Looking for a second opinion, probably from Sloan-Kettering Medical Oncologist

[nyjoe]

I'm a 79 year old first diagnosed in 2007 (Gleason 6) and treated then with radioactive seeds. PSA got as low as .21 in 2011 but in 2015 began a rapid rise. Multiple prostate biopsies and scans could not find the cancer until nodules in the lungs were considered suspicious and I started taking Casodex in June 2017. That brought my PSA down to single digits but mets in the sacrum appeared soon after. I started Lupron in Dec. 2017 and Zytiga and Prednisone in early 2018 when extensive spinal mets were evident in Nov. 2017 scan. There are no confirmed mets in my lungs or other organs.

My PSA dropped over the next few months to a nadir of .33 in Sept. but then started rising again to a present reading of .82. Scans done a week ago showed new mets in my spine and growth in some mets that were seen previously. I have felt pretty good from April/May of 2018 to this day.

My medical oncologist at the Wilmot Cancer Center in Rochester, NY has suggested that I have genetic testing to determine whether I would be eligible for a clinical study evaluating a PARP inhibitor called rucaparib. If I don't have the mutations, then he suggests chemo using docetaxel 75mg once every 3 weeks.

I'm considering getting a second opinion, probably at MSK, and would like recommendations for an oncologist there that I could seek out. I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone with a history similar to mine, especially if they took Zytiga and it failed.

Thanks and best wishes to all the other members of this men's club that no one wanted to join!

LittleJoe

[Tall_Allen]

Michael Morris or Philip Kantoff at MSK. Also, William Oh at Mt Sinai, or Charles Drake at Columbia are good choices. I also like Scott Tagawa at Weill Cornell for his groundbreaking work on radiopharmaceuticals.

[nyjoe in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks, Tall_Allen!

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

I met with Dr. Morris' nurse practitioner (MSK) last week and asked if Dr. Morris is taking on new patients, she replied NO. Sorry....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 02/05/2019 7:55 PM EST

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

Thanks for this info. I noted in his bio that he has 54 years of experience so I suspect he is 80 or older.

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

wrong doctor.... he's not even in his 50's

Here he is:

mskcc.org/videos/hormone-th...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 02/05/2019 8:43 PM EST

[Darryl Partner]

Go with Dr oh at Mount Sinai. Mention Malecare and this group. He and Kantoff respect our group

[tallguy2]

There are clinical trials recruiting patients that use Zytiga plus a PARP inhibitor.

Also, please consider hitting it with chemo at this time, if you are feeling well today.

[Barbara345]

Hi there, my husband Barry also sees medical oncologist at Wilmot (Dr. Fung). Happy to see someone else who goes to Wilmot on this board (we don't know anyone else who goes there). Barry was diagnosed with Stage 4 PC with bone mets last August, taking Lupron and just started chemo.

We recently got two second opinions -- one with Dr. Rathkopf at MSK, and also with Dr. Tagawa at Weill Cornell -- both very helpful. I heard Dr. Morris is excellent but not taking new patients. Someone said Dr. Karen Autio is good, but I can't verify, although I heard her at the MaleCare conference and liked what she presented.

[nyjoe]

Glad you found the second opinions helpful. I had just the one from Dr. Kantoff at MSK which was helpful. I had Provenge immunotherapy treatments in April-May and should have a better idea of whether it is working when I get a bone scan and CT scan in two weeks.