To holiday or not?

A nice holiday is just what you need. I suggest someplace tropical ...

We've had a number of guys here do the Lupron holiday. It seems like a reasonable thing to do. They'll be along in a bit to comment in more detail.

If your PSA while using Lupron has remained steady and low, then vacation.
If it is slowly rising, then no vacation. And probably additional treatment.
I've had two vacations, second way shorter than the first.
Waiting for additional treatment decision.

That's where I'm at.

Post Edited (alephnull) : 1/30/2020 11:10:17 AM (GMT-7)

Psa on Lupron have been great. Latest .01 in December.

I am right at the threshold of my next step. Met with my MO and he wants to do a Pet Scan first before he would put me on ADT. But his advice to his patients is once your on it you stay on it. He feels the up and down of PSA that happens on vacations isn't good because you don't want the cancer to go to Mets. What do you guys think?

Yes, we get tested, typically testing occurs when our shots would normally be given.

I have been told that once you reach castrate resistance, then vacations are off forever.
You must have maintain nadir levels while on ADT.
At least that's my experience.

Holiday would be until psa rises again. Imagine how soon after rise you would start again could be flexible although if one waited longer cancer would continue growing. [url]

I've been on holiday since May following a year on monthly Degarelix shots. I'm in a clinical trial but was randomized to the control - Degarelix-only arm. So I am getting what would be standard treatment without the trial. My PSA and T are tested monthly. You can see from my signature that my PSA and T both reached undetectable while on Degarelix and for some months afterward. T is now in low end of normal range and PSA is climbing again. Before I started Degarelix my MO said he saw no downside for me having a pattern of intermittent treatment. I don't know if he would say this for everyone, but I have had a history of long intervals of low PSA - both after surgery in 2002 and after SRT in 2010.

When I saw my MO last month he said when to start the next round of Degarelix would depend on doubling time as much as on any absolute number. He doesn't think estimates of doubling time are meaningful until PSA reaches about 0.8. I'm scheduled for a bone and CT scan next week because it is called for by the trial protocol because my PSA has returned, even though it is still very low. I'm hoping I can also qualify for an Axumin PET scan later on before I need to start the next round of treatment.
Jim