Recurrent prostate cancer
I am 72 and had robotic prostatectomy done 3 years ago. Recently my psa has been trending up, the last result being .55. My urologist recommended salvage radiation with oral hormone suppression. My radiation oncologist said he didn’t think I would need hormonal suppression. I would prefer to not play with my hormones and have decided to do the radiation. This is yet another difficult decision regarding my therapy. Any advice?
Please know there are many others here that are more experienced than myself and are likely to respond. However I understand the difficulty in this decision. I'm 65 and had the robotic surgery 20 months ago. So far my ultra PSA scores are just under my Uro's threshold of .03 for ADT/Radiation treatment. I also told him if/when the time comes I was not crazy about ADT. His response; we will cross that bridge if/when it becomes necessary, but please know there are some new oral ADT treatments that are very effective and may have less side effects, and can be stopped quickly (as opposed to Lupron) ? Perhaps a second opinion is worthwhile...? Missed it on the first read - I see your Uro did indeed mention Oral ADT.
I had RP 10/17 and Proton radiation two years later. PSA was "undetectable" quickly after surgery and until a year AFTER Proton. Now it is slowly ticking higher, having risen to 0.12 from 0.11 on the last three labs (over nine months). I know it's a very small increase, but still moving in the wrong direction. Has this slow uptick happened to anyone else? I think my doc at MD Anderson says "do nothing until it is 0.50" then the only thing they have for me is the ADT (I guess until it gets worse worse). I feel a little bad being worried about 0.12 when others have much bigger worries.
When my cancer retuned 5 years after surgery i opted for radiation. At the time my radiation oncologist due to the hospitals connection with Memorial Sloan in NYC had data showing the different outcomes using radiation alone or in combination with Lupron.
After reviewing the numbers. Ad outcomes I included hormone therapy in my plan … So far and 5 years later I am still ok and glad I made a decision that worked for me. The 6 month hormone therapy impacted me for 14 months with hot flashes, weight gain and mood swings. Then it all ended and I am back to normal.
With any of this there are no 100% guarantees so it’s best to do your research weight
Your options and then make a decision. Dennis(prostatecancer.net TEAM)
