Zytiga and great result

I am glad to hear it is working for you.  I just don't know what to do for him.

He keeps getting bad news everytime we go to cleveland, We pray and hope for the best.

People keep telling me about snuffy myers but the Dr. in Cleveland tells us he is a quack so I don't know what to do.

I hope the zytiga kicks in.. He is healthy, working everyday,says he feels better than he ever has, but his PSA jumped significantly.

MLKisner

I read your posts in another thread. I am sorry for the status of your husband.

You have not shared details of his diagnosis apart of him being a Stage IV patient. According to your descriptions, the first treatment provided was a hormonal protocol (HT) that failed 8 month latter. Then he was put on Zytiga but such seems not to be working too because of the increased PSA.

I wonder what drugs he took while on HT and the extent of the bone mets.

Typically doctors do not recommend radicals (surgery or radiation) with intent at cure but I think that a “mixture” of treatments may provide better clues for his diagnosis. He could try to get a combination of chemo plus hormonal based on the latest drugs classified as targeted medicines.

He also could get involved in a clinical trial that would address specifically an area to cure than just continue on palliative ways of controlling the advancement of the cancer.

Alpharadin has proved to contain bone metastases. Zytiga is a hormonal type of medication that addresses the intratumoral activity of the cancer. However, the testosterone “factories” should all be closed down with other drugs.

I really dislike the way his doctor suggested that your husband is going to die of the cancer. I also dislike reading about their comment regarding Dr. Myers. This doctor is highly regarded in the community of prostate cancer as one of the best if not the best oncologist in the “trade”.

He may be the one to consult for such aggressive cancer and he may give you the peace you are looking for.

In failed hormonal therapies doctors tend to change drugs or increase their potency or even increase the protocol before giving up. Only after such “trial” their patients are moved to the second line hormonal drugs. Moreover, some oncologists use other methods to arrest the cancer into submission. Drugs that prohibit the manufacturing of newer blood vessels (such as Thalidomide taken with vitamin B6) that are demanded by the cancer to survive and multiply and 5-ARI (5 alpha reductase inhibitors) that prohibit the formation of dihydrotestosterone ( a tenfold more refined testosterone) that feeds the cancer, are examples of ways used by specialists in treating advanced cases of PCa.

I recommend you of getting second opinions on your husband’s status and on other ways for treating his case. Being 51 years old and having such a young child is enough reason to fight with the whole arsenal.

I hope you find peace and that your husband gets better.

VGama

ralph.townsend1 said:

Well I started on February 2, 2012 and in less than 6 weeks I drop from 2.6 to 0.2 psa and stay there until July 2012 and it started  climbing 0.1 to 0.2 per month. In November of 2012 it was 0.9 and in December drop back to 0.5.????? The tumor's increase and decrease in size with the psa.

Make sure he is taking it everyday at the same time and waiting the amount of time to eating before and after

Merry Christmas and God Bless

 

 

Happy for you

Happy to see that you are doing well on the Zytiga Ralph.  Unfortunately for my husband it is not the case.  In fact they told him to stop taking it.  He was having problems with horrendous hot flashes and night sweats.  They were occurring every 30 minutes or more.  This was dropping his potassium levels dangerously low to the point they had to give him a 2hr IV.  His blood pressure was also very erratic.  So he had an unscheduled CT Scan today and he will see the doc next Tuesday.  Not sure where we will go from here.