Sorry you are here.
I just looked up triplet therapy. I have not heard it called that in the UK. But the short answer is yes it is available, but is it appropriate?
In short triplet seems to mean, standard ADT, chemo, and enzalutamide. All given at once.
All of these are sensible treatments for metastatic PCa. Giving them all at the same time on first diagnosis is rare, the usual approach would be ADT first for a number of years, and then when this starts to fail, add on one of the other two, and when that fails, add on the other treatment.
Giving all three at once would probably shorten the overall effectiveness. You would basically be teaching the cancer how to survive against enzalutemide long before the cancer needed to see that drug, and when the ADT was doing a fine job.
It would be very surprising if OH did not survive at least five years, though sadly we have had a few die within two years recently. It would not be impossible for OH to still be here in 15 years. By which time other treatments may exist.
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Are any of those hormonal therapies?
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I have had some bad experiences of receiving care in the NHS and am hoping and praying that he gets good care and treatment.
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Yes it is possible in the UK on the NHS although some NHS trusts will only offer it as part of a trial. The thinking is that if you hit the cancer hard and fast at the start, the treatment will be more effective for longer. The downside is the potential impact on quality of life. Talk to the onco about it and if they are reluctant, ask for a referral to another hospital (perhaps one of the leading cancer centres) for a second opinion.
Also, if you had hoped to have more children, ask about sperm freezing before he starts treatment.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
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Originally Posted by: Online Community MemberGiving all three at once would probably shorten the overall effectiveness. You would basically be teaching the cancer how to survive against enzalutemide long before the cancer needed to see that drug, and when the ADT was doing a fine job.
It's the opposite - giving all together at once increases the overall effectiveness.
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Thanks Andy, I'm always learning.
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That’s really interesting, OH has oncologist appt this week. Now added on to the ever growing list of questions.