I am a 68 yr old Vietnam veteran. Last summer my PSA surpassed the threshold to 4.6. I was referred to a urologist who performed a biopsy. I was diagnosed with PCa, T1c. My Gleason score was a 6. My treatment options were explained to me and I chose active surveillance. That's when I began researching the facts, pros and cons as to what I had to look forward to. None were very appealing, but I had decided to go with proton radiation therapy if and when the time came to make that choice. In December 2017 my PSA level was 6.2 and an MRI was ordered. I am still awaiting the results of the MRI.
Upon further investigation I found the wide variety of benefits of medical cannabis, including it's effects on cancer and /or the side effects of cancer treatments. Being a Florida resident where medical cannabis is now legal, I went to an approved doctor who approved me for cannabis treatment. I'm not interested in the high, but from what I understand that won't be an issue anyway. The research I have done tells me the best results will come from using cannabis oil with a 1:1 balance of THC/CBD. Now, before you start judging me, if you are not familiar with this alternative do some research on your own. Here's a good place to start:
There is a lot of information available on the internet. Just stay away from the sales pitches. Whether you are struggling with the after effects of treatment or looking for an alternative like me, this could be the answer.
I will let you know how this goes.
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windsorje
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I haven't had the proton treatment. It is still very early in my diagnosis and the doctor has advised watchful waiting. I did research the proton radiation and I found it to be the most promising. If it comes time for me to have my prostate removed I will be asking you about your experience. There is a clinic in Orlando that offers the treatment through the University of Florida that is close enough to me.
I pray it goes good for you. Keep me posted on your progress.
I do not believe that there is any evidence that MJ affects cancer. There is evidence that It does affect some treatment side effects and can be palliative, but there is no evidence that it treats cancer in humans. I am not saying that it doesn't, I want to clarify your statement " Upon further investigation, I found the wide variety of benefits of medical cannabis, including its effects on cancer ." Treatment in a Petrie dish and even in animals doesn't automatically translate to humans. As long as the Federal government keeps MJ as a Schedule 1 drug it remains very difficult to do the needed research. We do need to change this so that the needed research can be performed.
Actually there is evidence that cannabinoids do affect cancer cells, but that evidence thus far is limited due to federal restrictions on it's possession and therefore open research. In vivo research has shown promising results, but that doesn't translate into a cure. Fortunately I have time to give it a try.
I would be very interested in learning about the in vivo research you mention. Please share the citations. Thank you, I look forward to learning about them.
That's a good question. The MRI was actually ordered in December, but did not take place until Jan. 11th. I have called about the results, but they tell me it is not ready yet. Which could mean a variety of things. I expect to be called in for the results soon. In the mean time I am hopeful that the delay means they did not find anything to be alarmed about.
Windsorje: I have looked into this a little bit. It’s been said that cannibus is great for some people for pain relief and the word in the street is that THC does cause apoptosis to cancer cells. The strains available are endless but unfortunately information is not coming from mainstream. A very knowledgeable colleague of mine, a fellow chiropractor in AK, told me that medics in the Israel military carry a cannibus spray bottle they utilize for critically injured soldiers for acute pain relief on the battle field. This subject has been researched critically in Spain and Israel more so than in the USA. I am not going to judge anyone here. Our bodies have a built in receptor based cannabinoid regularatory system designed to modulate pain, appetite, mood & memory, sleep, anxiety, nausea, inflammation, etc. This system apparently responds to the outside introduction of cannibus ingested, absorbed through the lungs, & skin, and is designed as well as a self regulating system producing its own hormone internally to assist in homeostasis. I think it’s worth noting that our bodies are designed this way, and from my limited knowledge, a good target specific quality oil from various strains that target specific body condiitions (medical) and other challenges I listed above, is beneficial. ( Charlottes Webb for example for brain seizures). Unfortunately, we have to rely on the street for data from dispenser owners and their staff unless you research the heck out of this stuff. All I can say is I am with you. My dad owns a cannibus pain center dispensary in CA and I just ordered a 100 black cannibus pain pills from him for pain reduction, as I currently have stage 4 Pca, ( 4 month Lupron shot scheduled next Wednesday) and I’ve had some pain associated with mets in my spine. Since opioids drive the immune system into the ground, no opioids for me if I can avoid them. wishing you good success, Stan AZ
There is a great deal of evidence that CBD has absolutely no effect on cancer cells in vivo. In fact, there is evidence that CBD actually promotes cancer growth in certain cancers. As far as pain and stress relief, that’s fine, but if you are thinking it might stop your cancer, I’m afraid you won’t be long for this planet. I’ve lost three friends and acquaintances in the last 6 years to CBD oil. A study by Yale University has shown a 2.5x increase in death at 5 years from using alternatives, and it would be much greater but for the fact that people reverted to normal treatment when they realised it wasn’t working, by which time it was too late.
