Aged 85 Radiotherapy Treatments

User

Posted 15 Aug 2016 at 00:23

My father was diagnosed with prostrate cancer 2 years ago aged 83 and was told that hormone treatment was the treatment he would be given.

My father is otherwise mentally and physically fit and well.

He has been having treatment with decapatyl and then the similar prostap every 3 months although it did reduce his psa this is gradually increasing

We went to see his consultant last week as this and the NHS choices websites talk about alternative or in addition radiotherapy treatments but essentially we were told that this wasnt an option due to his chronological age and that nowhere in the uk would radiotherapy treatments be considered for someone of his age despite otherwise being pretty fit and well.

I want to ask is this the case are men in their 80s having the option of access to this treatment in other parts of Britain?

If our consultant has this view what would you advise in terms of exploring a second opinion?

Thanks

User

Posted 15 Aug 2016 at 11:35

Hello Adrian

No reason you can't seek a second opinion but my gut reaction would be that your dad would not be offered anything extra and Andrew has also raised valid points regarding fatigue and confidence etc.

Quality of life must be important to a man of your dad's age.

Could you not ask for advice from his consultant as to the kind of cancer he has. They are presumably saying that realistically he will be able to live out the rest of his life with just the treatments given, rather than your thinking which would probably be that cancer will reduce his prospective timeline.

Did he (you) ask the consultant whether at his age dad is likely to die OF it rather than WITH it.

Many of us have this quoted to us at our consultations, depending on the kind of cancer diagnosed.

*****

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails

User

Posted 15 Aug 2016 at 11:51

A second opinion might at least ease your mind. Is
that PSA rise due to cells that RT can reach or further afield which would rule it out. Also is it a case of just because you can should you? RT comes with shorter term and possiblly longer term side effects such as bladder frequency, Prostatitis, bowel issues. Thus the judgement a possible longer life but a lower quality one or the opposite?

Ray

User

Posted 15 Aug 2016 at 12:13

I would have thought that giving RT would or rather should, be down to how well the patient is likely to be able to cope with the treatment and whether it would be of benefit. I would be surprised if RT was not being offered arbitrarily just because somebody was 85.

I would certainly seek a second opinion. This would doubtless require all his histology and scans to be provided and might involve a general medical suitability check.

Barry

User

Posted 15 Aug 2016 at 14:14

I think we are missing some important information here - was he only offered HT in the first place because of his age or because it had already spread outside the prostate? If he is on HT because of spread, then even if he was 50 that might be the only treatment available to him. RT is used in two circumstances - a) for 5 or 7 weeks if the cancer is contained and a cure is possible or b) just a couple of zaps to ease the pain from bone spread.

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

User

Posted 15 Aug 2016 at 20:25

You are right Lyn in that we only know the little that we have been told about Adrian's Dad and because of his cancer situation RT might have been considered inappropriate for him. But this was not the reason Adrian reports was given. Not only was the reason for excluding RT given as his age, this was underlined by the statement that 'nowhere in the uk would radiotherapy treatments be considered for someone of his age despite otherwise being pretty fit and well.'

Some interesting comments from Macmillan http://www.macmillan.org.uk/documents/getinvolved/campaigns/ageoldexcuse/ageoldexcusereport-macmillancancersupport.pdf

Edited by member 15 Aug 2016 at 20:42 | Reason: Not specified

Barry

User

Posted 31 Aug 2016 at 10:32

Adrian, I noticed that you haven't given us the additional info suggested above, either here or on your other thread. It is impossible to know whether you should seek a second opinion or push for RT without understanding things like his original diagnosis, how far the cancer had spread, which type of prostate cancer he has, etc, etc.

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

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