I'm interested in conversations about and I want to talk about
Know exactly what you want?
Show search

Notification

Error

Experience with immediate chemo treatment - Advanced prostate cancer

Email this conversation Print this conversation
User
Posted 10 Mar 2016 at 14:14

Hi - Father diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer 1 year ago which had spread to a few bones. PSA 200, Gleason 8 (4+4).  Treatment with Hormonal Therapy(ADT) plus immediate 7-8 course of chemo (docetaxel) based on some of the new research showing positive results from early chemo treatment. Was looking to find others with this sort of situation and treatment.


So far, response seems to be good: PSA down to < 0.2 and continues to fall.  But don't know how long this may last and what it might mean for longer-term survival? 


Thanks

User
Posted 11 Mar 2016 at 09:43
Hi Lester
Your Dad has had the gold star treatment so his medical team would seem to be really on the ball. Early chemo is proving to be really beneficial for most men diagnosed with metastatic PCa. Although many others like my friend Allisons's OH have done really well without the chemo as well.

So much depends on the type of PCa ( I think figures show there are more than 20) how the cancer behaves, how aggressive it is and how quickly it adapts and becomes resilient to treatments.

I am Mo that Allison mentioned, my OH Mick was one of the unlucky ones, where nothing worked for more than a very short while. Thankfully cases like his are rare and as more is learnt from trials and all the incredible research that is going on, will become even rarer.

The fact that your Dad has had such a dramatic drop in PSA in a relatively short time and it sounds like he is doing really well on the back of Chemo, is a promising sign.

As Allison says with metastatic disease there is currently no cure, but there are lots of treatments that are having good results already, progress is being made with every new drug or treatment that comes to market. Although there is probably a long way to go for an effective screening test/programme, improving awareness and changing attitudes mean more and more Men are being tested and diagnosed at a cureable stage, work is ongoing to continue to raise awareness, to educate GPs and to provide them with better diagnostic information as well, so the future really is starting to look much better.



I wish you all the best
xx
Mo
User
Posted 10 Mar 2016 at 22:06

Hello Lester.
Sorry can't offer any answers, just wanted to bump your post so others can see it

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails
User
Posted 10 Mar 2016 at 23:24
Hi Lester
Welcome to the forum. The fact is that no one can predict how long your father might live with this disease but he has had a great reaction to the hormone therapy so that's really good news. Just to give you an idea, my hubby was diagnosed at 61 with PSA 25 and g score of 10 and spread. That was over five years ago, our lovely friend Mo's husband was not so lucky, if you look at some of the profiles (for example alahays) you will see there is a great variation, he has been travelling this road for 8 years. So there's a lot of hope for your dad, early chemo is said to be a very good thing and the newer drugs have been very welcome, a few years ago there was very little to stop this disease, now there are options to keep men alive longer. Obviously, you know that once this cancer has metastasised it cannot be cured, only held back, but hopefully the length of time and quality of life for your dad will be good. Don't give up hope, Abiraterone, Enzalutimde and radium 223 were not available five years ago, who knows what the next five years will bring.

Kindest regards
Devonmaid
User
Posted 11 Mar 2016 at 06:23

hi lester
I have recently finished my chemo ( 6 x docetaxel) every 6 weeks, diagnosed 1year ago, my PSA has gone down to 0.002. am also on zoladex every 3 months I doubt this will ever be stopped

oncologist said hopefully he will not need to see me for 2 years, the word I picked up on was 'hopefully', I took it to mean we cannot predict anything but this may be the average time

I try to exercise everyday to help battle the weight gain caused by the zoladex, and have also altered what food I eat, dairy has been cut out, so as bread, hot drinks are green tea and at odd times will spoil myself with a cappuccino, drinkl loads of water, I eat more fish now than red meat, this is my choice and am not saying it will or will not help dad

regards
nidge

run long and prosper
'pooh how do you spell love'
'piglet you dont spell love -you just feel it'
Show Most Thanked Posts
User
Posted 10 Mar 2016 at 22:06

Hello Lester.
Sorry can't offer any answers, just wanted to bump your post so others can see it

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails
User
Posted 10 Mar 2016 at 23:24
Hi Lester
Welcome to the forum. The fact is that no one can predict how long your father might live with this disease but he has had a great reaction to the hormone therapy so that's really good news. Just to give you an idea, my hubby was diagnosed at 61 with PSA 25 and g score of 10 and spread. That was over five years ago, our lovely friend Mo's husband was not so lucky, if you look at some of the profiles (for example alahays) you will see there is a great variation, he has been travelling this road for 8 years. So there's a lot of hope for your dad, early chemo is said to be a very good thing and the newer drugs have been very welcome, a few years ago there was very little to stop this disease, now there are options to keep men alive longer. Obviously, you know that once this cancer has metastasised it cannot be cured, only held back, but hopefully the length of time and quality of life for your dad will be good. Don't give up hope, Abiraterone, Enzalutimde and radium 223 were not available five years ago, who knows what the next five years will bring.

Kindest regards
Devonmaid
User
Posted 11 Mar 2016 at 06:23

hi lester
I have recently finished my chemo ( 6 x docetaxel) every 6 weeks, diagnosed 1year ago, my PSA has gone down to 0.002. am also on zoladex every 3 months I doubt this will ever be stopped

oncologist said hopefully he will not need to see me for 2 years, the word I picked up on was 'hopefully', I took it to mean we cannot predict anything but this may be the average time

I try to exercise everyday to help battle the weight gain caused by the zoladex, and have also altered what food I eat, dairy has been cut out, so as bread, hot drinks are green tea and at odd times will spoil myself with a cappuccino, drinkl loads of water, I eat more fish now than red meat, this is my choice and am not saying it will or will not help dad

regards
nidge

run long and prosper
'pooh how do you spell love'
'piglet you dont spell love -you just feel it'
User
Posted 11 Mar 2016 at 09:43
Hi Lester
Your Dad has had the gold star treatment so his medical team would seem to be really on the ball. Early chemo is proving to be really beneficial for most men diagnosed with metastatic PCa. Although many others like my friend Allisons's OH have done really well without the chemo as well.

So much depends on the type of PCa ( I think figures show there are more than 20) how the cancer behaves, how aggressive it is and how quickly it adapts and becomes resilient to treatments.

I am Mo that Allison mentioned, my OH Mick was one of the unlucky ones, where nothing worked for more than a very short while. Thankfully cases like his are rare and as more is learnt from trials and all the incredible research that is going on, will become even rarer.

The fact that your Dad has had such a dramatic drop in PSA in a relatively short time and it sounds like he is doing really well on the back of Chemo, is a promising sign.

As Allison says with metastatic disease there is currently no cure, but there are lots of treatments that are having good results already, progress is being made with every new drug or treatment that comes to market. Although there is probably a long way to go for an effective screening test/programme, improving awareness and changing attitudes mean more and more Men are being tested and diagnosed at a cureable stage, work is ongoing to continue to raise awareness, to educate GPs and to provide them with better diagnostic information as well, so the future really is starting to look much better.



I wish you all the best
xx
Mo
 
Forum Jump  
Email this conversation Print this conversation

Join the online community now.

Click through to become a member and gain access to support, information and real time replies.




MenuTop ▲
©2025 Prostate Cancer UK