My friend is 56. Already gone thru Chemo (docetaxal), provenge, zytiga and xandi.
MO wants him to start chemo which he doesnt want to do (again) and wants to know thoughts from others. Success (O.S) statistics with Radium 223?
Running out of options.
His PSA is rising but still low at .7 and imaging shows new bone mets.
Help a brother please!!
Second-line chemotherapy Cabazitaxel is his best remaining. proven treatment IMO. Many people have found the side effects of Cabazitaxel to be more tolerable than Docetaxel.
I would suggest trying one cycle and see if it working and how tolerable the side effects are. He can always quit at any time if it's not tolerable. He only has to commit to one cycle at a time. It's a small commitment for the potential gain.
Thx Gregg
His concern is that if extends the runway only 3-4 months and he has to endure 6 months of chemo it’s not worth it
I understand that concern and have been through Docetaxel myself for 18 weeks. I found that having one week out three where I felt crappy, but not debilitated was worth the other two weeks of feeling normal. And with symptomatic PCa, you can end up feeling better overall, despite the side effects.
I had some really memorable and enjoyable experiences during chemotherapy so for me, it would have been worth just extending my life for the time I was on chemo. I realize that not everyone would feel the way I do about it. I just didn't think that life on chemo was that bad.
Of course you really don't know how much it can extend your life, could be more than 6 months who knows.
Wishing the best for him, whatever he decides.