Change of Treatment

Hi Derek

Did you have any other treatment apart from HT - Radiotherapy perhaps?

Let us know please!

Regards

Stuart

I have been on Zoladex since first diagnosed in2019 after the two months of Bicalutamide untill now.And still having it every Twelve weeks.No other treatment.

Never had a biopsy but di have a scan which proved thay the Cancer had spread localy.

Hi Summer and Winter.

Good evening and welcome to the forum my friend.

Yes I was diagnosed with PC in 2023 with a PSA off 1000+. I was put on to HT straight away and my PSA dropped to single figures which was great.

Unfortunately my last few PSA numbers have started to climb standing at 4.9 currently. Due to bone mets/pain I have had to have some Palliative RT which worked wonders.

I'm currently waiting to see my consultant (Dec 31st) to discuss chemotherapy so hopefully this will halt things in the new year???

I do hope that everything goes well for you both please come back to me if I can help/support you further???

Prostate Worrier.

Hello Summer and Winter .

There are several treatments available nowadays but what would be recommended can depend on many things including your age and health. If you have not had a scan since your diagnosis in 2019 then I would suggest that this would be a useful first step now as this can help determine the most appropriate treatment for you. There are a range of new hormone therapies which have come onto the market since 2019 which are proving to be very effective and this will probably be your next treatment but whether something else is added to it such as radiotherapy will be determined by a new scan. At the moment we don't have sufficient information to be able to help you more specifically.

Hello Alwayshope.

Thank you for reply. I am 82 just in october Used to go to the Gym twice a week but money problems got it the way.Its good to know there are more Hormone traetments availale.Perhaps one of them would suite me.I do not think my body would cope with Chemo or Radiotherapy,not at my age.As my P.S.A is just 32 I hope one of the new Hormone treatments will suffice

Hi !

So they had you on Bicalutamide first and then added Zoladex which you’ve been on since diagnos. But during this time, didn’t they ever talk to you about any types of radiation treatment or prostatectomy?

From what you write you had only spread locally which often can be treated with some sort of curative intent as long as the spread is not in for example bones or outside the pelvic area 

Best wishes - Ulf

Hello again Summer and Winter . There are newer hormone therapies which work in a similar way to the Bicalutamide but a lot more powerfully. Which one you would be offered can depend on whether you have any other issues with things like the heart or kidneys. As for radiotherapy, this is the easier of the therapies which can kill the cancer - the most tiring bit is the travelling for the treatment. Like all treatments it can have side effects but again, advances in machines and the expertise of the operators means that it is proving successful whilst minimising the possible side effects. Age is not necessarily a barrier to treatment - just to say that my husband had chemotherapy last year and radiotherapy this year and was 81 in October, but the chemotherapy did take a lot out of him. The chemotherapy is normally only offered if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body so a scan is a good idea and I would suggest talking to the consultant about it on Monday.

Let us know how you get on tomorrow and all the best.

Derek (Summer and Winter ) , I am not medically trained but it sounds like you have responded well to the hormone therapy over 5 years, so there seems every likelihood you would respond well to a new treatment for a few years.  As we get older, prostate cancer (which is a slow growing cancer) grows even slower.  That seems to be the one advantage of growing old!  Sorry to hear you were unable to go to the gym through financial reasons but I hope you have been able to keep up your fitness level as that is important with whatever treatment you go onto.  Good luck and ask any questions.  David

David.Thank You for your reply.I have checked on Google,wrong I know to see what other Hormone therapy is available other than Bicalutamide.Some do not look good,side effect wise.I hope a different one is available.

        Derek

Hello Derek. Unfortunately all the hormone therapies have side effects but it has to be balanced against the potential benefits. I also did a quick trawl of the internet and came across a comparison between Bicalutamide and Apalutamide, Enzalutamide and Darolutamide.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36843606/

There is another drug which works in a different way which is being used called Abiraterone and is administered with a steroid to reduce side effects - the main thing to monitor regularly with this drug is the liver function.