T + Chemo?

[Bruce66]

Hi guys,

This may be a dumb question but my understanding of chemo is that it is most effective when the cancer is growing rapidly. Would it be of any use to kick up the testosterone way high to get everything cooking, and then hit it hard with chemo?

It's in my future of course, but I'm just curious at this point.

Thanks fellow Warriors!

[Tall_Allen]

No, I see why you raise that, but I think it is a bad idea to give chemo more work to do and to invite metastases.

[j-o-h-n]

T_A said it best (why fuck with mother nature)......

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n

[RodofGod]

I was advised to hit it hard upfront... best chance for a better outcome. Hit it in its infant stages...

I am post RP Surgery with a chemical resurgence. I went from <0.1 to 0.29 at treatment time.. Lupron and Taxotere chemotherapy. After 1 Lupron shot and 2 Taxotere treatments I was back to <0.1. and remained there through a second Lupron shot and 2 more Taxotere treatments... I have finished all 6 Taxotere treatments and will have another PSA draw shortly...

Plan of attack.. continued Lupron and cancer pills...

I may be the exception to the rule... But chemo was a breeze compared to the potential side effects one can have... My hair fell out, I had diarrhea, and a few days between treatments that I had tiredness that did not resolve with rest... Otherwise it was business as usual.

My hair is coming back in....

[Apisdorsata]

I brought this up with the radiation oncologist at Mayo because the same thing is true about RT, it works best on rapidly growing tumors. His response is that the belief is that androgen depletion impairs DNA repair in the cancer cells and so makes RT more effective. The same may be true of chemo. Would be a good thing for somebody to study with a controlled trial.