I have recently started ADT after putting it off as long as seemed reasonable. PSA after being low for about 5 years has been increasing and scans and biopsy showed metastatic PC in lymph nodes. I started Degarelix on Nov 13 and Abiraterone about 3 weeks later. Would probably have started later but traveling forced a slightly different schedule than originally planned.
I just got the results of a PSA test done yesterday. It is about 11 compared to the previous one before ADT of about 115. I have read a lot and watched almost all of the Male Care videos. It seems to me that this lowering shows that the PC is currently castrate sensitive. Also from what I sort of think I understand, a TTN (time to nadir) that is short is actually worse than a longer one in terms of time to castrate resistance. Is my PSA of 11 about 1.5 months after starting ADT considered a slow TTN and therefore a good indication? I will see my oncologist on Jan 8 and am sure he will explain the implications of this PSA test.
Any information before that would be appreciated. I have exhausted what I can learn about TTN, it is a very confusing subject with any information I can find deeply hidden in studies and not at all clear.
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spencoid2
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about a year ago it started rising quickly. this is when it became clear that something needed to be done. not m uch was shown with Axumin PET scans other than a couple of enlarged lymph nodes that showed increased uptake. had them biopsied and they came back positive for metastatic PC. this is when i knew ADT was unavoidable. i am more interested in learning more about how TTN on ADT correlates with outcome.
Personally, I would think that one would need quite a few more months of PSA trend data to even begin to think about such things as "time to nadir". After all, for an individual, "it will be what it will be", regardless of what may have been published in previous studies. Speculating or worrying so soon about things like TTN may only increase your mental suffering. It is very good that your disease seems to be responding so well to initial ADT. Hopefully, you will get a good long ride with your initial treatment, and will have lots and lots of time to learn about any follow-on Options that may be available to you when the time may come for some other treatment(s).
If you may not have ever seen it before, this Patients Guideline may be helpful for considering existing approved Options for Advanced Prostate Cancer treatments.
Meanwhile, there may be lots of positive non-medical things to explore in the months/years ahead that may bring you more benefits in the "current moment". Plan well and live well. Follow your bliss as much as you can.
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