There is no clinical proof anywhere that CBD will work in vivo. It may be in the future a derivative may, and I stress may, be found to work in certain cancers, but with 200 plus variants which are all completely different, it’s going to be a long time coming.
Your cancer results are marginal, I would stick with watchful waiting, you’ll probably die of something else.
Never think a delay is good. You should demand the results. Sometimes they get lost in the shuffle. Does your hospital have a patient portal? We can get our results that way and before the Doctor calls to discuss them. Good Luck to you.
Thank you for your response. You're right, CBD alone has not been found to affect cancer cells. But I have not come here to debate the benefits of medical marijuana. My urologist has told me it could be years before it becomes necessary to chose a treatment beyond watchful waiting. At this point I am dealing with T1c, which gives me time to explore alternatives. If my PCa was more advanced mmj would not be a viable option. I have no intention of hinging my survival on a maybe. My recent MRI could be the game changer.
Good for you for looking into alternatives. In a recent issue of Prostapedia, a publication for PCa patients by Dr. Meyers, a prostate cancer expert stated
"Prostate cancer is never an emergency." He and Dr. Meyers stressed that more patients (and doctors) need to understand that there is plenty of time to research, ask questions, think about these life-altering decisions.
All of the conventional treatments have horrible side effects (including proton); it's more a question of how bad they are and how much you eventually recover than if you will experience them.
Cannabis may or may not help you; I know from my own experience that it definitely helped with some of the worst side effects. But it almost certainly will not hurt you, since you are in a state where you can get legal access. It's been obvious for a long time that the worst harm from Cannabis comes from the legal system.
The same holds true for many other alternative therapies. There are many, and most can document cases where they definitely helped some, but never all, patients. A common trait of alternative therapies is they are very unlikely to hurt you, and most make you feel better.
Good luck! I'm 11 years into this journey, I hope I make it to 68.
Just and FYI. I live in FL and have gotten my supplies of MMJ from Trulieve. I asked for a 50/50 mix of THC and CBD as well as a straight CBD oil. I got a vial of half sativa and half indica, but only THC. The straight CBD oil turned out to be pure indica THC. I took them back the next day and got a replacement for each. The straight CBD is what it should be, but the 1:1 is very weak. I am not very pleased with their dispensary.
Be sure to read the labels on the tubes, not just the outside of the boxes.
I want the 1:1, so how weak is it. I will be going to Tampa, so the choices are Surterra and Trulieve. Surterra's 1:1 is double the cost of Trulieve's, but maybe that is the better choice. Any input would be appreciated. My main concern is for the prostate, but I need some pain relief too. Thanks.
Trulieve Hybrid Vape Cartridge 12.8% THC and 13.5% CBD. There are buds you can buy in California and Colorado that are stronger. I just treat it like I would a bud. Seems to work ok.
You can do some research on leafly.com with regard to different strains. There are some, like Harlequin, that that feature a mild THC to CBD ratio, which offer benefits like pain relief and relaxation without the spacey high. I live in AZ and have a medical marijuana card. I use it in moderation. As Tom Petty once said it is good to "leave this world for a while" and just relax.
