Getting rid of P Cancer from Spine

[Livetodayok]

Any ideas on best way to get cancer out of the spine? Anyone having good success?

Thanks

[YostConner]

I don’t think you can “get it out,” but you can treat it with radiation if you’re having pain.

[Livetodayok in reply to YostConner]

Thanks...trying to find my way fwd

[ctarleton]

Very widespread skeletal "mets" in Stage IV prostate cancer are generally treated with "systemic" treatment options, with spot radiation sometimes used for possible pain relief.

Many men here started as Stage IV with PSAs in the hundreds (or even thousands), with Bone Scans that sometimes lighted up like Christmas Trees. An improvement on such scans after several months of initial treatment(s) sometimes reduced the "appearance" of bone mets on their imagery by perhaps 50% or more.

Your current treatment plan sounds like a good one. With lots of bone "mets", you might also ask your doctor about the feasibility of adding one or the other of the bone health agents Xgeva (denosumab) or Zometa (zolendronic acid).

Some of us also attend local face-to-face prostate cancer support groups that meet near where we live. In the USA, here's one of the search tools that might be helpful. There are others, for other parts

The first year after an initial diagnosis of Stage IV prostate cancer can be really emotionally rough, for both a man and his loved ones/caregiver(s). In my experience, opening up and talking about it all really helps.

Besides, I can always attribute it to the Lupron I'm taking. Ha. Ha.

Charles

[Livetodayok in reply to ctarleton]

Thanks for the tips..good to hear from those already been taking care of business

[BigM62]

As already answered, typically widespread bone Mets call for systemic therapy such as chemo. That was my choice when diagnosed July 2017 with too many spine Mets to count including one large one pressing on T12.

But 10 rounds of chemo, Lupron every 90 days, and zometa put me in a situation with no visible Mets remaining on CT scans and PSA undetectable. And besides being very crabby feel as good as before. I am 11 months past the end of chemo. Still crossing my fingers.

[Livetodayok in reply to BigM62]

Thanks so much for the reply and I pray that you stay well. I am hopefull that I will do well too. I am slated for 6 chemo sessions and start 3rd Jan 16 2019

I hope if I do well the Doctor suggests more....kill or be killed

Again thanks

[Drcrunch in reply to BigM62]

Fantastic results.

[Hidden]

I wish you the best. With mets to L2 & T3 in 2004, I enrolled in a six month chemotherapy - hormone therapy clinical trial. (see past posts for details) At conclusion, the mets were resolved and I had new bone growth.

I believe that the only way to resolve early metastasis is through systemic treatment. Please discuss this with your Medical Oncologist. Hopefully they specialize in Prostate Cancer and not treat all cancers.

Gourd Dancer

[Livetodayok in reply to Hidden]

Gourd I was hoping to hear from you. It is one of your posts that made me want to join this program. I told my Doctor that you have been to hell and back and that I hope to follow you. The Doc said they now use the Docetaxel and not the Docerubin? any longer but you used it many years ago and did great!

[Hidden in reply to Livetodayok]

New line of drug v old line that essentially does the same thing with less side effects. But ......

Doxy or doxorubicin (Adriamycin) commonly called the Red Devil is an old line chemo drug. It is cytotoxic; as is docetaxel (Taxotere). It is frequently given in combination (like me) in treating metastatic breast cancer. Ever wonder why?

I mean both cancers are more similar than different. Oh different organs, but both hormone-dependent and have remarkable underlying biological similarities.

Did you know that a history of prostate cancer in one or more first-degree relatives (father or brother) also increases a woman's risk of breast cancer? And vice versa.

What is important is that both drugs attack the cytoskeleton of the cell, weakening the cell's structure and preventing it from successfully replicating. Key is attacking the cells that rapidly reproduce like hair, nails, and cancer. Anything that causes cancer cell apoptosis is good.

A researcher has a greater latitude in drug combinations until research demonstrates otherwise. I wonder the history of alternating the two chemo drugs originated? And more important, why not a single line drug?

Keep kicking the bastard.

GD

[Hidden in reply to Livetodayok]

Live, in fairness I wanted to relate my experience in 2010 while hospitalized with a knee replacement. My white cells were off, so they sent a Medical Oncologist by to visit. Nice guy. He told me why he was there.

I looked at him and asked, “I had metastatic prostate cancer and after chemo will not the white cells completely recover?” He reply was, “Yes. What chemo did you take?”

I told him a combination of drugs in a clinical trial. The first that I mentioned was Adriamycin. He interrupted and remarked, “That’ll never work.”

After discussion, I had my wife bring the next a copy of the early trial results and gave it to him. He read, asks dome questions and said that he didn’t know about the trial and wished me good luck. I guess my point is that research treatment and standard treatment are different and until multiple publications and approvals, standard treatment will always prevail.

All I know it that from my viewpoint, I am tremendously fortunate to be one of nine from the original cohort with complete response. It is why I support early aggressive chemotherapy while the body is strong and the tumor burden minimal.

GD

[Livetodayok in reply to Hidden]

Gourd, thanks so much...if you don't mind I would like to show my oncologist your writeups. I think my best chance to kill the cancer is to hit it from more than one angle...more than one drug approach but that is just my thoughts. I to like the idea of hitting it hard well I am strong

Kill the bad actors

Again thanks

[Hidden in reply to Livetodayok]

No problem. Do you any if the papers written? I’ll message to two abstracts.

[j-o-h-n]

The first step is to get yourself a good Medical Oncologist... What's your age and where are you located and being treated?

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 01/09/2019 4:44 PM EST

[Livetodayok in reply to j-o-h-n]

I am in SE lower Michigan and age 65

I did get a terrific med oncologist who has recommended to me by the doctor who told me that I likely had the metas pros cancer

Thanks for the reply and I hope you get well

[j-o-h-n]

Thank you for your reply... You've come to a great place for information and camaraderie.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 01/10/2019 9:52 PM EST

[Livetodayok in reply to j-o-h-n]

Thanks