Docetaxal doesn't appear to have worked for advanced prostate cancer

1 minute read time.

FormerMember

10 Aug 2017

Hi,

My amazing dad has just completed a round of chemotherapy (docetaxal) after hormone therapy/steroids stopped working. The position prior to starting chemo was that he had advanced prostate cancer which had spread to his pelvic bone and rib area and his psa was 400 plus.

For the first 3/4 rounds, his psa continued to increase until it was over 700. This concerned us and we spoke to his consultant however he said this was usual. Finally his psa level started to decrease to 390 just before his last session. My dad is a strong, for man however the chemo has 'floored' him, he has felt low and depressed and he had been admitted to hospital at least 3x with infection. He has lost his taste buds , still takes morphine tablets for the pain and generally had been feeling rubbish. We kept saying it would all be worth it as he would feel better following chemo however he has just been admitted to hospital again and they have been able to access his bone scan from last week which show new lesions to both shoulders and spine. He is not due to see his consultant for a couple of weeks. We are devastated, we thought the chemo would have worked. No results for ct scan available as yet.

Does anyone out there have any similar stories to share where there was a positive outcome? Has anyone been through this and then changed treatments to something more effective, if so what?

We want to try to prep ourselves for his consultation and research what treatment options now available .

Thank you in advance xxx

FormerMember over 7 years ago

Hi AMK1973,

Welcome to the Community, I'm glad you've come to us for support. I'm so sorry to hear about your dad's diagnosis - please know that we are here for you and him.

Can I suggest a couple of groups for you to join so you're able to talk to other members about what's happening? Members normally create blogs to keep a diary of their experiences. If you start a discussion in a group, other members will be able to reply with their own stories and words of support.

I'd recommend taking a look in our Family and friends forum (Group) and Carers only forum (Group) groups, as both are filled with members, like yourself, looking after loved ones. If you'd like to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, the Prostate cancer forum (Group) group might be the place to go. Please do take a look to see if these groups are for you.

To start a discussion in a group, click through to the group itself and then click 'Start a discussion' at the top of the page (underneath the group name).

We also have a group of nurses and experts available to post questions to in our Ask a nurse (Group) / Ask an Expert (Group) group. They'll be able to help if you've got any medical-specific questions you'd like answered.

Finally, if you'd ever like to speak to someone directly, please do give the Macmillan support line a call (freephone 0808 808 0000, Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm). The nurses and advisers running the line are great listening ears, and can signpost you onto further practical, financial, and emotional support, if you feel you need it.

I hope this helps get you started on the site. Again, please know that we are here for you.

Best wishes,

Jazmine
Online Community Officer
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