I'm on lupron, docetaxel and casodex. Start my third chemo next Tuesday. Started to get bone pain in my right scapular and asked the oncologist about radiation to deal with that. He said radiation shouldn't be used with some varieties of chemo.
Does anyone know why this would be?
Didn't see anything specifically about radiation and chemo combined with prostate cancer, but the two together have been used effectively with other cancers. Here's an article I found:
cancernetwork.com/lung-canc...
Thank you - this is very interesting; I'll see what my oncologist's reaction is. I'm not trying to "second-guess" anyone - I just want to understand what's going on.
It's good to get more opinions on things, especially when they don't make sense to you. I will get as many opinions as I need to be comfortable. We only get to do this once, so every treatment decision we make is important to get right. If your doctor doesn't like his/her opinion being scrutinized, it's too bad. It's your life and nobody cares about it more than you do.
From what I know, radiation is not a "systemic treatment" for prostate cancer. It has to be targeted to a specific area. Once your prostate cancer metastasizes to areas in different parts of your body, it's get's much harder to use radiation. There is a use for pain relief, but again you need to target small areas to avoid getting too much dose.
That's my idea - target specific metastasizes when they cause problems.
I agree. What about going thru targeted Radiation to prostate and pelvis for max dose 2 months 5 days a week as I did? Am I maxed out on RT for life now? I feel like I did my time in the easy bake oven already. It worked for intended purposes until now..Thank god!
I didn't like being told at DX that I was inoperable, prostate too far gone, no radio as too many lesions (40), just ADT. etc. But apart from ADT SEs am pleased with my DX. I sense too many guys are having too much radio that is not as targeted as intended. I exclude you of course my brother.
Still have a prostate, although I’m told it’s very small due toRT & ADT. I’m happy and can’t complain for now I’m on cruise control running with. PSA>.04. And no major pains just the normal ADT SE ‘s..hopefully I can use this time to build back some of the strength that I’ve lost. For you to Call me brother is a great compliment. Thank you!
Usually non-operable is because is beyond that. Blown out of the prostate as my PC was . My dad had his prostate out . I erroneously thought that was the worst that could happen with Pc. I was the idiot that thought I was my own Dr until I couldn’t pee. Years it had been burning inside me. Thought it was normal turning 50 male stuff . We are all lookin for magic bullets..
I'll be having consultations with one of the top prostate cancer people through the Veterans Admin in the next few weeks since I've finally been able to get into their system. I've got a laundry list of tings to discuss with them and your suggestion will be one of them. Thanks!
Is the pain in the scapula due to pc mets?
Yes, it is. The bone scan showed that the scapular met had been growing. There's a lot which isn't clear, however. I had a bone scan on July 24, didn't start lupron until August 11 and didn't start chemo (docetaxel) until December 12 and got my second bone scan January 12, so what is occurring and why it's occurring isn't evident. (my oncologist didn't order a bone scan before the start of the chemo as he should have). Fortunately the pain is quite mild: I'm just trying to stay ahead of the game.
With some luck ! That’s all any of us can do...try to stay ahead...Hope this will clear up that area well. Not to be morbid.. But it seems to me that we are like a guy in the middle of the ocean in a leaky boat. A hole pops up and we patch it. And so it goes avoiding sinking ..mets pop up .Patch em! A leak = Psa up ! patch it up! when things aren’t clear. We row and suffer until the weather lifts. When skies are clear we should relish in the sunshine.. I’m praying for blue skies ahead for all of us caught in this dinghy.. Keep rowing , patching and praying.. in the end knowing that APC will sink the boat. .for most of us .But also in the belief that a chosen few will find a friendly shore and never get back in the boat with APC. I have a tee-shirt that says “ The beatings will continue until moral improves. “ That’s APC to me..
Request a referral/appointment with a radiation oncologist. They will know any and all complications, and they can give you a good overview of your options, and whether you should go or wait for spot treatment (which can be pretty focal and relatively minor). My husband treated two spinal mets with just a 5-day treatment each, and it greatly reduced his pain.
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