How many options?

User

Posted 30 Aug 2018 at 23:58

just wanting some reassurance as to treatment plans. My dad has been on HT since Dec 2017. Tried early chemo with only 2 sessions happening due to other issues. I'm starting to worry again as the fear of 3 monthly psa results sets in. How many more treatments are there before all options are exhausted. His psa is decreasing slowly still which is good but I can't help worrying.

Thanks

Miffy

User

Posted 31 Aug 2018 at 00:46

Early chemo and HT are now the gold standard. Ask if your dad can have further cycles when his cell count returns to normal.

There is also abiraterone or the other second line HT I can't remember that can be used if the primary HT fails at some point.

Then there is radium 223..

A few options in the tool kit left!

User

Posted 31 Aug 2018 at 14:30

If the HT started to fail they would probably reintroduce bicalutimide for a while. For some men, this lasts for a year or more. After that, enzalutimide or abiraterone would usually be offered (unless there are other medical reasons not to). Radium 223 might also be an option but that does more to treat bone mets than the PCa cells elsewhere and some people do really well on a steroid instead.

And then, depending on where he lives and his specific diagnosis, there may be trials.

Edited by member 31 Aug 2018 at 19:42 | Reason: typos

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

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User

Posted 31 Aug 2018 at 00:46

Early chemo and HT are now the gold standard. Ask if your dad can have further cycles when his cell count returns to normal.

There is also abiraterone or the other second line HT I can't remember that can be used if the primary HT fails at some point.

Then there is radium 223..

A few options in the tool kit left!

User

Posted 31 Aug 2018 at 14:30

And then, depending on where he lives and his specific diagnosis, there may be trials.

Edited by member 31 Aug 2018 at 19:42 | Reason: typos

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

User

Posted 31 Aug 2018 at 18:07

Thanks so much for your replies, they have put my mind at ease a little bit. Some days it's easy to be positive and others not so much. Thank you

Miffy

User

Posted 01 Sep 2018 at 10:01

There is also the fact that dad’s PSA is still decreasing which is a big positive. Being concerned as each 3 monthly check up approaches is only natural. My PSA has been <0.1 for over a year now yet the few days before each clinic visit are still pretty tense.

Dave

User

Posted 01 Sep 2018 at 23:53

Yeah Dave, very anxious. Maybe when the psa gets to a normal level I'll be more settled as it's still at 11 which although is a massive drop i know is still high. I feel sick every time I think about the day he's told that psa is going in the wrong direction hence the asking what other treatments are available. I know we are very lucky that his treatment now is working and I'm very thankful but can't enjoy that fact with the fear I always have lurking at the back of my mind.

Miffy

User

Posted 02 Sep 2018 at 09:37

I do know how you feel. Even the oncologists can’t reassure us to the level we’d like because they don’t know. I asked mine, at my last visit a couple of weeks ago, if he had any idea of a timescale taking into account the way my treatment was working and my body’s reaction to side effects. His answer, though slightly reassuring was pretty much noncommittal.

Take care

Dave

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