Radiation lag time

YTW
YTW Member Posts: 67
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Yesterday, I finished my 5th and final Cyberknife treatment. Does anyone know if and for how long radiation will continue to destroy the PCa cells?........Thanks...Jimmy/Cleveland

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  • BRONX52
    BRONX52 Member Posts: 156
    #2
    YTW
    I HAD SURGERY PLUS RADIATION AND THE WAY IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME IS THIS----THE RADIATION KILLS THE CANCER CELLS (ABNORMAL CELLS) BY PREVENTING THEM FROM BEING ABLE TO DIVIDE AND MAKE ADDITIONAL CANCEROUS CELLS. BEING UNABLE TO DIVIDE CAUSES THEM TO DIE OFF AND THIS PROCESS CONTINUES, IN SOME INSTANCES, FOR 6 MONTHS OR MORE. I GUESS THIS CAN EXPLAIN WHY AFTER RADIATION PSA IS SOMETIMES STILL MEASURABLE BUT OVER TIME BEGINS TO DECLINE AS THE DAMAGED CELLS DIE OFF. ALSO, MY DOC SAID YOU CAN HAVE A "BUMP" WHERE THE PSA ACTUALLY GOES UP FOR A WHILE. SOME SPECULATE THIS COULD BE CAUSED BY THE DYING CELLS GIVING OFF PSA. EVENTUALLY THIS SUBSIDES ALSO. THIS WAS MY DOCS TAKE ON IT AND I GUESS OTHERS MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT EXPLANATIONS. HOPE THIS HELPS AND WISH YOU THE BEST IN YOUR RCOVERY--DAN
  • YTW
    YTW Member Posts: 67
    #3
    BRONX52 said:

    YTW
    I HAD SURGERY PLUS RADIATION AND THE WAY IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME IS THIS----THE RADIATION KILLS THE CANCER CELLS (ABNORMAL CELLS) BY PREVENTING THEM FROM BEING ABLE TO DIVIDE AND MAKE ADDITIONAL CANCEROUS CELLS. BEING UNABLE TO DIVIDE CAUSES THEM TO DIE OFF AND THIS PROCESS CONTINUES, IN SOME INSTANCES, FOR 6 MONTHS OR MORE. I GUESS THIS CAN EXPLAIN WHY AFTER RADIATION PSA IS SOMETIMES STILL MEASURABLE BUT OVER TIME BEGINS TO DECLINE AS THE DAMAGED CELLS DIE OFF. ALSO, MY DOC SAID YOU CAN HAVE A "BUMP" WHERE THE PSA ACTUALLY GOES UP FOR A WHILE. SOME SPECULATE THIS COULD BE CAUSED BY THE DYING CELLS GIVING OFF PSA. EVENTUALLY THIS SUBSIDES ALSO. THIS WAS MY DOCS TAKE ON IT AND I GUESS OTHERS MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT EXPLANATIONS. HOPE THIS HELPS AND WISH YOU THE BEST IN YOUR RCOVERY--DAN

    Bronx52
    Thanks for the response...I'm making notes to talk about with my Uro & RO next mionth. Jimmy
  • Kongo
    Kongo Member Posts: 1,166 Member
    #4
    Radiation
    Jimmy,

    Congratulations on completing the CyberKnife treatment. I hope your process went smoothly.

    I think Bronx described the process pretty well. The radiation causes cells to ionize, releasing free radicals in the cell which attack the DNA structure of cancer cells, causing them to die. The process goes on for weeks and months. Your PSA should drop to a nadir within two years although Cyberknife tends to drive the PSA levels down very quickly. Sometimes there is a bounce, as Bronx described, where the PSA goes up a bit then continues on towrards its low level.

    As you still have a prostate, you will always have some residual PSA but it is not caused by cancer.
  • mrshisname
    mrshisname Member Posts: 186
    #5
    Kongo said:

    Radiation
    Jimmy,

    Congratulations on completing the CyberKnife treatment. I hope your process went smoothly.

    I think Bronx described the process pretty well. The radiation causes cells to ionize, releasing free radicals in the cell which attack the DNA structure of cancer cells, causing them to die. The process goes on for weeks and months. Your PSA should drop to a nadir within two years although Cyberknife tends to drive the PSA levels down very quickly. Sometimes there is a bounce, as Bronx described, where the PSA goes up a bit then continues on towrards its low level.

    As you still have a prostate, you will always have some residual PSA but it is not caused by cancer.

    update?
    Hi Kongo, I had followed yoru CK treatment with interest, and wondered if you had posted an update on how you were doing? Side effects, psa, etc. Wishing you the best!
  • Swingshiftworker
    Swingshiftworker Member Posts: 1,017 Member
    #6
    Keep Us Posted On Your Progress
    Keep us posted on your progress after CK.

    Bronx & Kongo have already filled you in on the likely long term radiation effects. Let us know if you have any urinary, ED or other issues (or better yet, none at all). Kongo's 30 day update was negative. Hopefully, yours will be the same.

    Looks like I'll be the 3rd here to get CK here. Getting markers placed on 8/31. CT & MR! on 9/7. 1st treatment scheduled for 9/15 and last of 4 treatments on 9/22 -- every other day to minimize the short term radiation effects, as suggested by Kongo per info from Stanford.

    Looks like we have the makings of a CK club! :)
  • Kongo
    Kongo Member Posts: 1,166 Member
    #7
    mrshisname said:

    update?
    Hi Kongo, I had followed yoru CK treatment with interest, and wondered if you had posted an update on how you were doing? Side effects, psa, etc. Wishing you the best!

    Update
    Hi, Mrs.

    Finished my treatment in June. First PSA is three months afterward, and scheduled for Ocober 1. I have had zero side effects. No urinary or ED issues at all. No pain. No nothing. Everything looks good and I'm happily contemplating the rest of my life without this over my head.

    Thanks for asking.
  • Kongo
    Kongo Member Posts: 1,166 Member
    #8
    Swingshiftworker said:

    Keep Us Posted On Your Progress
    Keep us posted on your progress after CK.

    Bronx & Kongo have already filled you in on the likely long term radiation effects. Let us know if you have any urinary, ED or other issues (or better yet, none at all). Kongo's 30 day update was negative. Hopefully, yours will be the same.

    Looks like I'll be the 3rd here to get CK here. Getting markers placed on 8/31. CT & MR! on 9/7. 1st treatment scheduled for 9/15 and last of 4 treatments on 9/22 -- every other day to minimize the short term radiation effects, as suggested by Kongo per info from Stanford.

    Looks like we have the makings of a CK club! :)

    Swing
    I'm hoping everything goes smoothly for you. Keep us in the loop.
  • mrshisname
    mrshisname Member Posts: 186
    #9
    Kongo said:

    Swing
    I'm hoping everything goes smoothly for you. Keep us in the loop.

    so happy
    WOW you are the poster child for CK! I am so happy to hear about your success. May it continue and may you have prostate cancer as only a faint memory. Take care.

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