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Male (secondary breast) cancer

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User
Posted 11 Sep 2017 at 21:35

Hi

I suppose I'm hoping for some advice or info.

In many ways I am one of the lucky ones; at least as lucky as you get with this horrible disease. Prostatectomy in Jan 2010 left cancer present in the tissue around the prostate.

Radiotherapy was also ineffective.

But then the good news. Started Zoladex March 2011 and ticked along nicely to July 14. (I wouldn't blame you if you were already beginning to think that I am one of the lucky ones). When I say nicely it did include a number of side effects, for example it completely did for my sex life.

PSA rose above 0.1 in July so I was put on Casodex as well and it has been 0.1 ever since.

So I am very appreciative of the good run I have had.

However, last time I saw the consultant in May 2017 he stated twice that the hormone treatment would not last for ever. It was the way he said it twice that made me think.

As time moved on I began to feel much more fatigued than ever before.  I became more breathless and lost my appetite and enjoyment of food. I developed a variety of pains in the back. As you'd probably imagine, I was beginning to think the consultant was right.

The next stage was I felt a lump or possibly two lumps in my breast / chest tissue.The nurse at the local health centre examined me carefully and wrote me up for a scan within a two week period. The appointment, for which I am waiting for with some trepidation, brought me to these pages, again!

Things I am wondering: anyone else experienced this? Is there becoming a worry about the side effects of long term hormone treatment? Is the fact that I was Zapped with a single dose of radiotherapy to prevent "moobs" significant? Am I right in thinking there is not much doctors can do if it has spread? If it isn't breast cancer, then why else am I beginning to feel so lousy?

I think this has cleared my head, so thanks if you have read it. Any and all replies welcome.

User
Posted 30 Sep 2017 at 18:15

Fatty tissue it is!!!

Will have to wait for something else to complain about. Thanks for all answers.

Dave

User
Posted 12 Sep 2017 at 08:26
Hi

My husband was in a similar situation to you except for the lump in the breast, but, after five years of casodex plus zolodex he was found to be castrate resistant and then his cons tried enzalutamide it seemed to knock him for six however the good news is that his PSA dropped and not only dropped but he has been drug free for eight weeks and still it keeps dropping so don't give up hope. Look at my profile , maybe in October who knows? He could then try abiraterone there's still plenty of ammunition left, medical science is wonderful, maybe as a scientist I'm biased but I see my dear husband going from strength to strength. Ten years ago I was planning his 60th birthday party with a prostectomy looming within the week, ten years later I'm planning his 70th, who would have thought that would happen.

User
Posted 11 Sep 2017 at 23:49

I can't think of any cases on here or in research papers that I have read (although of course I haven't read them all) of prostate cancer going to the breast as a secondary. We do have two members that have had breast cancer as well as prostate cancer but to all intents and purposes these are unrelated apart from the fact that they are both hormonal cancers and may have genetic links.

I suspect the oncos comments about HT not lasting forever were more to do with the fact that s/he has already added bicalutimide. Many men find that HT (Prostap, Zoladex, etc) is effective for many years but once it starts to fail, adding bicalutimide tends to be a fairly temporary solution.

When are you next due to see the oncologist? When is your next PSA test due? If the scan that you have been written up for is only a mammogram, I think I would be pushing the onco or nurse specialist for a whole body scan as well.

If the two hormones in combination are starting to fail, that opens you up to a number of alternative treatments including possible Enzalutimide or Abiraterone, both of which are licensed for men that are hormone refractory. There is also potential chemotherapy and / or steroids. You are not at the 'nothing they can do' stage yet!

Fingers crossed that the breast lumps are not cancer.

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

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User
Posted 11 Sep 2017 at 23:49

I can't think of any cases on here or in research papers that I have read (although of course I haven't read them all) of prostate cancer going to the breast as a secondary. We do have two members that have had breast cancer as well as prostate cancer but to all intents and purposes these are unrelated apart from the fact that they are both hormonal cancers and may have genetic links.

I suspect the oncos comments about HT not lasting forever were more to do with the fact that s/he has already added bicalutimide. Many men find that HT (Prostap, Zoladex, etc) is effective for many years but once it starts to fail, adding bicalutimide tends to be a fairly temporary solution.

When are you next due to see the oncologist? When is your next PSA test due? If the scan that you have been written up for is only a mammogram, I think I would be pushing the onco or nurse specialist for a whole body scan as well.

If the two hormones in combination are starting to fail, that opens you up to a number of alternative treatments including possible Enzalutimide or Abiraterone, both of which are licensed for men that are hormone refractory. There is also potential chemotherapy and / or steroids. You are not at the 'nothing they can do' stage yet!

Fingers crossed that the breast lumps are not cancer.

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

User
Posted 12 Sep 2017 at 07:35
Dave

The lump could simply be a lipoma,I found a lump at the side of my nipple many years ago and I was fast tracked by my GP to the breast clinic, where it was confirmed to be just fatty tissue.

Thanks Chris

User
Posted 12 Sep 2017 at 08:26
Hi

My husband was in a similar situation to you except for the lump in the breast, but, after five years of casodex plus zolodex he was found to be castrate resistant and then his cons tried enzalutamide it seemed to knock him for six however the good news is that his PSA dropped and not only dropped but he has been drug free for eight weeks and still it keeps dropping so don't give up hope. Look at my profile , maybe in October who knows? He could then try abiraterone there's still plenty of ammunition left, medical science is wonderful, maybe as a scientist I'm biased but I see my dear husband going from strength to strength. Ten years ago I was planning his 60th birthday party with a prostectomy looming within the week, ten years later I'm planning his 70th, who would have thought that would happen.

User
Posted 15 Sep 2017 at 19:14

Being zapped once, in attempt to reduce enlarged/painful breasts, appears to be usual. The overview below cites a study which attaches a THEORETICAL risk of developing a malignancy to such radiotherapy.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tre.347/pdf

User
Posted 30 Sep 2017 at 18:15

Fatty tissue it is!!!

Will have to wait for something else to complain about. Thanks for all answers.

Dave

User
Posted 30 Sep 2017 at 19:04
Dave

That's a relief.

Thanks Chris

 
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