Psa and chemo

[Ptclassics]

To the brothers on chemo how low did your Psa go on chemo and how long were you off chemo before you had to start a new cycle?

[Hidden]

My PSA went down to .19 on chemo, then rose up fairly quickly afterward. It got up to 26, at around 8 months after chemo ended. My doctor said he often sees this pattern of fairly sharp rise in PSA after chemo. I also had a quick drop to .1 after starting Ztyiga 2 months ago.

[Hidden]

3.5 years ago with a psa score of 850, I started chemo. 1 year later my psa dropped to 0.07 and pretty much stayed below 0.1.

In the last 18 months it has slowly but surely crept up to 0.57. I'm in the beginning stages of preparing for Provenge treatments. After Provenge, somewhere around the end of the year I will more than likely start on Zytiga.

[Hazard]

Hi PT my PSA was 47 when I started chemo in Dec 2017. Reached a nadir of 1.8 after 6 rounds but started creeping up again and chemo was discontinued after 9th round PSA 4.6 at this time (June 2018). Started on Enzalutamide instead. PSA up again 7.5 after 6 weeks on Enza MO said give it another 6 weeks and see what's happening.

[Brightman]

My psa was down to 0.01 after I completed chemotherapy in February 2017 (6 rounds of docetaxel every 3 weeks) and has remained there ever since. I have been on hormone therapy (Eligard every 6 months) since July 2016 just after I was diagnosed with Gleason 9 and bone mets to 4 places. My psa was 5.7, but had jumped from 1.8 after a TURP 10 months before. I also had 51/2 weeks of radiation in late 2016. Scans have shown that my mets have reduced in size ( on my 11th vertebrae) and not seen in the other 3 areas. I have just had a hip replacement where PCa was originally shown, but biopsies show is not present now. So there is hope and treatments work, at this stage anyway!

[Hidden]

My partner PSA started at 537 got down to only 18.3. Started to rise on chemo 5 out of 6.

[cbgjr]

My PSA at the start of docetaxel was about 80. after the third treatment it was 18 and after the fourth, it was 15. so it'll probably level off at around 12 after the last two infusions... not what was hoped for.

[abmicro]

My 2 oncologists warned that chemo does not work well on 50% of people with bone involvement, but it worked on me. Started at PSA 24 with 6 week doubling time and multiple pelvic bone mets popping up everywhere on scans. Before 5th infusion PSA was 6 and all pelvic pain gone. When I complete my 6th cycle, PSA will be very low and I plan to restart xtandi and try to get into a clinical trial with keytruda. Oncology recommends doing a 7th infusion but depends on side effects. The side effects are getting worse after each infusion and I may have to stop at 6 infusions.

[GAdrummer]

PSA 21 at start of doxetaxel, went up to 37 then nadir 13, at time of last (20th?) infusion 28. Restaging showed only 3 nodes growing over last 3 months, two increased 10%, one more than doubled in size. Start cabazitaxel next week.

[henukit]

Started with 500 at Dx, by the 6th it dropped down to 0.55. Will do another test in a couple weeks to see where it is.

[vandy69]

PSA was 10.8 at start of Docetaxel/Carboplatin chemo and dropped to .4 after 6 cycles. Rechallenge with Xtandi for 6 months and PSA now at 1.2.

Med Onc thought I would be back on chemo by now, but miracle of Xtandi second time around is buying me more time!

Best wishes. Never Give In.

Mark, Atlanta

[p3d1]

PSA was over 80 at start of Docetaxel Chemo - early 2018, 10 infusions at 2 week cycles, at the end of 10 weeks PSA was down to 0.07. Good luck with your treatment.

[Hidden]

Greetings, I hope pray that you are successful in fighting this bastard. I waited several days to respond as my results are not typical; nor was my treatment typical either. I have posted many times on the protocol which I underwent.

My personal opinion is that chemo is a loosely wrapped term and means many different things to many different people. Disclaimer: I am a strong advocate for early chemotherapy intervention while your body is strong and the tumor burden minimal. Yet, I also know men who have remained on Lupron for over twenty years. And, unfortunately, I have lost four long time personal friends who lost their battle.

Within a year of my primary treatment, PSA rise to 32.3 with mets to L2 & T3 of my spine from an initial diagnosis of Gleason 7 (4+3) and 6.8 PSA. I immediately enrolled in a chemotherapy - hormone therapy trial in which treatment lasted for six months.

I was given three courses. A course lasted eight weeks. Each course consisted of weeks 1, 3, 5 with Adriamycin (Doxorubicin) as a 24 hour infusion along with 400 mg of Ketoconazoke, 400 mg orally 3 times a day for 7 days.

In weeks 2, 4, 6 treatment was Taxotere (Docetaxel) with Estramustine, 280 mg orally 3 times a day for 7 days.

In weeks 7 & 8, no treatment was given.

I also took 30 mg of Prednisone daily for the six month period. Zofran for nausea and Dexamethasone on the day before, if, and after the Taxotere infusion.

I completed the six month protocol on January 8, 2005. I continued to take Eligard or Lupron until February 11, 2010. I also took Casodex, 50 mg daily, the end of the chemotherapy until October 2, 2005.

I started testosterone replacement therapy with 4 mg twice a week with Androgel.

My PSA dropped to 0.4 on August 21, 2005 and rise 30 days later to 1.7. On September 21, 2005, I stopped the daily dosage of Casodex. By April 1, 2006, my PSA was undetectable. My that I mean the accepted standard of <0.1. My readings have remained undetectable. My last PSA was on July 17, 2018. BTW, testosterone ranges from 383 to 650 depending on the day I apply the gel compared to the day of the blood draw.

I am 71 years of age and enjoy life. I posted my history in response to your query and to let others know that metastatic PCa does not have to be a painful debilitating disease. However, the current stand of care remains palliative awaiting new “silver bullets” to prolong life. Some successful and some not so. When I started the trial the average person in my situation looked forward to 2-4 years, maybe five. My research Medical Oncologist said at the time that he could “buy” me at least five more years with this aggressive treatment before I would have to rely on the new “silver bullets” being developed in a Medical Oncologist arsenal.

I am one of seven in the cohort of the trial with these results; all entered the program very early on. Those with a higher degree of disease progression: some are still kicking and using the arsenal available. I do not know the stats. Some are in this group. I love and respect each and everyone still fighting the fight; while remaining very fortunate and thankful for the results of my personal journey. I am still being followed with almost three pages of blood work results. Perhaps one day the standard of care will shift to early intervention upon metastatic lesions. Until then, Godspeed as you kick this bastard.

Gourd Dancer