Clean Scan Significance

[TuffNuttoCrack]

Just had my first Gallium PSMA after two years of Abby and Lupie. The tumors which were filled up my abdomen had shrunk substantially to dime size per my last CT in October. My poorly differentiated biopsies could not be Gleasoned. The cancer was stated to be a a rare extremely aggressive variant with no literature on it. I only had one chemo before getting pneumonia and spending time in the hospital.

The PSMA scan taken a week ago picked up no evidence of cancer anywhere. I praise the Lord for this good result. Definitely on right track. Our church and friends have really been lifting my family up in anticipation of good results and we believe expectantly. I looked at the report after it was published and parsed the words (Really?) but my doctor later confirmed no cancers in my bone, lymph nodes prostate or any area the cancers had spread to previously.

I’ve always said I believe I will be cured (which I am not yet) despite pigeon holed by my oncologist and hospital system in palliative care. I was also given a year to live and like many of you I’ve exceeded their expectations and now it’s 2 1/2 years.

For those of you who have obtained clean scans can you relate your success without recurrence? Did anybody get a clean scan while only on hormone treatment? If so how much mileage did you get on it before recurrence. Thank you.

I haven’t received any radiation or body part removal.

God bless

Tuff Nutt

[103532]

Congratulations. That is wonderful news!!!!! My husband is still on the Abi and Lupron for mets in the abdominal lymph nodes. He had them radiated as well simultaneously. My husband will stay on Abi for 24 months and Lupron for 36 months per the Stampede protocol. I am always watching for what's new on the horizon. Keep doing what you're doing!

[Seasid]

Thank you for sharing your experience, and congratulations on the clean scan! It sounds like you've had a remarkable response to treatment, and your perseverance and faith are truly inspiring.

Regarding Clean Scans and Recurrence:

Clean scans, such as PSMA PET scans showing no evidence of disease, are a great milestone, particularly for those with aggressive cancer variants. However, recurrence can depend on many factors, including:

Cancer biology (aggressiveness, differentiation, and mutational profile).

Treatment history (hormone therapy alone vs. multimodal approaches like radiation or surgery).

Monitoring and follow-up care.

Responses from Others:

1. Some patients on hormone therapy (like ADT with abiraterone or enzalutamide) have reported clean scans, but durability varies. Hormone therapy suppresses cancer progression but is rarely curative on its own.

2. The time to recurrence differs. Some may experience years of remission, while others see recurrence sooner. This depends on PSA trends, doubling time, and overall disease biology.

What to Keep in Mind:

Celebrate this milestone but maintain close follow-up with your oncologist.

Advocate for regular scans, PSA monitoring, and second opinions if necessary.

Your story demonstrates incredible strength, and sharing it will undoubtedly inspire others. Wishing you continued success in your treatment journey and lasting good health. God bless!

ChatGPT said

I also had clear PSMA scan except for prostate and 2 years ago I irritated my prostate 38 Gy with the MRI Linac Elekta Unity machine here in Sydney Darlinghurst NSW Australia.

A year ago I had only recurrence in my prostate otherwise no visible metastasis. This year I didn't do any new scans. My PSA is now 2.73 on degarelix ADT injections plus Bicalutamide.

You are not cured but in remission.

[TuffNuttoCrack in reply to Seasid]

Thank you Seasid for the very detailed insights. With APC there are no absolutes but you’ve given me a lot of good info!

[Xavier10]

if you really think there's a possibility you're cured, you can always go off of the ADT. That would be great if you were.

[TuffNuttoCrack in reply to Xavier10]

Yes that’s true. Let’s assume this works similar to one had his lymph nodes resected or irradiated and an RO with objective of a cure. The typical recommendation is to stay on their current therapy for 18 months to clear out all the residual cancer cells. In my case I could tippy toe in mid 26 but only if I was with an oncologist that would order 3 month PSMA scans with appropriate blood tests PSA. Testosterone etc every six weeks. Makes sense to me.

[j-o-h-n]

I am not here to burst your bubble or split hairs..... but usually we don't use the word cure, it's usually the word remission. We use the word cure when we're speaking about olives or getting divorced.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n

[TuffNuttoCrack in reply to j-o-h-n]

John, I’ve been waiting on your comments . You can’t annoy me my far away Yankee friend!

I don’t believe I said I was cured. What I said is I believe I will be cured. You sure are cranky today! Well I am counting on you living another 20 to see me race Mayo doctors and Nurses and give up on the idea that there is no cure, of course there is, God can move mountains if you had but the faith of a mustard seed. Believe!

[j-o-h-n]

I apologize for my post but my excuse is that I misread you post since my glasses are all fogged up due to the smoke from out west. Believe it or not, but now I believe that you believe that you'll be cured. God not only can move mountains he/she cured my crankiness and again I'm funnier than a barrel of drunken monkeys. Stay well and keep on training...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n

[TuffNuttoCrack in reply to j-o-h-n]

You are so funny John! You and I survive as we can see the comedy in life to point out the ridiculous inconsistencies. Your humor is particularly sardonic. It takes a while to figure out what you mean.

Actually I believe there is no such thing as remission. You are either cured or you are not and who knows that until the day we pass?

Have fun man!