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Whats to come.

Blahblahblah
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I am aware that everyones experiances are different but can you give me some idea.....I read alot about enzalutamide for prostate cancer patients. But I read nothing on life beyond enzalutamide. Husband has prostate cancer stage 4b gleason score 8. been on enzalutamide for 24 months. But I am compleatly in the dark about what happens when it stops working.  I have been told chemo is available but I do not know if the down hill (for want of a better word) is quick or slow.  I ask because I am in this postion with another family member and its is all slow and very traumatic for them. I'd like to have some idea what is coming and how to help him avoid a similar situation. Is it all " how long is a piece of string!" 

  • Hi Blahblahblah

    My name is Keith and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialist.

    Welcome to the online community. I hope you will find the support and information helpful.

    This sounds like a really difficult time for you all right now.

    There is no rule book in how anyone manages a situation like this.

    Everyone can be affected by any diagnosis and its treatment in so many ways. It difficult on this platform to discuss and advise on individual situations for this reason.

    Your right how long is a piece of string?

     We would always advise contacting you husbands’ treatment team to discuss your concerns further as they would have the greatest understanding of the effect of his diagnosis and also how well his current treatment is working and possibly what other options he may have moving forward. As well as giving their possible expectation regarding therapeutic effect of his treatment and possibly how long this will last.

    Its important you let them know what you are both thinking. This is so they can give you the best possible support both physically as well as emotionally.

    Enzalutamide is a relatively new treatment that is a good option for treating gentlemen with advanced prostate cancer, usually in the case when their prostate cancer has stopped responding to other types of hormone therapy (sometimes called hormone relapsed or castrate-resistant). You can have this drug before or after chemotherapy.

     

    Chemotherapy may or may not be an option for your husband if other options are needed. Looking at the NICE guideline may be worthwhile to give you a better understanding of treatment protocols.

     

    In the past ten years advances in treatment for prostate cancer have continued and who knows what may become available from current or future clinical trials. For this reason, it may be possible to keep the word hope in most conversations.

    Try to take this one step at a time. No matter the outcome I’m sure the treatment team will do everything in their power to give your husband the best possible treatment what ever the future may hold.

     But never loose site whatever decision is made in the future it based and driven by what your husband wants

      If you’d like further explanation or have any other questions, please feel free to recontact us, either on this platform or give one of our cancer information nurses a call on our help line.

    take care

    Keith, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

    Ref KM/EM

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