Prostate cancer hormone therapy effect on AF

[pd63]

Anyone with AF had prostate cancer hormone therapy?

[BobD Volunteer]

Yes I had three years of Zoladex which stops production of testosterone. Apart from loosng all my body hair during the period and putting on a little weight I had no problems at all. Some I know grew boobs but not me. My wife did say I was a nicer more kind person back then.

[pd63 in reply to BobD]

Not second guessing but my treatment will likely be months not years, touchwood, as cancer is low grade organ

Don't wanna grow boobs they expanded a bit after short term digoxin when diagnosed with PAF, wife's 38 DD anyway so couldn't use her bras lol

[CDreamer]

My husband had various treatments for prostrate. I don’t recall any adverse reactions to AF.

[pd63 in reply to CDreamer]

Thatt's good to hear, decided on treatment rather than active surveillance, that's just kicking the can down the road for a while.

Waiting for appts to speak to surgeon re prostatectomy but I think that's no deal, and oncologist re hormone therapy combined with radiotherapy.

Salford Royal does the treatment which is a centre of excellence for prostate treatment only 10 mile away, so there's some good to it and my cancer is localised within the prostate so prognosis is good, example my brother who had treatment 11 years ago and is fighting fit pain in the butt at times lol

[CDreamer in reply to pd63]

My husband had treatment back in 2004-5 and has done really well and no recurrence. His was thankfully contained but had Brachytherapy + follow up treatment, few low dose chemo, hormone and radiotherapy. I think you are wise as soonest treated soonest mended.

[pd63]

Diagnosis story;

Asked for psa test at GP, result 4.2, if it had been under 4 there would've been no referral

DRE normal, no symptoms but gp referred me to urology on 2 week waiting time

Urologist wasn't gonna carry out any tests until I told him dad an brother had it, so had mri scan which prompted biopsy etc.

Believe I'm lucky to have been caught early another 2 years might have been a worse.

Maybe PSA testing should be routine for all men over 50, somewhat of a lottery right now although PSA is only an indicator

[BobD Volunteer in reply to pd63]

My PSA went up into high 30s over a four year period of repeated negative biopsies before a trans pereneal biopsy found it at the front. Elected for radical prostatectomy but surgery showed cells in surounding area so lost part of bladder as well. 33 shots of radiotherapy plus three years of hormones and now 11 years later three monthly PSA tests are undectable.

All men die with it the secret is not to die from it.

[pd63 in reply to BobD]

Saturation transpireneal biopsy including targeting area shown on mri scan, mostly low grade some next grade up hence gleason 3+4, decided get treatment AS wasn't even talked about

[Desanthony in reply to pd63]

Because my Dad and I had prostate cancer - my Dad died with it not of it at 90, my brother was treated with brachytherapy with a gleason score of six. They and he were not going to take the risk of active surveillance. that was about 4 years ago now and he is fine, as am I. I am going on for 7 years post 9 months of Hormone therapy and a month of Radiotherapy for Gleason 7 (4+3) PSA 13

[secondtry in reply to pd63]

Mmmm...hope all goes well, I am still kicking the can down the road, while I build up some resilience post AF. I am 69yo my PSA rose from 1.2 in 2013 to peak at 4.6 in 2019 and then turned down with the next two readings , the last 3.1 in 2021, which I think is acceptable for a man at my age. I do take Lamberts Healthcare Prostex daily and my anxiety levels have decreased somewhat with AF in remission. My urologist agreed with my suggestion that it was reasonable to postpone another test until 2023.

Our world leading centre of excellence at Guildford has been working hard to find a more reliable test than PSA but haven't read any good news yet. I have tried to hurry them up by opening my wallet a fraction 😁

[pd63 in reply to secondtry]

Presumably you've no symptoms and your dre was normal any family history?

[secondtry in reply to pd63]

No symptoms I can directly relate to it, apart from an enlarged gland for 20 odd years but flow got a lot better recently, maybe re the Prostex I take (nb no commercial interest). Normal Dre. No family history. I keep 🤞 and 🙏.

[Griffin9 in reply to pd63]

My brother passed away last year from acute pancreatitis. At the time he had been given 10 months to live as his prostate cancer had spread to his organs.

I had a PSA test a few weeks ago and the score was 4.4 and I don't have any symptoms. My Urology appointment is on Friday although they haven't given any details other than turn up.

From what I've read, the test isn't very reliable.

I don't know why more routine testing isn't done on over 50's for lots of things. My last checkup at the doctors was over 5 years ago and only took about 10 minutes.

[Desanthony in reply to Griffin9]

I do believe everyone over 50 should get PSA checked every year. Yes it is only an indicator but if PSA is high it is better to get that checked to see if that is because of cancer or from some other benign condition of the prostate - this is especially so if you have a family history. Early treatment is more successful and life saving. Unfortunately many GP's refuse to do this - as was the case with me - Thankfully I chased it up and after a matter of months managed to get my urologist to request extra PSA checks. but really had been held up for nearly a year by then so treatment could have been a different choice for me had it been found sooner. When I saw the oncologist he stated I should have been sent for further tests when my PSA reached 9 - yes it was rising slowly but it was way too high. Anyway I just count myself lucky that it was not too late and the treatment has been successful and nearly 7 years on I am "cured" and cancer free and am likely to stay that way but every annual PSA test we wonder and worry. I just wonder what would have happened had I just sat back and waited for my GP to eventually give me my PSA Test - instead of telling me how useless the tests were - they are not useless they can be and are lifesaving for so many. In my Maggie's Prostate Cancer meetings I hate to hear some one say I had my first PSA test at 65 and have PSA at 300 or sometimes even 3000 and now having to go thrpugh chemo etc and incurable.

