Ideas for the best options

[Zot1]

I wrote 2 weeks ago about my dad’s situation.PC. Yesterday, we had the result and fortunately no Mets. The oncologist suggested my dad 3 options of traitement: he needs the answer by Monday morning.

1- Combination of ADT( Eligard once per 3 months for 2 years + external beam radiation therapy for 8 weeks.

2- Eligard + HDR + external beam radiation therapy ( space - oar) 5 weeks

3- HDR epidural with needles inside for 2 days. ,,,,,,,, I think It’s not for the age of my dad 76 years old today. I am looking forward to hearing from you with wonderful ideas and opinions. Thanks

[LearnAll]

I will choose option 1.

[Tall_Allen]

#2 is the option with the most history - it has been used since the 1980s, and has been proven to be more effective than option #1 (see below). A friend of mine who had this therapy had a very bad experience with SpaceOAR - the gel protected some of the cancer, which then metastasized.

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2017/03/...

#3 is the choice that has the least side effects. I have no idea why you say his age is a problem (he would have the same epidural with option #2). However, its use for high risk patients is experimental:

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2016/08/...

[Zot1 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks for your advice. I see you are for option #3 , but the doctor never mentioned experimental. I was for option #2 but the bad experience of your friend scared me. So option #1 is better than others, even it lasts longer. I really appreciate your opinion.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Zot1]

No - I did not say that. In fact, I said the opposite. I said option #3 is experimental, not standard-of-care. So, if you want something with more history, option 2 may be better, but if you are willing to use a therapy with less data to back it up, option 3 may be preferred. This is a matter of personal preference.

I also said that option 2 is more curative than option 1. I added that there may be a reason to do option 2 without SpaceOAR (which is optional).

I said that option 1 is the least curative of the 3 options.

[Zot1 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks again, Sorry for misunderstanding. I am not familiar with medical terms. I was told Space oar is for protecting rectum from the radiation.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Zot1]

Unnecessary protection for most men.

[Zot1 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Sorry to bother you again, I appreciate the way you answer to all the members and a lot of knowledge. My question is: does epidural will affect his body , his movement because my dad suffers from arthritis and lumbar pain.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Zot1]

Talk to the anesthesiologist. I'm not aware of long-term effects of epidural, but I am certainly not an expert.

[jdayoc]

You asked for my input. However, I had 8 weeks of radiation due to a biochemical recurrence AFTER my prostatectomy. I read the other replies, and I defer to Allen Tall. God Bless and Good Luck! Joe

[Pizzle123]

Hi Zot1,

I have 3days of radiation to go after 7 plus weeks. I am on option #1 . Time has passed so quickly for me as I considered 8 weeks like it was an eternity, however the 8 week sentence does tend to wear you down. I ask my onc about #2 option after being prompted by TA, she seemed interested but didn't entertain the idea. the last 2 weeks have been the worst for me as I find it hard to keep my eyes open for more than 3 hours at a time and also keep them shut for 3 hours at a time. As you may be aware your Dad will have to have a full bladder and an empty bowel before each treatment which is fine but the full bladder seems to last for 24 hours, and when you gotta go- you gotta go! It's been ok I guess but I've changed a couple of my habits to compensate. Absolutely no alcohol and limit coffee to 1 in the morning mainly to help with the movement of the bowels. I also noticed in the last 2 weeks that urine flow was not forthcoming even though I was about to wet myself which is a fair pain in the dick lol. 1 coffee in the morning or none at all solved this. A fellow I met at the radiation clinic says that he has become dairy intolerant since his treatment started so it does affect people differently depending on you fitness level so which ever option you choose, if you have a problem think about what you are eating and drinking and talk to the oncology nurses they are a wealth of Knowledge and will guide you through it. There are drugs available that you can get to help with some of the symptoms but they have side effects so I didn't opt for that course of action. I sincerely hope all goes well for your Dad.

sincerely Glenn

[Zot1]

I thank you so much Glenn for your information.I wish you all my best.