My Introduction and History - Advanced Prostate...

Advanced Prostate Cancer

21,008 members26,183 posts

My Introduction and History

spikem profile image
11 Replies

Hello all, just over 5 years to the day of my diagnosis. Here are the relevant facts from my profile on healing well:

Spike

------------------------------------------------------

PSA 1/8/12 - 3.11

DIA 2/6/13 57 YO PSA 4.35

G 2@6 - 4@7 - 1@8 - 1@10

RRP 3/2/13

PT3b N1 MX

PSA Post Op 0.15

CHB2 4/15/13 Lupron + Casodex

IMRT 70 Gy 5/30/13 - 7/17/13

PSA 7/12/13 - <.03

PSA 12/11/14 - <.03

End of Lupron + Casodex 2/15/15

PSA 3/05/16 - 0.18

PSA 4/22/16 - 0.19

PSA 7/25/16 - 0.14

PSA 12/17/16 - .19

PSA 7/15/17 - .13

PSA 1/22/18 - .25

The last reading a month ago has shattered my illusion I had this under control. So as of now looking to do more research and look for options on where to go from here.

Any thoughts, suggestions, opportunities or words of encouragement are greatly appreciated. For those of you further along the path I am more than willing to get into the details of alternatives I have tried so far.

Mike

Written by
spikem profile image
spikem
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
11 Replies

Sorry to hear about the evolution of your PSA. Most of us had been in the same situation several times. Do not discourage since there are many avenue of treatment for your condition.

Perhaps the first thing is to repeat the PSA and see if it consistently above 0.2 . If it is , proabably the first line of treatment is to do Lupron or similar and Casodex with or without Proscar or similar and see what the response is. Eventually Zytiga or any of the new anti androgen could be used.

Something to discuss with your doctor is to do a PET/CT study to to determine if there are visible metastasis instead of the classical bone scan and CT scan which have very low sensitivity.. The only PET/CT which could work with a PSA around 0.3 is the Ga 68 PSMA PET/CT.

If there were metastasis and the cancer were PSMA positive you could qualify, now or in the future for treatment with Lutetium 177 which is a nuclear medicine therapy developed in Europe mainly in Germany and very effective in some patients with metastatic disease.

There are at least 3 clinical trials going on in the USA for castration resistant metastatic prostate cancer.

Please search for prostate cancer and lutetium 177 on clinicaltrials.gov

The first things is to determine if the metastasis are PSMA positive.

A Gallium 68 PSMA PET/CT will identify metastasis is they are PSMA positive with a PSA of 0.2 or more. There is an ongoing study a UCLA and probably in other centers in the USA.

Please search for Gallium 68 and prostate cancer on clinicaltrials.gov

I was treated with Lu 177. My treatment was in 2016. I had multitude of metastasis in the lymph nodes in the pelvis and abdomen . After 1 treatment the metastasis were gone.

The treatment can kills cancer cells castration resistant and hormone sensitive in the bones and in soft tissues. Very well scientifically documented treatment.

If you cancer were hormone sensitive (most probably) you could be a candidate for treatment with vaccines against the cancer.

I was treated with Prostvac in 2007 (I was in the same condition than you at that time) and the vaccine stopped the cancer for 6 years. There are many other vaccines besides Prostvac in clinical trials. Prostvac seems to work only in hormone sensitive cancer and not in castration resistant.

Please search in clinicaltrials.gov for prostate cancer and vaccines and for prostate cancer and prostvac.

Many avenues of treatment in your condition. It has been 11 years since I was in your shoes. Keep the fight.

Anything please let me know.

best wishes

Raul

spikem profile image
spikem in reply to

Thank you for your experience and path's for research. I will note this and bring up with my oncologist. May be back to you for better resources in that area as I do not have a high level of confidence with my current oncologist.

Hey Mike,

How many lymph nodes were removed and how many of them had cancer?

Thanks,

-Dale.

spikem profile image
spikem in reply to

8 removed 2 with cancer.

From all I've read, people with two or fewer nodes have about that same prognosis as those without any nodal involvement, so that's good that there were only two.

YostConner profile image
YostConner

You have a long life left. Fight hard!

Litlerny profile image
Litlerny

Raul had some great suggestions. You still have a lot of treatment options open to you, and lots of years left. Keep the faith, and best wishes for keeping the monster in the bag for a long, long time!

j-o-h-n profile image
j-o-h-n

To: spikem You'll be around for a long long time.... don't despair. Spike those little bastards.

Good Luck and Good Health.

j-o-h-n Saturday 02/17/2018 11:49 AM EST

Dr_WHO profile image
Dr_WHO

Your numbers are very similar to mine. Since your PSA at diagnosis was low you may want to ask if you have a rare form that does not produce PSA. Ask if you have Ductal or Interductal (not the same).

You need scans. At least a bone and CT scan. See if you can get a Auxium PET scan as it is very accurate. It has been approved for use in cancer recurrence. First make sure you insurance company will pay for it. I made one mistake on how it was filled and now owe ~$11,000.

I would recommend you go on the Stampede and Latitude trial treatment. Ask if you can be on Lupron and Zytiga (with prednisone). It has shown tremendous results and is what I am on. If the cancer is refined to the pelvic area you may want to discuss with your radiologist about external radiation. I had 38 rounds after surgery.

Finally please know that you are now part of our family. You have thousands of fellow warriors and caregivers pulling for you! You will never be alone! People like us we have to stick together!

.25 is still very low. Don’t panic..

spikem profile image
spikem

Thank you for your story, gives me hope. One month away from another round of tests.

You may also like...

History of my cancer becoming castrate resistant

was put on 1 month of Casodex which reduced my PSA to 0.342 when I started Lupron shot again and...

My History

am now almost 67 and was diagnosed in Oct 2013, PSA 620 and out of 12 cores in my biopsy, 10 were...

My history Pca

years post radiation the PSA began to climb. Here I am in 2018 I’m with a PSA of 225 today. The...

By way of introduction...

hot; 7/2018: PSA rise to 0.04, Casodex + 6 mo Lupon shot, IMRT (35 treatments); 5/2020 PSA <0.01,...

mCSPC vs mCRPC? Does my MO have it right?

assessment. PSA 34 6-2017 started casodex 20 11-2017 started Lupron (still on...