[Griffin9 in reply to Desanthony]

I had my examination in Woolwich on Friday, MRI scan in Lewisham on Sunday and got the all clear yesterday. It's such a relief when you get that phone call.

[pd63 in reply to Griffin9]

Well done always good to read about the happy results

[Desanthony in reply to Griffin9]

That's good news. Long may it continue.

[Deadstick]

Yep,

Still on ADT now for 5 years. Had AF and 3 cardioversions. Plus all the other man-robbing and sex change side effects of the ADT.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Deadstick]

You sound somewhat sad about that. I'm quite glad I am no longer controlled by a lunatic in my pants. lol 😁 I must admit that whilst on the zoladex though I did have some issues with reasoning. Designing and modifying engines became difficult as previously simple problems became hard to fathom. I began to understand poor Alan Turing who ended his life when he realised he could no longer break codes.

[Elli86 in reply to BobD]

Interesting Bob 🤔 I thought he killed himself because he was chemically castrated due to being a homosexual?

[pd63 in reply to Elli86]

Just realised forgot to take my betablocker this morning, is this a precursor to hormone therapy brain fog

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Elli86]

The lack of testosterone really messes with one's mental powers. I was trying to fit a special cam in an engine and very frustrated that it would not go in. Eventually I remembered that the housing needs machining to accept it! The ability to visualise problems and arrive at solutions seems to vanish under these circumstances and if you rely on such powers it is very depressing.

Turing was chemically castrated yes. They don't mean he had them dissolved of course they injected hormones to stop testosterone formation. When he found that he could no longer do what he had spent his life thus far doing he felt there was no point in life and topped himself. Such a shame for a man who shortened the war by years whatever your views .

[pd63 in reply to BobD]

Might not be using mi smartphone right now but for him very sad but left a profound legacy

[Elli86 in reply to BobD]

😆😆😆 so he didn’t have his tackle dissolved in sulphuric acid? Jokes aside yes I thought that was why he killed himself. I wasn’t aware it was because it effected his ability to do his work though. I got the impression it was purely because he lost the will to live. That makes sense though. Interesting.

Yes it’s a massive shame. He was clearly a great man. Some say we couldn’t have won the war without him due to him cracking the code used by the Germans. I’ve heard they would have been too much for us if we hadn’t been able to intercept their messages. Not sure how much of that is true but he had a huge impact none the less.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Elli86]

To be honest Bill Tutte was the bloke who designed the "Bombe" which many believe was the first ever computer at Bletchley Park but it was Turing who came up with the algorithms that is used. He was one of many very talented people on the team, the whole being greater than the individuals. Fascinating bit of history. Better stop now or somebody will complain we are off topic. lol

[Elli86 in reply to BobD]

Yeah that’s true but there’s always a figurehead who holds it all together. The team never gets enough credit though I agree. But yes your right we’d better keep it schtum before we get reported 😆😆

[Raft in reply to BobD]

Agree very much with the”lunatic in the pants”which has caused numerous problems in my life and find my interest waned completely after starting hormone therapy. I have a few memory problems, but put that down to age which at 83 is to be expected

[ChasMartin]

My father-in-law had Lupron for this, and he had to stop taking it because it essentially changed him completely. He had extreme anger fits, including hitting people, and he does not even remember them. This was a man who would never hurt a fly, and had an extremely calm demeanor. It was night and day. I don't mean to say this would happen to you on the same drug, I think his reaction was perhaps extreme and maybe not very common, though I am unsure of that. He was next put on Eligard, and did not have the same reactions. Please do not hesitate to contact your doctor, or have someone else pay attention to help you with that, should you experience anything like this.

[Gumbie_Cat]

The best of luck with your treatment. My husband (65)went through this decision making at the beginning of the year, and in the end opted for a prostatectomy in April. All went well for him.

He could have chosen active surveillance, but his dad died from this disease while in has 70s, his brother had a prostatectomy much younger. 40s I think. Anyway, PSA was up to 7, Gleason 6 on biopsy - but he looked at graph over the last few years and felt it was all going upwards. Luckily all contained, though it had spread to other side of prostate.

These pages might be interesting if you haven’t looked at them baus.org.uk/patients/inform...

ETA - he hasn’t got AF, I seemed to come out with it in sympathy!

[Radars in reply to Gumbie_Cat]

I have got locally advanced prostate cancer spread to seminal vessicles, finished treatment 2016 I am still here psa 0.05 but it's not good with no testosterone lost weight and muscle mass which I can't afford to lose, but just carry on.

[Gumbie_Cat in reply to Radars]

All the best, it’s such a tough one isn’t it. Good low PSA, but I can imagine the other side effects are really difficult to live with.

[Radars in reply to Gumbie_Cat]

Thanks, yeah it's hard my testosterone has not recovered, I have asked for trt and be monitored, urologist said not a good idea,

[Dralex]

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer 5 years ago, and went down the hormone and radiotherapy route. After 7 weeks of daily radiotherapy and regular hormone injections I was declared all ok and the treatment stopped. The downside was the surprising development of large boobs, and the frequent hot flushes I experienced, which felt like a 3Kw fan heater wafting hot air in my face and body. Today my psa is 0.2, and I dont think my past prostate treatment in any way affects the AF meds I am now taking.