I hope everyone here is finding success and positive moments in this journey as we make our way through this new year ♥️ Hoping to ask for an opinion here just to do my part in making sure my dad gets the best shot at success with this. I will be updating my BIO again this week for anyone with a similar path that could benefit from the information that I have gathered to this point through my fathers experience.
My father has two close lymph nodes with cancer and one suspicious spot on the pelvic bone which in my opinion is likely a bone met considering he was Gleason score 9 and a PSA of 226 at time of diagnosis.
They redid the scans and still the same situation, pelvic bone shadow still not conclusive. Two close lymph nodes cancerous. They told us that these scans came back with FANTASTIC results. I was happy and relieved to hear this as they are telling him that it is still localized and that they are AIMING for a cure.
He just completed 5 weeks of Radiation to the whole pelvic area with a booster of radiation at some point as well while he remains on ADT (Firmagon shot once a month). SO they said now we wait 6 months with blood work once a month and we will see how well the radiation treatment worked and if more radiation is needed. Just checking to be sure this is the next standard step? They said no Chemo required since no distant spread.
After hearing this I thought well best-case scenario is they cure him. and worst-case scenario is that they treat him for life but that the life expectancy would be 10+ years given the optimism and choice of wording after these last scans. Am I correct thinking this or does having 1 met to prostate bone with no distant spread still bring a prognosis of only 5 years? I am going to stay positive regardless but I still want to know how good or bad of a position he is in.
Advanced Prostate with bone mets, new to the site.
Husband is Stage IV Metastatic to Bones with Rising PSA
Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment
Rising PSA 1 year after radiation and 6 months after Lupron
update on husbands radiation to pelvic mets
2 years of continuous ADT with abiraterone is SOC with whole pelvic radiation. You cannot pause and check. That’s like starting and restarting antibiotics. It creates resistance.
Sorry I meant that he is sticking with a firmagon shot every month. The 6 month pause is just from radiation. The reason is because they said 5 weeks of radiation is like they dropped a big bomb of radiation in his pelvic area and that it will continue to kill cancer cells for months to come. So for that reason they will not know how successful the radiation was until the do new scans 6 months from now.
during these 6 months he will remain on firmagon every month and also every month he will do blood work to monitor the PSA levels and testosterone levels I believe to confirm that he remains responsive to the ADT treatment
no abiraterone?
No abiraterone. When looking this up to educate myself I see it is for advanced prostate cancer that is most commonly offered to men whose cancer has stopped responding to other types of hormone treatment. Basically second-line therapy.
Though it goes on to mention that so men may be offered it as a first line treatment although it doesn't mention any pros or cons of using it as a first treatment.
and the other mention for it being prescribed is if you are no longer responding to chemotherapy OR if you can't have chemo or if you've opted against Chemo.
So for my fathers situation. localized and responding to Firmagon, it appears that it is not necessary?
There are several uses. Like this one, which applies to your father's situstion:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
The newest studies, I believe, show that adding abiraterone would be of benefit to him.