, but even this one can be quite different for different men. Prostate cancer likes going to the bones but spread to the bladder and bowel is quite common as they are so close to the prostate. It is unlikely that dad's spread to the aorta etc is due to lymph node spread as you haven't listed his lymph nodes as affected but it may be worth checking whether that is really his aorta or the para-aortic lymph nodes, which are in his abdomen.

It sounds like your dad has been accepted on a trial so I think any predictions of how successful it will be or likely side effects would be guesswork. Very exciting research though so keep us updated, please

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 06 Nov 2015 at 20:54

Hello Jenwah,

Sorry you join us due to you Dad having been diagnosed with PCa.

PCa most often goes to the pelvic nodes, seminal vesicles and pelvic bones but it can go further from the prostate and occasionally even to the brain. When it becomes very extensive it has to be treated systemically by hormone therapy, chemotherapy and drugs and the like. It seems your Dad is to have PSMA 617 which is a very new development by the dkfz and Heidelberg University Hospital so it is too early to know how successful it will prove in the long term and and on a larger scale. I assume your Dad's treatment will be as part of a study in Heidelberg. As it happens, I am waiting an opinion on possible further treatment in Heidelberg for spread to a pelvic iliac lymph node and I did wonder if I might be a candidate for PSMA 617 when I saw the release quite recently. He will be well looked after as I know from having had radiotherapy there in 2008 within a study.

Barry
 
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