Gleason 6 is a lower grade cancer that is often 'treated' by 'active surveillance'. You might want to check on HIFU as a treatment option. It is not yet covered by Medicare so it would be out of pocket. Good luck with your treatments and keep us posted.
I’m on it for three years now. Helping free my mind and body. I have no plan to stop.
Yesterday I received my most recent PSA reading. In late March I started taking 60mg of cannabis oil daily. After 50 days my PSA has dropped .9 points.
It took a while, but I finally received a letter from my urologist about the MRI. He wrote "it noted no evidence of a clinically significant prostate cancer." I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I have a consultation scheduled for later this month. My PSA continues to fluctuate between 6 and 7. His recommendation was to "continue active surveillance."
If your PSA is going up, I wouldn't wait. My DX was 3.8PSA, Gleason 3+4 T2. Two years later after "active surveillance" it was PSA10, T3. Once the cancer spreads out of the capsule, it is harder to treat. If you are going to do Proton, do it now. Yours should be easy to treat. Also check into SBRT, which is focused on Ti, T2. For me it was 5 sessions.
Also you might want to check out HIFU- various centers in the US offer it. It is a 1 shot, high temp treatment.
Noticed your post from a year ago and wonder if you have ever gotten a second biopsy??..... I've had a recurrence after initial "curative" RT..( though I didn't do everything they recommended at the time or else it might HAVE been curative.... took my chances and lost)..... I mention the second biopsy because my second biopsy came back with some cores at G8 but I had a more rapidly rising PSA than you seem to have..... Since it's a year later wondering how you have fared and if you have made any progress with alternative " tx "..... There are other ways to go that do not involve traditional treatment that you might want to try ( Metformin, Atorvastatin, Pomegranate, NSAIDS) these have all made it to clinical trials and would be what I would do if I were in your position ( or at least the position you were in when you wrote the initial post).... Right now I am looking into alternatives myself as I am not anxious to go on ADT and my Psa Doubling time is rather slow so far... I'm sorry that I don't have the initial references for any of the above but if you were to look them up on Google Scholar they will pop up... Let me know how you are making out a year later if you are inclined...
I was 58 when initially Dx'd..... I might not have treated it had I been your age at onset....
It's been a while, but I'm still living with my PC. Here's a bit of what is going on now:
In a nutshell,
I was diagnosed with PC four years ago. The VA attributes my cancer to my service in Vietnam, where I most likely came in contact with "Agent Orange." The VA urologist told me early on that what I had was a very, very slow-growing cancer and he gave me my options, which included active surveillance. An MRI was scheduled and resulted in "No evidence of a clinically significant prostate cancer."
Since my diagnosis, I have had my PSA tested every six months and then visit the VA for my follow-up. My PSA has gradually gone from 6.7 at the time of the biopsy to 11.3 recently, that's over a four-year period. Another MRI was ordered and this morning I got the results.
FINDINGS: The examination is of good quality and shows interval development of 1.7 cm biconvex low T2 signal lesion of the right paramedian, anterior transitional zone at the mid gland level which exhibits positive gadolinium enhancement and patchy mild to moderate diffusion restriction. It was not visible on the previous examination. Most likely a clinically significant prostate cancer. A targeted biopsy is suggested. No other suspicious abnormalities are seen and there is no evidence of locally advanced disease. Multifocal areas of scarring of the peripheral zone are seen which are probably due to subacute to chronic inflammation. Mild BPH is present. The gland weight is 45 g. There is no evidence of lymphadenopathy. No pelvic osseous abnormality is seen to suggest malignancy. A left posterior iliac wing bone island is incidentally noted which is unchanged compared with 2018.
IMPRESSION:
1. 1.7 cm biconvex low T2 signal lesion of the right paramedian, far anterior transitional zone which is most likely a clinically significant prostate cancer. A targeted biopsy is suggested.
2. There is no evidence of locally advanced disease.
3. Mild to moderate BPH with a gland weight of 45 g.
PI-RADS 5: Very high (clinically significant cancer is highly likely to be present).
Now I am anxious to hear from urology for their opinion as to what's next.
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