I'm not sure how that post slipped through the net.
The effectiveness of HT is about 2 years but that has a wide range, from not effective even from day one to effective for over 20 years.
HT can be used in two different situations, accompanying radiotherapy or as a lifetime treatment.
If it is used to accompany RT it is usually started six months before the RT and the duration is two or three years. The intention is to weaken the cells and make them less capable of dividing whilst the RT does it's work. There is an argument that the RT will have done it's job after 18 months and any more HT than 18 months is pointless.
Once the cancer has spread beyond the prostate it is impossible* to target it all so systematic treatments such as HT and Chemo are what is left. As none of these kill all the cancer they will be used until they lose their effectiveness which for most people will be about two years, quite often five years and occasionally 20+ years.
*Treatment of a small number of distant mets is now proving effective.
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User
Hi, I am at two years on the same drugs. Similar side effects (ie not too bad,although would love my libido back!). I don’t know about the drugs stopping working at this point. I was hoping they would keep working for a bit yet, although realise they could stop working at any point.
User
I'm somewhat shocked that your cancer wasn't picked up during the galleri screening, given you should have been tested regularly over that period and really should not have slipped through the net. The psa rise after your prostatectomy should have probably caused your urologist to recommend follow up treatment [depending on the psa figures which you haven't given us here]. The G9 on its own isn't necessarily a disaster as it's the spread outside the prostate, to seminal vesicles and beyond that will probably cause more problems.
Depending on the details of what you describe as "low level spread to various sites ... " there should still be the possibility of RT to treat the prostate bed, seminal vesicles and a small number of nearby lymph glands, if that's what you're looking at. What's your psa record been like over time? Now, with HT it will presumably be low but the history can still be helpful as a guide.
You're now dealing with an oncologist, so what options have you been given by him/her?
Jules