When Meds stop working

[concernedlady]

I havent posted here before but started following because I have a close friend who is currently fighting the battle Diagnosed 11 years ago, had the surgery & more recently was on zytiga & prednesone Then it was switch to dexamethasone The side effects from both steroids although different were intolerable He had a consult today at the cancer centre & they hae removed all drugs except the needle to the abdoman & are now scheduling radiation & chemo after. What can be expected as far asprognosis is concerned. I promised support because he has none & reached out I wont quit but just want to know what to expect. We are 150 miles apart so it has been difficult & I dont expect that to improve. Any advice will e welcome

[Tall_Allen]

So,from what I understand he had surgery that failed. No salvage radiation? Then Lupron +Zytiga+ prednisone/dexamethasone. Zytiga failed, stayed on Lupron (or similar). Now getting radiation - of what? the prostate and/or metastases? And he will be starting chemo soon. Sounds good. Here's what we've learned so far on sequencing:

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2019/12/...

How many metastases were discovered and where were they, and with what kind of imaging?

[concernedlady in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank you for your response, Tall Allen Sorry, I failed to include some pertinent info. After the surgery, he did have radiation on the prostrate area. That treatment resulted in damage to the bladder which has resulted in constant incontinence, that has resulted in him isolating himself from social activities. More recently was on Zytiga 1000 mg & Prednesone, 5 mg, twice a day starting in Apr. In may, psa was 5, June 7, Sept 14. Dr changed him to Dexamethasone . The side effects were terrible, no sleep, fluid retention in the legs, so ad he had difficulty walking. Fatigue, & difficulty climbing stairs, etc. Nov 1st, Dr dropped the Zytiga all toether & cut the Dex dosage in half, psa 28. Nov 19, bone scan, Dec 3rd, Ct scan. Dec 9 Blood work & consult, which brings us to where we are now. He has an appt on 17th for the Lupron shot & they are scheduling radiation on his upper back for January. Although he wasnt specific, the scan apparently shows it has spread to other areas, specifically bones. No major organs involved to my knowledge. Hope this helps. Thanks again.

[Tall_Allen in reply to concernedlady]

Thanks -- that makes sense. Has he had any tumors biopsied?

[concernedlady in reply to Tall_Allen]

No biopsy yet. Up until now, scans have shown no change. That maybe next.

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

Tell us more about your friend. Age, Location, Psa and Gleason scores, Treatment Location(s), Doctor's name(s)? All info is voluntary but it helps us help him and helps us too. Thank you (and you are a kind lady)....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 12/11/2019 8:53 PM EST