Hi. My father (84yr old) had prostate in 2011, Gleason score 4/4, got radiation at that time, was in contro but came back in 2018. Since then, he has gone through hormone therapy (Luperon, degarelyx, , Enzulatamide, Arbiterone) and the cancer is now Castrate/ hormone resistant so we need to move the treatment to the next stage. It is stage 4 as has moved to lymph nodes but is not in the bones. We have the option to start Pluvicto/ Lutetium or Chemo. We are going towards Pluvicto/ lutetium as it seems to be more targeted treatment and has lower side effects. Pretty big decision and does anybody have experience. Questions struggling with (1) Does starting with Pluvicto reduce expected longevity - body becomes immune eventually to every treatment and would chemo then pluvicto increase longevity (2) in people’s experience, can you do chemo after Pluvicto or is bone marrow issues a given side effect. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Update Jan 25, 2025
Thanks you all for your thoughful suggestions. We decided to go with Pluvicto/ Lutetium therapy. Our Rationale follows- We did not get a sense that there are any clear answers on longevity/ rectivation of receptors in Chemo Vs Pluvicto. However, we did get a sense that side effects are expected to be lower which made intuitive sense considering this treatment is more targeted. Also, with a push towards Pluvicto also being considered as first line treatment (even before becoming hormone resistant), though not approved, seemed a positive sign. Finally, it seemed there is a way back to come to chemo (check in after two sessions) if required, as our father, though 84, very diabetic and overweight, is asympotomatoic, and is in relatively decent mental and physical state. Hoping for a positive outcome.
Update March 7, 2025
Results positive for now- PSA dropped to 0.56 at the one month mark- some drop in platelets but not alarming for now. Shout out to Dr. Ishita Sen and her team (Jatin) at Fortis in Delhi India for excellent communications. Fingers crossed.