erleada and zytiga vs just zytiga

[GeorgeGlass]

prostatecancernewstoday.com...

This study highlights the "significant improvement" by using erleada and zytiga together vs. just zytiga but then they slip in this statement lower on down in the article: "Other secondary endpoints, including overall survival, time to initiation of chemotherapy, use of chronic opioids, and pain progression, did not differ significantly between the two treatment groups."

Is it really worth it adding the increased side effects if the overall survival is the same?

[cesces]

1. So it does delay metastasis. That's good.

2. It doesn't delay death. But most of us die from heart disease as opposed to cancer.

3. Doesn't delay "time to initiation of chemotherapy" that's interesting. It would seem to contradict 1.

4. Doesn't delay "use of chronic opioids, and pain progression" This is end stage when your bones are collapsing around your nerves. You probably want to die before you reach this stage.

So, why not use the combo, unless it is generating extra side effects. But yes, this seems a bit confusing.

[dhccpa in reply to cesces]

Why would most of us die from heart disease? Caused by our cancer meds or already present at PCa diagnosis?

[cesces in reply to dhccpa]

Dr. Myers used to make the point that most of his prostate cancer patients didn't die from cancer. Not under his care.

They died from heart disease.

It's an occupational hazard of being an old man. That's why there are so many widows and so few widowers as we age.

[dhccpa in reply to cesces]

I see. But do cancer meds like Lupron, Firmagan, Zytiga, Xtandi, chemo, etc. cause some of those heart (and other causes) related deaths?

[cesces in reply to dhccpa]

They aren't good for you.

But it's really your y chromosome, age, and lifestyle that ere the risk factors.

[Dastardly in reply to cesces]

Most prostate cancer patients didn't die from cancer? Surely this is very misleading. You cannot make sweeping statements concerning ALL those us us who have prostate cancer. A man diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer with lots of mets must surely be more at risk of dying from that cancer than a man who is fortunate enough to catch it before it escapes the prostate. I accept that some of the drugs prescribed for a man with stage 4 may well cause damage to the heart, but once you are castrate resistant, it is only a matter of time before the cancer gets you.

I would be interested in a survey that compares the cause of death of stage 3 patients against those in stage 4 that would prove this claim one way or the other.

[cesces in reply to Dastardly]

That's what Myers said with respect to the population of patients under his care.

So I guess that wasn't a typical population of patients or clearly typical care.

His patients took good care of themselves, typically traveling thousands of miles a year to see him once or twice a year. And his care was far from typical.