"Cholera Vaccine for Prostate Cancer Patients"

I'm 79. Diagnosed stage 4 prostate cancer, Gleason 9, in July 2017. Doing very well on Zytiga/Prednisone and Lupron. Saw a reference to the use of cholera vaccine by prostate cancer patients and followed it up by locating an article in "Nature Communications", June 18, 2018, on that topic (link: nature.com/articles/s41467-....

The Swedish Research Council provided grants to study patients in Sweden in the period from July 2005 to December 2014 on this use of cholera vaccine. To my non-professional eyes this looked like a 'study', and I submitted a copy to the Nurse Practitioner on my cancer team. I asked for an opinion on the article, and if such a treatment is available at my hospital. The answer was provided by stating that this was not actually a 'study' but only 'observations'.

Given that the NP is correct, I would like to obtain more recent information on the use of cholera vaccine. Can anybody supply me with a link to a 'study' since the time of the article from "Nature Communications"?

[Tall_Allen]

That's all there is. Your link doesn't work- here it is:

nature.com/articles/s41467-...

You are right that it is a study. Your NP is right that it is just an observational study, and not a prospective clinical trial. The problem with observational studies like this is usually due to selection bias - i.e., those who got the vaccine were people who were highly health conscious (like healthcare workers) who also closely monitor their PSA and live healthy lifestyles. Or maybe there is some real unknown causal effect - who knows? For some hopeful people, that is enough.

[Hidden in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank you, Tall_Allen. I hope someone out there on this forum can point me to more current infomation on this use of cholera vaccine.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Hidden]

There is no more current information.

[Hidden in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks, again, Tall_Allen. I suspected as much. My searching proved to be of no avail.

Anyway, my T and PSA are undectable, so I'll pass on by the cholera trail for now.

[D_Alden in reply to Hidden]

The Norwegian Health Ministry has begun a Phase 3 trial on the use of an Anthlementic for cancer, I haven't heard which one, whether it's Dukoral or another one. Of course it will be years before there is any conclusion either way.

Dukoral may help fight the disease, or not. It's cheap ($77US), and no downside to taking it, so I figure it's worth the effort. I went to Canada yesterday and bought the vaccine and had a nice day with the wife visiting the Vancouver area. I won't know if it was useful since my PSA has been undetectable for the past 7 months.

[Cynthgob in reply to D_Alden]

Any side effects from Dukoral? What is the shelf life??

[D_Alden in reply to Cynthgob]

No SE that I noticed. I took the first dose while in Vancouver, the second dose is taken at least 7 days after the first so I brought it home and took it a week later. It has to be kept cold, so refrigerate until used. I didn't read the shelf life on the label since I took it immediately after purchase.

[Gemlin_]

They also found a decreased mortality risk with the cholera vaccine and colon cancer, interesting!

"Cholera Vaccine Use Is Associated With a Reduced Risk of Death in Patients With Colorectal Cancer: A Population-Based Study"

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/289...

[Hidden in reply to Gemlin_]

Thanks for the study reference link. This is indeed interesting!

[Cynthgob in reply to Gemlin_]

Is there any evidence that more doses would help. Other than the prescribed 2 doses of Dukoral?

[Stelle]

Move to Xtandi when Lupron fails.