Abiraterone and Lupron lower PSA

[Grebit]

After being on Abiraterone and Lupron for 1month, my PSA is undetectable. Scans done in May showed prostate Mets to my upper spine. Not sure what this means. Can the cancer shrink or is it just stopped from growing more?

[6357axbz]

Shrink but not kill. My bone Mets have shrunk on Lupton/Abiraterone

[BarronS]

This is the same thing that has happened to my father. His PSA is still 0.02 coming up on 8 months on zytiga and lupron. Last test a few weeks ago showed that he has a met in his back and one in his femur. These mets have been there since the beginning of therapy. It seems that some people just have stable disease and there is no progression. I've read peoples post on here that have said they've had bone mets with a low PSA for years.

I would say that if you are worried about it, ask your doctor is you could radiate those spots. Although this isn't proven to to do anything beneficial, there is some low quality evidence saying that it may have a good effect.

I'm not too confident when I say this next part, as I haven't researched it extensively. But I also heard that the bone mets may have reduced and all you are seeing there now is the damaged bone that has not healed. There could also be "flaring" after your treatment.

[tom67inMA]

The cancer can definitely shrink, just like your genitalia do on ADT. This might mean the cancer is dying, or the individual cells are just shrinking as they become less active. If I recall correctly, somebody here who had surgery after ADT said his lymph nodes looked like raisins due to the dead cancer in them.

A good scan is one that doesn't show new metastases relative to a previous scan. Depending on the scan type, it may have trouble differentiating between pre-existing metastases and scar tissue, or bone healing activity, etc.

To get the best idea of what your cancer is doing, you have to look at everything: Scans, blood work, and symptoms. Your PSA could not be better. Do you know your alkaline phosphatase? That can indicate cancer activity in the bones. How are you feeling? Energetic and able to do things? Or tired and in pain?

In my experience, blood numbers are the first thing to improve, then the scans, and finally the symptoms.

[monte1111 in reply to tom67inMA]

My doc never mentioned genitalia or testicular shrinkage to me. I thought it was from being in the pool. A whole heap of side effects that were never mentioned. They didn't bother taking my cancerous lymph nodes out. Lymph nodes in a jar above the mantle. What a great conversation piece. "Are those raisins? No actually ....... "

[tom67inMA in reply to monte1111]

OMG, hahahaha! Like saving your kid's foreskin after circumcision! Have you seen "meet the fockers"? Very funny scene in that.

[j-o-h-n in reply to tom67inMA]

I made a ring out of mine.... Always had trouble cause it kept falling off when I was around a pretty lady... Now it's so small and tight I wear it as a pinky ring.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 06/25/2019 6:45 PM DST

[Hidden in reply to tom67inMA]

Gaylord focker?

[tom67inMA in reply to Hidden]

Yes, but "let's not talk about the tiny turtle":

youtube.com/watch?v=MuZ404_...(Not working as expected?)

[j-o-h-n in reply to monte1111]

Now you making laugh so hard... I'm crying...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 06/25/2019 6:47 PM DST

[tango65]

Difficult to know what happens with the metastases when treated. I had lymph node metastases that were treated with ADT and Lu 177 PSMA. The mets became PSMA negative and the doctors considered that there is not cancer in these lymph nodes. The nodes remained PSMA negative in 3 Ga 68 PSMA studies done after the Lu 177 PSMA treatment, The size of the nodes is the same than when they were PSMA positive. They continue to be enlarged. If we were using CT studies, they will consider these nodes suspicious for PC metastases. The treatments not necessarily shrink the mets. I believe, no new metastases or enlargement of the previous ones are indication that the cancer is not progressing.

[NPfisherman]

Abiraterone acetate is shown to kill cancer cells...most--early on...later--it provides disease stability...you could do stereotactic radiation to the mets to eliminate them--while there is no phase 3 data yet--phase 2 from Dr Heron's trial looks promising... more PCa patients than SABR-COMET--still not 100% PCa focused....

astro.org/News-and-Publicat...

That is the route I took...

Good luck....

Don Pescado

[curious-mind1]

If Zytiga is working, the longer you take it, the more cancer cells it'll kill, or otherwise inhibit from growing. Further scans should show mets further decreasing, or becoming not visible on scan (assuming the Zytiga is working).

Arthur

[EdBar]

I have been on Lupron, Xtandi and Avodart for 5 years now, I was originally dx with mets to pelvis, spine, sternum and ribs. PSA has been undetectable for about 4 1/2 years. Sclerotic lesions now show up where mets were with no active disease (that’s how it’s described on my scan reports). Is the cancer still there? Probably, it’s likely just dormant from the early treatment barrage it received which also included radiation to the prostate and chemo per CHAARTED. My goal is to hopefully keep it in this dormant state so it doesn’t figure out a way around the ADT.

Ed

[Walter_Gould]

I have been on Zytiga ( aberaterone acetate ) and Lupron for over eight years and my bone and soft tissue Mets have disappeared. It took over six years for some of them to become invisible.

[Fitzbruce1 in reply to Walter_Gould]

Walter-

You give many of us needed hope with your amazing story! Anything else that you have done w supplements, diet, infusions etc?

[Walter_Gould in reply to Fitzbruce1]

I just take my Zytiga with 16oz. of water first thing every morning along with a sensible diet and moderate exercise.

[tom67inMA in reply to Walter_Gould]

That's great news! Did you have any pain? And if so, did it go away? My last bone scan was much improved, but with some active areas where I still have pain. MO suggested the scan is showing bone healing, as blood work is now perfect with normal alk. phos.

[Walter_Gould in reply to tom67inMA]

I had pain in the areas where my cancer was dying and where the cancer is still active and has not completely died.

[tom67inMA in reply to Walter_Gould]

Thanks, I'm still in the phase where any unfamiliar pain freaks me out.

[keepinon in reply to Walter_Gould]

WOW. Lupron and Zytiga for 8 years! I have been on same for 8 weeks. Can't imagine!

I am curious about your diet, supplements, exercise also. Best of luck!

[Walter_Gould in reply to keepinon]

I eat sensibly, drink occasionally, exercise moderately and take a daily multivitamin, supplements potassium, calcium, magnesium, fish oil and vitamin E.

[V10fanatic in reply to Walter_Gould]

From what my MO(Dr. Scholz) told you might want to reconsider that multivitamin.

[Walter_Gould in reply to V10fanatic]

Thanks

[6357axbz in reply to Walter_Gould]

8 years continuously?

[Walter_Gould in reply to 6357axbz]

Yes

[Hidden in reply to Walter_Gould]

Wow. Amazing it goes well .

[j-o-h-n]

Greetings Grebit....

Can you tell us about yourself: age? location? treatments? Psa and Gleason scores? treatment center? doctor's name(s)? All info is voluntary, but it helps us help you and helps us too. Thank you.If you wish to reply please do so on a future date and Not directed to me.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 06/25/2019 6:52 PM DST

[Walter_Gould]

See my profile

[Hidden]

👍

[treedown]

My lymphnodes shrunk in less than a month on Lupron and when they went to do a biopsy on the mildly prominent, I think aorta nodes, they could not find any with ultrasound, literally could not find any much less one to biopsy. The Dr doing the biopsy said that was a good thing but the RO that ordered it didn't offer any input and shrinking with Lupron just meant definitively they had cancer to me.