Any hope?

[p1411887]

In 2018 I started Zytiga and Lupron. Zytiga stopped working after three years. In December of 2021 I started Taxotere. It didn’t help. I had 25 treatments of radiation treatment for my pelvis area. Treatment stopped on 7/18/22. Now I’m dealing with the side effects. Anything else after the treatments I received?

[Chugach]

Hey brother- there are lots of options. If your doctor is not telling you about them - find another doctor. I have done everything you have and many more. Ask about genetic testing of the cancer- to see if you have any markers that could make other therapies an option. Stay strong- this is the long game, and that’s the game to keep playing

[p1411887 in reply to Chugach]

Thank you for the encouragement!

[dhccpa in reply to Chugach]

I read your profile. Quite a journey! Still no Mets?

[Chugach in reply to dhccpa]

I haven’t had a scan in 3 years, but I get a PSMA pet on Thursday- fingers crossed

[dhccpa in reply to Chugach]

Best of luck!

[AlanMeyer]

Hello p1411887,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. There are some other treatments that might have a chance of helping you. Some that you haven't mentioned include: Xtandi/enzalutamide, Pluvicto/Lu-177, Xofigo/Radium 223, immunotherapy, and maybe new things which may be available, some of them in clinical trials. You need a good medical oncologist with a specialty in prostate cancer to tell you if any of these are worth trying in your particular case. If any of these work they are more likely to help for months rather than years. If you think that you don't have a good medical oncologist and you live in the United States it might be worth looking at the National Cancer Institute's list of "Designated Cancer Centers" at:

cancer.gov/research/infrast...

to help you find someone.

I don't know anything about your situation - hold old you are, whether you are married, have a family, or have any other help, what your PSA is and how fast it's increasing, etc. These may influence what you will do for the future.

Personally, I think it's valuable to look into other treatments. If the experts think they won't be of benefit, then it won't be much fun to go through more treatment, more side effects, and more dashed hopes. But if some of them give you a real shot of a few extra months and sometimes a bunch of extra months, that can be worth it. Either way, I think it's also very important to face the future, whatever it is, with courage and with resolution to remain a strong and steadfast person to the end. We're all going to die, if not from prostate cancer then from something else. We need to plan the time remaining to us, for example by creating a will and providing for our family if we can, by finding and planning palliative care at a good facility if we think we will need that, for gathering together photos, diary entries, letters, mementos, or other things we would like to pass on - maybe labeling things so our heirs will know who the people in the photos or letters are, or writing some autobiographical material so your children and any other successors will know more about your life.

Please don't despair. You are still alive. There may be things that you can still do for yourself or others that are meaningful to you, enjoyable and of which you can be proud.

I wish you the very best. I'm sure that everyone here wishes the same.

Alan

[p1411887 in reply to AlanMeyer]

Thank you for your reply. Less than two months ago I started Xtandi. Next week I will have a PSA test. I live in Naples Florida. On 8/17 I will see the Radiology Oncologist. He wants to send me to Miami or Ft.Myers for LU-177. On 8/19 I will see my Oncologist, who told me that if he runs out of treatment options, he will send me to Moffitt or MD Anderson. After the first three months of Chemo, my PSA dropped from from 7.69 to 0.9! For the last three months of Taxotere, PSA went to 1.67, having two more lymph nodes with cancer. All my cancer is in my Pelvis. During radiation therapy my PSA went to 3.45. In 2.5 months I will have a PTscan. It will be ordered by the Radiologist.

[p1411887 in reply to AlanMeyer]

Thank you for your input!

[Tall_Allen]

Lots - Pluvicto, Jevtana, Xofigo, Provenge, plus all kinds of new drugs in clinical trials. If they can biopsy a metastasis for histology, IHC and genomics, it may provide some clues as to which therapy might be best.

[p1411887 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank you!

[larry_dammit]

I’ve been on Xtandi now for almost 6 years, worth a try. 🙏🙏

[p1411887 in reply to larry_dammit]

I'm taking it. I was told that in Naples we have many guy who've been on Xtandi for years. God help us!

[MateoBeach]

If all of your cancer is, or was, in your pelvis and your full pelvis has been irradiated, then congratulations (with fingers crossed). You need short term adjuvant hormonal treatment to maximize response. Probably will add AAR drug such as Xtandi or Nubequa to ADT for two years. Follow up PET scan such as Pylarify is good. It can take some time for nadir and maximal clearing on scans, so be patient. You have time.

[p1411887 in reply to MateoBeach]

God bless you!

[MateoBeach in reply to MateoBeach]

Just a question out of curiosity: is 1411887 a prime number?

[p1411887 in reply to MateoBeach]

I worked for Publix part-time and that was my ID#. I forgot to mention that almost two months ago I was put on Xtandi, which I started a week before radiation therapy.George