Just saying hello

Hi Putrisoft,

I am really interested in the "Intermittent hormone therapy." I have been reading a few papers on it and clearly it works well as you are 16 years down the line. In your PC journey when did you start doing this in the course of your treatment? Were you taking hormone treatment already and then your consultant decided to give you a break or were you part of a trial?  Also, what was your initial PSA? and did you have any other treatment other than hormones and brachytherapy? Did you stop hormone treatment after brachytherapy and now without any medication??

Sorry lots of questions, but I would also be really interested in your next step and if you have HT again. I have read that by stopping HT intermittently your body could accept it as a new treatment and it prolongs the timeline of you becoming hormone resistant. I would love to know more about it as my partner is about to have Radiotherapy with a possibility of continued HT so any information is good. 

Please let us know how you get on with your next Consultant appointment.

Best wishes and thank you for posting,

L

Hi Barry,
Happy to answer any questions from anybody... Long answer...
My brother was diagnosed with PCa and was receiving radiotherapy. He called me about it and suggested I get checked. Saved my life...
Initial DRE was positive and first PSA was 16.4, I knew I had PCa straight away so did a lot of research. Went through all the testing, scans, biopsy and had Gleason 7, but everything still contained in the prostate, 50% one side, 20% the other. I was going to be living/working out of the country at that time so when they gave the final diagnosis I already knew I wanted hormone therapy. Both for convenience and to see if I could control it without major surgery. When I told the consultant this He immediately got a 3 month depot Zoladex and injected me there and then... Also gave me a prescription for another one. Great consultant...
Those first 6 months were very hard mentally not from the cancer but from the hormones. Dragged me down, work was difficult, zero libido. But the PSA dropped first to 5 then 3. I read a paper that discussed intermittent hormone therapy, this was very new at that time. It showed good results but there were only about 20 participants, so not really a proper trial. But I decided I had to take a break. After 4 months without any treament my PSA was back up to 12, I had to wait another 2 months before I could get the Zoladex by which time it was 13. I had another 3 month dose and the PSA plumetted to 0.4 a second three month dose got it down to 0.04...I then started checking every 3 months at 9 months it was 4.2 so I took another 3 month dose. I did the same for another 9 months, PSA 4.5.  I then let it ride for 18  months and it got to 6.5 , had another dose, this time Lupron. I had already decided I wanted something more permanent and my circumstances fitted with my plan for brachytherapy. This I had in 2013, Psa dropped to 2.1 and then over 2 years to 0.6 or less until recently. So tengood years. In all this time all doctors and consultants helped me to follow what I wanted.
I had not checked PSA for a while so I was a little disappointed to get 2.6. I have some discomfort and I am having this checked out, hoping for prostatitis but ready for PCa. By not using hormones continuously I am confident they will still work for me at least for a few more years if needed.
From my experience an initial long term treatment is needed and a break of 3 months is possible to help maintain "normal" life. Just remember we are all different and there are no guarantees in life.
Hope that helps you and your partner

Hi Putrisoft,

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. It’s really interesting, brave and empowering that you controlled when you had hormone treatment and managed to fit it around your life rather than the other way around. Like you say it’s different for everyone and their level of treatment needed at that time, but it certainly   asks that question of the possibility of treatment working for longer by stretching out it’s use intermittently and if it’s beneficial.
I hope your next appointment goes well and many thanks for the information. 
L