ADT how long

[SilverSeppi]

I just started hormone therapy about a month ago on orgovyx pills. They're telling me today I need to stay on this for 2 years. Why so long?

[Derf4223]

Seppi, welcome to the Hydra club. APCa is vicious and tenacious. Duration of ADT is determined by trials. This one found 24 months after RT to be good ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

From a lot of reading and studying the Hydra, it comes in 2 forms. Mild and slow -- monitored but no treatment necessary, and aggressive. In the latter case your cancer actually consists of several cell types, slow, aggressive, castrate-resistant, neuroendocrine, etc. Only one type drives the bus but treatment can result in other types getting worse. So todays SOC (standard of care) tries to buy time but cannot yet guarantee a cure.

While on ADT your PSA will be regularly tested. Why? Because it has proven to be an indicator of how well it suppresses your cancer cells that can be suppressed by ADT. Ideally, the mild slow form takes over and not the nasty lines, or none. Should a nasty line take over, there are more meds and radiation and so on and some have lived many years on such treatment.

You should look up and review the NCCN Guidelines that most clinics follow. nccn.org/guidelines/category_1

Time is our friend. Treatment research is yielding results every day.

But whatever you do, do not underestimate the Hydra. It has claimed many many lives and thrives on hopeful ignorance.

[Derf4223 in reply to Derf4223]

Trial info for your reading pleasure -- cancernetwork.com/view/fina...

[Tall_Allen]

It's been found that after external beam radiation, two years of ADT vastly improve your odds of a cure.

[reconjj in reply to Tall_Allen]

Tall One , I thought it was 3yrs of ADT and 2 yrs of 2nd line like Zytiga and pred ? According to a Study ? Thanks SemperFi, JJ

[Tall_Allen in reply to reconjj]

Yes, you are in a different situation from the OP. You had cancer in your pelvic lymph nodes. It takes a little more for that.

[reconjj in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank You Allen .

[JPnSD]

As with any situation...one must find their own comfort level. My own experience was starting ADT 4 Months prior to Salvage Radiation (38 sessions) and continuing it for a total of 18 months. My PSA has remained at undetectable levels (less than .01) throughout ADT and now for 18 months beyond discontinuing ADT. My T level returned to normal within 45 days of discontinuing Orgovyx. Not recommending anything. I am just sharing my own experience. There are guides out there in the scientific literature as others have cited indicating 24 months. I suggest you review all the information you can find. Private message me if you'd.like to discuss further. Best of luck

FYI - GL9 and stage 4 at detection 6/2019.