ongoing treatment

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User

Posted 19 Jul 2014 at 08:57

Hi
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer three and a half years ago. It was particularly aggressive and I underwent a radical, this was followed by radio therapy and 3 years hormone treatment. This appeared to be very effective and my psa remained below0.01. I was taken off the hormone drug 3 months ago, a blood test last week revealed my psa has risen to 0.04. There was evidence of cancer cells in my lymph system and these cells are apparently growing, my consultant has planned 3 monthly blood tests and will review the situation after each of these. I am concerned that as my cancer was particularly agressive there is a danger of the cancer spreading quicker than this.
Does anyone have experience of a similar situation.
Thanks
Rod

User

Posted 19 Jul 2014 at 11:24

Hi Rod

I can only comment on what I've been told by two oncologists. I've had RP followed by RT. My PSA is being monitored and was dropping in March ie 0.048. Whilst higher than yours it's lower than my starting point.
I asked if it started to rise at what point they would intervene with further treatment. Originally I was told when the PSA hit the 20's which made me gulp. But I have since had a fuller explanation. Basically any treatment decisions will be made based upon the velocity of the rise in PSA. It may rise very slowly or in your case plateau out. I think they will try to avoid the toxicity of further treatment while ever they can. The three monthly tests will determine what's happening. They will also usually wait for three consecutive rises before determining if it is a recurrence.

Hope a goes well

Bri

User

Posted 19 Jul 2014 at 15:52

Hi Rod,

What was your original Gleason score ? My partner has a very aggressive disease, too late for RP but I would be inclined not to hang around and wait if possibility disease is in lymph glands, just my opinion of course. Bear in mind that PSA isnt always a good marker of the disease, it's possible to have spread and a low PSA, just as well to be mindful of all these things, having a look at others' threads soon demonstrates how complex PCa is. Hopefully , you will get some further comments,

Best wishes, Fiona.

User

Posted 20 Jul 2014 at 02:19

Hi, Rod:

I, too had RP, then after 3 years, RT, now on HT. The standard by which my onco determines what magic to use next is the "doubling time"; the time it takes for the PSA to double. In his opinion, any doubling within a year's time indicates the need to step things up. I've currently been on HT for just under 2 months. I am pleased with what I interpret as an aggressive approach to treatment.

I must add that my women friends are enjoying my menopause-like side effects waay too much! I'm getting a lot of, "welcome to our world".

All the best,
Lawrence

"I am not young enough to know everything."
Oscar Wilde

User

Posted 21 Jul 2014 at 01:27

Thanks for all your advice and support, I've calmed down a little since getting the results of my latest psa tests. When I was first diagnosed my psa rose from 9.6 to 11.8 in a couple of weeks and all the scans indicated that the cancer had already escaped and was in my lymph gland. I've spoken with my gp who for the first few months of the process is going to monitor my psa monthly. I think more to put my mind at rest than anything else. I've already had 3 years of hormone treatment and my oncologist wants me to have a break before resuming treatment to avoid the risk of the cancer becoming tolerant to the drug. Problem is of course you feel as though your life support system has been turned off.

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