What’s next?

[jcoil]

Happy New Year Warriors…

I’m looking for information and you are the best source of it.

DC just finished his 18th chemo treatment; 9 Docetaxel and 9 Cabazitaxel.

Anemia is just now rearing its ugly head.

Had 1 unit of RBC transfusion last Friday.

Is on Procrit 60k weekly.

He had a brain met that is gone with 3 radiation treatments.

PSA is at 465.

He’s incredibly weak and is now in a wheelchair. He is 63 years old.

Oncologist doesn’t answer my question when I as what’s next. Just says “we need to concentrate one 1 thing at a time”. I like him but he doesn’t seem to want to talk about the future.

He did a round of Luteum 223 prior to chemo.

Had a TURP done a couple years ago.

He’s not eating, now weighs 203 lbs and is 6’2”. He is going for his bone scan, CT scan and his first PSMA scan in the next couple weeks.

What’s next in line for treatment? Are we at the end of the line? Is there anything more that can be done? I’m just looking for something to cling to. Hope is waning.

Any information or insight would be very much appreciated.

Thank you kindly…

[speranza10]

What therapies did you do before the taxanes and lutetium?

[jcoil in reply to speranza10]

He did the standard ADT meds; zytiga & Lupron (which he is still on every 3 months). He did Docetaxel x 9 and when that didn’t work he went to Cabazitaxel x 9 so far. PSA keeps rising. What happens when the 2 chemo’s don’t work? What is next?

Thank you!

[Tall_Allen]

He's been through a lot. Most clinical trials set limits for blood work, so that is what has to normalize before you can even think about another treatment.

[God_Loves_Me in reply to Tall_Allen]

It is hard to get enrollment because of blood work, HB, etc. Can he do multiple infusions and treatments for the number that helps me qualify for clinical trials?

He needs a strong team of kidney doctors, Cardiologists, Oncologists, and radiation oncologists, and everyone should have the same goal to enroll him in XXX clinical trials and do multiple treatments to get the number up for blood, HB, and other parameters.

[Tall_Allen in reply to God_Loves_Me]

When the bone marrow stops making blood components, artificial stimulants stop working and whole blood infusions are only temporary. Sometimes, the bone marrow comes back on its own over time. Radiation, chemo, PARP inhibitors, and the cancer itself all deplete bone marrow.

[jcoil in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank TA! Let’s assume his counts come back up; what is the next step /option for treatment?

Thanks 🙏🏼

[Tall_Allen in reply to jcoil]

In that case, all options are on the table, including clinical trials.

[speranza10]

Reading your old posts it seems you have not had xtandi (enzalutamide). If there have been no other problems it would be a shame not to try it just because zytiga failed, especially after chemo. It is well known that new generation hormone therapies can work again after chemo and xtandi usually works (although not for long) after zytiga fails. Talk to your oncologist.

[jcoil]

Thank you all for your responses. I will speak with his doctors about your recommendations. This poor guy has been through the wringer. Doing everything the doctors tell him but it just seems to be getting worse. I am trying to heal from my dad’s passing last June and now having to go through this with DC, the heartbreak just doesn’t end.