At the end of a Lupron break in June my PSA was 1.1 and CT scan showed a new lymph node. I was put on six months of Lupron starting with a month of Casodex. The Casodex brought my PSA down to 0.452. After three months the Lupron brought my PSA down to 0.286. Three months later today, my PSA has slightly increased to 0.321. My T has been <20 during the last 6 months while on Lupron.
I think my MO would recommend do nothing and watch for the next months how PSA does and what another CT scan shows. I am of opinion that I should get another Lupron shot and watch what PSA does during the next 3 months.
What do you think?
Written by
dac500
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I am approaching your situation. The problem is no one knows. Reading tons and tons of other patients experiences and all of them with no steady or straight answer. Everyone is different, guidelines does not clearly explain. I don’t know what to do. It’s really frustrating. I am back again in the grey zone. I am very disappointed
There are no standard protocols for iADT. I think it's a good idea to discuss with your oncologist which benchmark you would feel comfortable with using. There is no point in doing iADT if you aren't getting QOL improvement and normal T levels from your vacations.
During ADT vacation, PSA is expected to rise. In my case, the PSA did not decrease during the last three months while I was actively on Lupron, it increased slightly from 0.286 to 0.321. I had the last 3 month Lupron shot on October 17, 2022. My testosterone has been <20 since July 2022. It is expected to stay close to 20 for the next three months, even if I don't get another shot on Monday.
if next psa has risen while your T is less than 20, then this considered castrate resistant. Either you are on ADT or not. But probably this will only happen if you are on adt to bring your T<20. I might be wrong but this is the definition of castration resistant.
My husband was diagnosed October 2001, RP in 12/2001 but was lymph node positive. He had 9 months of Lupron & Casodex after which his PSA maintained undetectable until 2018. Seventeen years of active surveillance and have never regretted a minute of it. Good luck to you.
At the beginning of the last vacation, my PSA was 0.104 on 9/3/21. During the vacation it rose 0.188 on 12/2/21, 0.338 on 1/14/22, 0.514 on 3/2/22, and 1.1 on 6/1/22. My MO thinks checking every 3 months is OK.
On 6/1/22, CT scan found a new enlarged lymph node and two previous nodes increasing in size. So, I was put on six months of Lupron starting with one month of Casodex 50 mg. The Casodex brought my PSA down to 0.42. During the first three months of Lupron, PSA went down to 0.286. At the end of the second three months of Lupron PSA was found to increase slightly to 0.321 and a CT scan found all three enlarged lymph nodes to decrease slightly. The dilemma is PSA did not decrease but the lymph nodes size decreased. Let us what the MO suggests on Monday. I think I am most likely to abide by the MO's decision.
PSA of 0.104 is practically undetectable. That was the right time to start a vacation. Many people would say you should restart Lupron when PSA reaches 2.0 or PSA velocity is high.
because I have been on vacation since 10/2021 and now my T has recovered to normal level. Psa has been .02 until 9/2022 and had reached .07 today. So, I think it’s a BCR. It’s very clear it’s on the rise. that is the reason I am thinking of going back on ADT. I might be totally wrong but I am very confused as to what to do next. Thanks
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
ADT not working?
Confused on next step
New to site 
PSA "undetectable" after one month on ADT; What about the PCa?
