advanced prostate cancer

jimbeam50 said:

similar situation
It's not often someone is on this site with a similar situation as your friend and my husband. My husband was diagnosed in May 2008 at age 57, with advanced prostate cancer with mets to legs, arms and spine. His initial PSA was 5700 (that's correct) and a gleason of 5+4=9. We thought it was too late then but here we are 17 months later and he is doing okay. There were a few ups and downs and everyone responds differently but here is what happened in my husband's case. He was first put on Casodex and given a lupron shot. His PSA went down to 67 but only lasted until October at which time it quit working. From the beginning he received Zometa treatment to improve bone strength and he receives this every four weeks. Once the Casodex stopped working the oncologist put him on Ketoconazole tablets which was a big mistake. They did not work at all, his PSA went up to 2000 and the drug affected his liver but with no lasting ill effect. It took from November until January to get him straightened out at which time he started on chemo (docetaxel) every three weeks, His PSA went down to 300 but in June it started going back up to 500 and the oncologist started him on a chemo pill (estramustine) which he takes for 5 days every three weeks. In the meantime his urologist has him taking nilutamide and he gets a lurpon shot every six months. The chemo has not made him sick at all but it does effect his blood and he usually needs a blood transfusion once a month. He has bone pain and for the first time he received radiation over the last two weeks for pain in his hip and leg. Life expectancy? Didn't ask. Every day is different, some good, some not so good. Some days he eats and some days he doesn't feel like it. His weight is good and everyone says he looks great, good coloring. He rests most of the time but does some work a few hours each day. That was a big adjustment from working 16 hour days to about 4. It frustrates him that he cannot do all the things he once did but he is still here, not in too much pain and we enjoy just being together. Good luck to your friend, it's not a hopeless case. Sheila

2ndBase said:

Life
I was given only about 2 years to live with a similar diagnosis as this. I was then age 52 and am now 58. I had only minimal treatment at the beginning and none since, as I refuse to let cancer bankrupt me again. You can lose your job and insurance when you get cancer in the good old USA. That is the truth, I know this from experience. The treatments can help you feel better for a while. I give most of the credit for my suvival to having gotten all the stress out of my life. I work and play as I wish. Your quality of life can be affected by treatments without any promise of living longer. You make the decisions for yourself and accept the outcomes. Whether I survive 10 weeks or ten years from today I am sure I will be happy. Nothing else matters. The proper attitude with acceptance of the disese is more important than any treatment.