Number of lymph nodes affected and Prostap injection

Ps - not sure why it’s saying I’ve just joined the group - I wasn’t aware I’d ever left!

Hi Keeley

I am not  100% sure but I think that they should be able to tell u that.

Only thing is not all very   small cancerous areas show  on the MRI 

Steve

Hi Keeley, the PROSTAP injection is alternated on each side to spread where the needle goes. PROSTAP is a systemic treatment I.e. it treats everywhere the cancer is by reducing testosterone to almost zero. This starves the cancer of fuel causing it to shrink.

You can have the injection subcutaneously in the stomach, in the arm muscles, the bum muscles. It still does the job.

Hope this helps.

Hi Ido1

thank you - that’s make sense

keeley 

Hi Steve

thanks - I’ll ask them

keeley

Keeley

just to reinforce what Ido4 rightly states.  Prostap works "systemically" i.e. it goes into the blood stream and is consequently distributed throughout the body.  However it only acts on specific cells,  and primarily it blocks the action of 2 hormones which in turn reduces or stops the secretion of testosterone.  Low testosterone  has been found to lower prostate cancer growth.

Prostap also has side effects, which your dad needs to be aware of, click here for more information.

Also as Ido4 says, having regular injections can lead to tissue damage, therefore the site of the injection is varied to avoid this.  It has nothing to do with the site of the cancer cells.

It may have been possible to say exactly how many lymph nodes were affected but this depends on the clarity of the images the scans gave and how separated the nodes are.  Perhaps the more significant factor is how large are they and where are they.

Larger tumours are less easy to treat than smaller ones.

As regards location, it appears that it is only your dad's pelvic nodes that are affected.  This suggests that the cancer cells have not spread very far.  The lymphatic system drains fluid from all over the body in a similar fashion to veins.  There should however be no blood cells in "lymphatic" fluid.  The fluid is eventually returned into the blood, but along the way it goes through various "filters" which stop any large molecules or cells, such as bacteria or cancer cells.  There are immune mechanisms that can help destroy these cells.   However, if a cancer cell get's stuck in one of these filters, it can start to grow there.  The nodes are these filters.

The immune system does play a part in cancer in that it can destroy cancer cells to a limited extent but when the immune system is compromised or begins to decline with age, then we are more likely to get cancer.  Anything that boosts immunity can help with cancer.

The pelvic nodes are the first nodes that lymphatic fluid from the pelvic cavity passes through.  If cells get past these first filters then they can spread to other nodes further up the body and eventually can get into the bloodstream from whence they can spread everywhere.

Click here for  further information.

Your dad's cancer has not spread very far.

They do the injection on alternative side for everyone so it's no indication of any spread. I've just had my 4th and it swaps each time.

Best wishes  Reg 

Hi Uroboros,

as ever, your replies are so helpful - I’ll read the further information you’ve referred me too

thanks

keeley

Hi Reg

thank you,

best wishes to you too

keeley