bone scan following chemo

[Idyllwild]

posting for my father

what Is the anticipated response post chemo on a bone scan?

history: 62 years old, multiple bone Mets

Starting psa 161. Completed 6 rounds of taxotere, getting Luperon every 3 months and bisphosphonate injection every month.

Last psa was down to .6

Had a follow up bone scan which revealed partial treatment response.

What have your experiences been with follow up bone scans…is this anticipated or should we have expected a more complete remission? Obviously happy there was no progression and some improvement.

he has follow up next week with oncologist but was told by his NP that treatment will continue as planned (adt every 3 months and bone shots every month; resume another treatment once psa begins progressing)

thank you!

[MarkBC]

I had a few bone mets when diagnosed and I started with chemo and ADT injections. My bone and CT scans done about 4 months after chemo finished showed a clear reduction in all my mets. One year later, the bone mets were no longer visible. They are still no longer visible four years after diagnosis. I hope your father has a similar good response .

[Idyllwild in reply to MarkBC]

thank you so much for sharing your experience! I am happy you have had such a favorable response and hope all continues well for you

[Catfish21]

I got 10 docetaxel infusions. PSA decreased from 6.6 to 0.9, but bone scan showed small reduction in mets numbers and their brightness. CT, however, revealed that the mets were sclerotic that is covered by bone deposition, as a result of treatment. More important, blood test did not find free cancer cells in the blood. So, I hope if CT and blood test of your further show similar results, he would have good response to chemo treatment.

[Idyllwild in reply to Catfish21]

thank you for your response and this info, very helpful!

[monte1111]

Just a little of my history. Extensive and innumerable sclerotic bone mets. 8 cycles chemo brought 59 psa to about .7 then started Xtandi. Psa slowly went to 0 .1 After a long time it is now 0.2 Bone scan and CT last week shows everything stable. Xgeva instead of your bone injection. After 5 and a half years Xgeva is discontinued. Lupron every 6 months. No waiting to start Xtandi until progression. Most start Zytiga. Guess MO has a reason not to start Xtandi or Zytiga now. They are now beginning to be used with chemo itself. Maybe others will chime in. Why wait until progression starts to begin Zytiga or Xtandi? We are all different and MO probably has a reason. I think I would ask him/her. What do you knowledgeable people think?

[Idyllwild in reply to monte1111]

I asked my fathers MO about this after reading up specifically on the peace trial (triplet therapy of adt, zytiga and taxotere) and there seems to be pretty promising evidence to support initiating all 3 together. However I think the MO stuck to chemo and ADT as the triplet therapy is still somewhat in the trial phase and not the agreed standard of care.

[Soumen79 in reply to Idyllwild]

That is wrong knowledge held by your MO, triplet is now soc.

[Idyllwild in reply to Soumen79]

good to know thank you, he has a follow up next week to discuss plan of care going forward as he has just completed 6 rounds of taxotere.

He met w oncology np last week and it seemed the discussion was continuing adt and bisphosphonate shots for now…she mentioned other agents would be saved once psa progression began. Will have him rediscuss initiating another agent prior to psa progression

[monte1111]

I asked, What do knowledgeable think? Quit swatting vinegar soaked pickle balls and start swatting those rats. 72% rat increase in one year? Don't you people have cats? I could lend you about a dozen.

[monte1111]

Mouse? The rats ate them all by now.