Hormone Therapy & Chemo

[Chubby42]

Hi all just wondering what is the most common hormone therapy to have with Chemo Therapy is or doesn't it matter which one.

Also im guessing there is no order to hormone therapy just what works until it doesn't then you move onto the next one is that about right ?.

Im going to ask the oncologist what hormone treatment is available on the UK NHS so i can compare with what is out there as well.

Cheers

Gary

[Neal-Snyder]

Gary, just to confirm (& hopefully inspire smart people to reply), you're talking about early stage chemo, right? Or is it late stage?

Neal

[Chubby42 in reply to Neal-Snyder]

Early stage

[Budvar]

Hello Chubby. From my limited knowledge (half year) since my father was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer it all depends on the what kind of chemo treatment. If its early chemo then usually they will start of with Lupron (Leuprolide) aka Prostap3. I believe that is the most common form of hormone therapy prescribed to newly diagnosed PC patients. Although I'm not sure if the best choice for advanced prostate cancer especially with EXTENSIVE metastasis (including spinal). But that choice was left to the GP and not the urologist/oncologist in my fathers case.

But yeah that sounds about right. But hopefully you'll be luckier then us. NHS has really let us down for the most part. I mean the horror stories you hear of, I wouldn't believe until we went it through our selfs.

[Neal-Snyder in reply to Budvar]

I'm surprised that the choice of a PCa drug was left to your GP. I have a wonderful GP, but all of these choices have been left to my urologist at first, & later my oncologist. Some say Firmagon is better than Lupron (re side effects), & others say they're about the same.

[Budvar in reply to Neal-Snyder]

We were as well especially because there was another delay in getting an appointment with a GP. Although we were lucky and only had to wait a couple days after his biopsy was refused for the GP appointment because I booked it in advance due the problems he was having from Prostate Cancer.

[Neal-Snyder in reply to Budvar]

Do you have the ability to email your doctors? In my HMO, Kaiser, any time you see an MD, physical therapist, etc., that person is put on your list in Kaiser's secure email system, so you can email him or her. Unless they're absent, they are expected to respond within 2 business days. (If they're absent, their return date will be indicated. If you don't wait & it's an extended absence, a colleague will respond for them.)

This has been essential to my relationship with my primary care provider (PCP), urologist, med onc, rad onc, neurologist, PT & others. I "fired" PCPs who weren't responsive until I got a fabulously responsive PCP, who I've been with for over a decade. The others are really good too. I'm talking about same day responses the great majority of the time. This has been ENORMOUSLY useful to me, on a huge number of occasions, & it has been helpful to my care providers too (avoiding the need for appointments, providing them with info, etc.).

I urge everyone who is not provided with a system like this to ask your doctors whether you can email them when the circumstances are such that email communication would be useful.

Also, it sounds like you don't have a regular GP. If they would allow you to have one, I think it's invaluable to have a relationship where you get to know one another & continue to work together.

Good luck, Budvar!

Neal

[Chubby42 in reply to Budvar]

Hi Budvar thx for the reply & sorry the NHS haven't taken good care of your father, I'm a bit unsure with my Oncologist but just go with it for now. I've read a few horror stories too on these forums, not just the NHS either.

[Scruffybut1]

Hi Chubby, I am wondering why you should want to choose your own hormone treatment? In the UK our cancer doctors work in teams and responses to chemo, surgery and other treatments are passed between them. Ask your Onco your questions. Then bring your questions to the Forum. They are great with independent answers. David.

Now 5 years metastatic, 3 years treatment, Dxd at 200 PSA Oct '14 , 30 plus bone mets, 12 cores all ca, now PSA 0.030. Charing Cross Hosp, London. We continue to discuss my treatment and plans monthly. Regards

[Chubby42]

Hi scruffybut1 Im not trying to chose my own hormone treatment I was just wondering if one was better than the other first up when starting down this road or if one worked better with Chemo than other hormone drugs, I just want to make sure I'm getting the best option anything wrong with that ?.

Rgs