My 82 year old dad has prostate cancer that has spread to the bones and after becoming hormone resistant he will be starting Radium 223 soon, as long as his next scan doesn't show any nasties.
Does anyone have any success stories of this?
Does it work better with anything else?
Any advice would be appreciated, I know it is taken to reduce bone pain but this isn't a major issue for my father as yet.
Thanks
Lucy, my husband had his first Zofigo infusion just yesterday. A little increased pain this morning but improving as the day goes on. Otherwise, so far so good! Neither of us have been looking forward to it, especially the precautions involved, but we’re committed now so trying to take each day as it comes, and one day at a time! Lots of good luck wishes to your Dad whichever treatment path he takes.
There may be a short-lived increase in bone pain before it is reduced. If he is taking Zometa, it is a good idea to add Celebrex to it.
Hi Lucy - my husband had 3 radium 223 infusions and while it seemed to work on some the bone Mets, it didn’t apparently do the job on all of them. After the third infusion he ended up in the hospital needing external radiation to his spine and skull. I hope it works for your dad - as people here say, every cancer is different! My very best to you and your dad.
Hi, Luucy, My husband had the full round of six injections, mostly with no issues. He was in a similar situation to your father: hormone resistant, some mets to the spine, but no bone pain yet. He was in good physical condition, so while his platelet count dropped over the course of the injections, there was no need for a blood transfusion, as some have needed.
On the drive home each time from treatment (about an hour and a half) he would say that he felt a little "strange" but that rather quickly disappeared. The Ra223 "worked" for about a year.
Prior to the injections he had metastases to several places in his spine. CT scans six months after the last injection showed that the lesions were "resolving"; his PSA also dropped significantly. However, about four months after that, his PSA started rising again and eventually the lesions "returned." Had Xofigo (Ra223) been approved for a second round (it's been tested; found to be safe and to have some efficacy), we'd have done it again.
A very long way of saying, that we were pleased that the treatment bought us almost a year of good results. May your dad have a similar experience.
Glad to hear this response as it is being considered as a next treatment for me. Thanks for sharing. Happy to hear it gave another year for your husband.
Timing of XGeva & Radium 223. 
Steroids and Radium 223
Radium 223
Radium 223
