Hormone therapy alone is offered to men who are metastatic, and also Degarelix is most often used in this scenario.
Chemo can be offered up-front (soon after you start hormone therapy). It can also be used later, regardless if you had it up-front or not.
Research shows that chemo is most effective in terms of extending life when used up-front with hormone therapy and Abiraterone (or other enhanced hormone therapy) - this is called triple therapy. However, it has a risk of causing side effects, and some can be permanent, so it can reduce quality of life, and some men chose not to for this reason. Some people find they can't have chemo later, because they're older by then, and may have acquired some other medical conditions which prevent chemo being used. In practice, the use of chemo drops off quite significantly from the age of 70 for this reason. You should be able to discuss these options with your oncologist and influence what you think is appropriate for your case, and hear why they think a particular regime is best for you.
If he has significant issues with the Degarelix injections (attending for them, or injection site issues), there is a daily tablet Relugolix/Orgovyx which can be given instead (at least in England - I don't know its status in the other countries). Ask your oncologist if that's relevant.
Edited by member 26 Jul 2025 at 22:45
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