After 24 weeks of participating in a promising clinical trial, I now need to move on to the next viable treatment as my disease is progressing and my PSA continues to rise. I was told that I now need systemic treatment, and soon.
I have to admit that when I was first told that I needed systemic treatment using chemo, I had no idea if there would be another available/viable treatment after it. Am I near the end of the road? But then I reminded myself of all the current and coming trials that are out there.
This is an amazing time for us all to reflect on the progress being made for treating prostate cancer. None of us should be afraid to consider and participate in a clinical trial. It's the only way any of us will know what treatments actually work.
After much research and a number of second opinions, I am starting Cabazitaxel along with Carboplatin in a few days (on Feb 10, 2022) at CINJ. I have a great team of doctors/MOs at Johns Hopkins, NY Presbyterian and UCSF that I use, mostly via telemed meetings, that offer advice and validate my treatment decisions.
As I begin this treatment regimen, I think ahead about what my next step will be. And there will be a next step. I am just not sure what that will be yet, as I see how the chemo works for me by getting the disease under control. Hoping for the best.
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HopingForTheBest1
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I do believe that by sharing my journey I will be helping others, just as those on this site who have shared theirs and have helped me. We are all in this fight together.
I greatly appreciate all of you who have responded to my post. Thank you for your well wishes. Wishing you the same.
Chemo and xtandi gave me 3 years of almost undetectable PSA. Now starting my 5th year as stage 4, gleason 9 prostate cancer. You have a long way to go. Best of luck to you with your new treatments. Life Is Good, especially with a good/great aPca treatment team.
My husband will receive his second carbazitaxel/carboplatin treatment on Wednesday 2/9, so he is just one cycle ahead of you. First one caused no side effects at all, other than a decrease in pain. His WBC did dip to 1.1, but thanks to the Neulasta, rebounded to normal quickly.
I checked your profile, and found your post from 3 months very informative. You really are doing everything you can in helping your husband fight this disease. Is LU177 still on your radar?
Yes, the Lu-177 is still on our radar. He had a lot of PSMA uptake on his scan. So much so, that there was some concern that there was too much depth for the Lu-177 at this time, and the chemo first could hopefully knock this down a bit, and make the Lu-177 more effective. We are hoping for great results on the scans in 4 weeks. You are right in saying that there is so much promise on the horizon, if we can only hold on.
My husband is strong and healthy other than this highly aggressive cancer. No heart disease or other comorbidities, fit, and ready to fight this fight if God is willing. So far, all the treatments have been easy for him. Only skeletal pain since the beginning of January has held him back at all.
I hope you have a great outcome from this chemo cocktail!
My wife and I wish you and your family all the best. Stay positive, you've doing incredibly well and give us all encouragement to continue our personal fight.
Yes, I am hoping for the best!Press on regardless.
The cure is coming. Fact. How far off is it? We all hope to be here when it arrives. Maybe it is here, yet the proper combo and timing have yet to be trialed.
Following your journey and "hoping for the best" for you. We're looking at Xofigo as our next step. Hope you're able to tolerate chemo well. My husband, as well as many others here, has tolerated it well. Looking forward to hearing good results from you!
Rahul Aagawal at UCSF, Catherine Handy-Marshall at Johns Hopkins, and Mark Stein at NYP. This is an amazing oncology team. The best and brightest in prostate cancer research and treatment IMO.
That's what is good about getting second opinions. DORA did come up, but it was determined to not be the right treatment for me, based on a 100% consensus. While I have had bone metastases, which are currently stable and sclerotic, radium 223 is not an effective treatment for me especially since the greater concern now are the small nodules found in my lungs.
You work with a team (Rahul Aagawal at UCSF, Catherine Handy-Marshall at Johns Hopkins, and Mark Stein at NYP) and they made the recommendation? I'm seeing a good MO (Nancy Dawson) from Georgetown and have not sought second opinions yet. though I did go to John Hopkins to get some genetic work done. How do you get a team to get opinions from different hospitals? Thanks!
I had seen in person both Stein and Marshall in the recent past. So I have a direct relationship with them. As for Aggarwal, he was recommended to me by Dr Pamela Munster (Director at the Center for BRCA Research) also at UCSF, with whom I have had several telemed appointments. Each of them, including my main Oncologist at CINJ (Saraiya), agree with my next treatment of Cabazitaxel and Carboplatin.
Another great piece of information, I didn't know they had a Center for BRCA research. I have the CHEK2 mutation and will research that UCSF organization.
Go forth without fear, HopingFTB. You meet the nicest people in the infusion room. Even losing hair has an upside (No shaving, no BO) and can be a new look. It does come back. Hoping for you too. Paul
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