My dad keeps on reading that T4 prostate cancer typically has a life expectancy of 5 years. He was diagnosed with T4 N1 M0 acinar. PSA was over 40, now at 0.3, been on Lupron since November alongside cannabis oil suppositorys, B17, Black Seed oil and Bromelain. Complete change of diet too. He was due to start chemo in March but we pressed for a scan beforehand, due to the scan results the oncologist said he would like to delay chemo for 3 months. He said we weren't out of the woods yet, but definitely getting through them.
I guess my question is, which I cant find the answer online. When does T4 become life threatening? Does it have to metastasize to bones and other organs? If the PSA remains stable, and no spread due to Lupron and alternatives....is it life threatening?
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DW1986
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There is no easy answer to your question other than to say everyone is different. I was diagnosed at the end of May 2013 with a PSA reading a little less than 1700 and with extensive bone mets. Over the years, I have been on Casodex (bi-calutamide), Zoladex (goserelin), Firmagon (degarelix), and Prolia (denosumab). I am currently on Zoladex, Prolia (every six months), and Xtandi (enzalutamide). Some radiation and no chemo. In a month, it will be six years and I still have lots of fight left. I have met men at conferences and elsewhere with metastatic prostate cancer who have gone 15 years and more. Don't ever give up, join a support group, and read as much as you can about this disease. The people who post here provide a wealth of information. Hope that helps!
The thing that scares me about my hubby stage 4 prostate cancer met,is that he is never without pain..he is on OxyContin and oxycodene,flexeril,but the pain never goes away..Also the meds completely took his sex drive and his capabilities are gone..I don’t really care about the sex ,I just want my husband to live..
Always life threatening acct. Its a sneaky ba$tard and we never know when it will pop back up. PSA .3 is good. Scans before start is good acct. gives good base pt to work from and indicates what to target. At .3 PSA 3 month wait will kill you mentally, but won't hurt start of chemo. 5 yrs. mostly based on old data. and even then 1/2 lived longer. Hope your dad is strong otherwise so kidney, heart, lungs, etc won't weaken him. The weak, sick who come down with T 4 plus other problems have a hard time of it.
IMO, whatever information may be online about prostate cancer and survival is not precise since they do not take into account the new treatments incorporated in the last years.
His cancer is hormone sensitive and it can be kept undercontrol with ADT, new anti androgens, zitiga, chemo etc. These possible treatments could prolong life for many years. When the cancer becomes castration resistant it is more difficult to control. However for non metastatic castration resistant cancer the new anti androgens (apalutamide, darolutamide, enzalutamide) can prolong the time to progresion for about 40 months.
We also have Lu 177 PSMA and Ac 225 PSMA treatments which may prolong life. There is also direct treatment of metastases with radiation, treatment of bone metastases with Ra 223 (Xofigo) , immune therapies with Provenge, and monoclonal antibodies if there are specific mutations in the cancer. and bone agents like zoledronic acid and denosumab.
Stage T4 means the cancer has eaten its way outside of the prostate and attacked surrounding organs like the bladder and rectum. As long as it has not metastasized, it may be curable. Metastasis is designated as N1 if it is found in pelvic lymph nodes, M1 if found in more distant places.
It's hard to say with this horrible disease my hubby was diagnosed in November 2015 with no bone mets sadly I lost him on the 10 th of January this year.
It all depends on how aggressive it is good luck xx
I am sorry to hear that your Husband passed. I went back and looked at the picture of both of you. You both looked so happy and good looking. It is tough to lose a loved one but you can console yourself that he's in a much better place. No pain, no worries just peace... May he live in your memories forever. God Bless.
Oh my gosh. I am so sorry. I remembered the beautiful picture well. I hope you, daughter and rest of family and friends are doing well. Peace be with you.
My understanding is that when the PSA starts rising after the meds quit working and you have Mets Listen to the doctor
We went to Cleveland Clinic, MD Anderson and are now treated at Mayo Clinic. They each told us the same exact thing and here’s how it was explained, “ if you take 1,000 guys and put them in a football field, in 5 years half will be living and half will not”. Interestingly, the first time we heard this was 3 years ago. Just recently, when I pressed on timing, we were told the same thing only 2 years was used (which is right in line with the original 5 minus 3 years!!) ugh, we get a lot of hope from the guys on here, many of which have done way better than these averages we are all given! One Dr, who we love pointed out that on a survival graph, there is a high spike at 5 years, but then it levels out and gradually goes all the way out to 20! So somebody made it 20! Why not us or you! Hugs and prayers to you!
I may never know the answer to your question. In the last eleven years I have had 72 radiations and 6 1/2 years of Lupron. I was told I may have only 5 years to live in 2007. I am still alive and stopped all therapy 1 year ago. My Doctor called me on Christmas Eve and told me I no longer have cancer in my body. I had stage 4 PCa and stage 4 bone cancer. So I wish you well and remember to just keep truckin'.
I hate it when doctors tell you how much time you have. I was given 5 to 10 years after surgery. That was 27 years ago. Your father has not even on other ADT drugs which could give him years more.
“For all the good those cannabis suppositories did, I might as well have stuck them up my arse”
That over, as I’ve posted many times, still here after a dx PSA of 571, 7 major bone Mets, and a very poor life expectancy. That was 7.5 years ago. Current PSA is immeasurable. Still on Abiraterone, Prednisone and Zoladex. Life’s extremely good. Lots of muscle wastage, but I can still lift a pint of lager. No special diets or supplements. A balanced diet of everything except fish. Fish has a tendency to give me anaphylactic shock as I’m very allergic to it. Luckily fish is always aromatic. Except in Worcestershire Sauce.... that one caught me out.
First thing my dr said to me was stay off the internet. The reason normally no Dr will tell you information like that is they have no idea. Took me a year to figure that out. It’s cancer and they treat it differently with each patient. Go to the place that has treated the most cases. There are people here that have been through it all and can guide you in the right direction but my guess is they won’t give you a checkout date.
A lot (most) have a hard time ingesting the high amounts of THC needed to “kill” cancer. They use suppositories which produces less “high” and is more tolerable. My husband couldn’t even do it with suppositories.
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