Hi all, this may be a silly question but is it possible for the stage of cancer to change to a lower stage if treatment has been really successful? my husband is stage 4, Gleason 9 and has had hormones, chemo and radiotherapy. His oncologist is really happy with how he has responded and all sites have shrunk with no further spread . I guess I am hoping for the treatment has been so successful that it becomes curable, has this happened?
Thanks all
If the cancer had distant metastases it will be considered metastatic forever, even when there is not radiographic evidence of metastases.
Even the new PSMA PET/CT imaging techniques will not detect mets less 3 or 4 mm in diameter. The scan could be clear but many micromets could be present.
No. Stage can increase but can never decrease.
I believe it is possible to kill or remove all cancer cells, in the origin and metastases. But that is extremely rare and may never occur. In that case it would no longer be cancer.
On what evidence do you believe that’s possible?
I believe I have eliminated metastases in my own body. Over years. I used to have swollen lymph nodes, skull metastases that showed on scan, tailbone sore spot, rib lesion, spine pain. They are no longer there.
I can't say they are completely gone. Last fall I seem to have rid myself of the rib lesion and spine pain. But the rib lesion seems to have spread to nearby pain spot. I used a hot shower on it this morning. Also I continue to take lycopenes daily. The spine pain seems to have faint temporary pain that comes and goes. Also I changed my coffee method as I described on another thread recently. I am close to being free of mets. I can't say my ways apply to others because others have different types of prostate cancer with different spots. I've avoided organ mets. The rib pain was near my left kidney for six, seven years but that is gone, so I don't worry about it.
I'm thinking immunotherapy. If you can get the amount of cancer cells to a small-enough amount, the body's immune system may wipe it out. It means your body, with t-cells, kills the cancer cells at a rate faster than they can multiply, for an extended period.
Interesting question, but I think it may be academic - literally. Staging is only a best estimate for treatment purposes. Would restaging to a lower level mean being "classed out" of future treatments?...
No treatment or therapy is ever forced on a patient. The patient always has the option of declining or paying out of pocket for something they think they want (obviously not radiation therapy though, and they may have to look far and wide for a team that is willing to go along with it.) One assumes this is not the sort of down-staging you are interested in.
sorry, it isn’t how it was meant to come across, my hope was that he would go from a stage 4 to stage 3 as the treatment has seemingly gone so well, the tumours in the lymph nodes no longer visible and the prostate has shrunk, I’m uncertain on the pelvic wall and floor but she seemed happy with that also.
I’m not sure how treatment works in other countries but when my husband was diagnosed they said they would throw everything at it so he has received Hormones, chemo and radiotherapy, he would have been willing to try everything he could to help stop the spread.
Hopefully he goes from stage #4 to undetectable for many years .But there is No known medical cure for stage #4 . Although some have survived it for over two decades with even a worse diagnosis .. anything is possible . He should live healthier than ever before now . A long term remission is as good as it gets … Ive lived 7 yrs clear , fully knowing that this will come back given time .. A most famous MO said that he had lost more to the heart than pc itself . Live in the present & Keep him rolling! 🙏
thank you for your reply, it’s so good to hear that you are still clear after 7 years, it definitely gives so much hope looking ahead 🙏
Hey Kim! I met with my new mo today . Doctors are super cool when they don’t have to do anything to you . We can just be friends i told him. I never had any distant metzs .. I did the orch , I’ve had 3 t and Psa<.1 over seven years now . How will pc come back on me ? He said that it can be only one pc cell to start it up again . We are told that 2-3 million pc cells can hide from any scan at anytime . So there is that! The reality it to live in the present . Pc is an expert at hiding itself if one is lucky enough to be in remission . Olivia Newton John went into remission 22 yrs from BC . These hormonal cancers don’t quit on us being their eventual meal . That said . Pluck the day brother!
I agree with you and we have been focusing on keeping it at bay for as long as possible but after speaking with the oncologist she was so positive that everything had shrunk and that the biggest tumours in the lymph nodes were not noticeable anymore and that rarely, but sometimes, it can be cured even at stage 4 so this is why I asked the question.
Our focus is to stay positive and as healthy as possible because as you say, there’s so much progress in the fight to cure
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