Here is a personal update about my case. I have been doing follow up PSMA PET scans of pelvic lymph nodes in left pelvis since that region was treated with EBRT in late 2019. PSA dropped from 0.28 to 0.14 following treatment and drifted lower but never undetectable. I have been off of ADT and using cyclic high dose testosterone for sarcopenia: 2 months high T then one month off. PSA has behaved. goes up to 0.17 on T and drops back near 0.11 when off it.
Then I had another PSMA PET scan this month (Pylarify) which showed progression: two new 1 cm lymph nodes, one in the right pelvis and one in the abdomen at celiac plexus. So now I am "officially" metastatic, yet still HS.
Two ways to go: SBRT targeting and blasting the two new nodes with high probability of resolving them. But a 65% probability of recurrence in other nearby sites within 2 years.
Alternative could be Lu-177-PSMA treatments which do provide some benefit for some time but often do not completely clear the larger metastatic nodes. Again, high rate of recurrence.
Tonight I had a video consult with Dr. Nat Lenzo of GenesisCare in Australia. He said they have a new program and trial underway for combining both SBRT and Lutetium in oligometastatic cases. The SBRT kills the identified cancerous nodes quite effectively. Then 4 weeks later they use Lu to mop up and treat micro-metastatic foci. (Sequence can also be reversed.)
Furthermore, they are using a different ligand for PSMA binding that is an antibody called J5-91. It binds much stronger to the PSMA on cancer cells. So the dosage of radiation can be much lower, 1.5 to 2.0 GBq instead of the 7.4 to 8 with other ligands. And they only need to do 2 injections two weeks apart, rather than the 4 to 6 at longer intervals requiring more trips. There is lower salivary and renal toxicity with J5-91 but more significant bone marrow depression which is temporary but may require transfusions in some. (25%) and 5-10% platelets.
So I am getting prepped and simulated for SBRT to the nodes next month. Then 4 weeks after completing the 5 treatments fly to Perth for the first J5-91 injection. Be a tourist in Australia for two weeks and get the second injection before flying home. And he wants me off of ADT from the start of the SBRT until all is completed. Oh well, have to give up the Orgovyx for my "off" cycle early.