Haven’t posted on here in awhile. Next Monday I start round 2 of Radiation. 27 treatments. Here’s my history. Had prostate removed in May 2020. Gleason 4+3 with cancer on the margins. First PSA 3 months after surgery was .109. Started radiation in November 2020, 37 treatments t just the prostate bed. Baseline PSA was .543 or somewhere in that range. In April 2021, PSA was still .4 range. Oncologist said see you in 6 months. I didn’t like that so bot one done in August on my own and it jumped to 1.67. Switched my care to Siteman Cancer Center in St Louis and 2 weeks later it jumped to 3.16. Scans showed a few cells in the lymph nodes but none in the bed where they radiated before so that’s good news. Started hormone therapy in October and now radiation. Had anyone on here had radiation that close after first session and how did it turn out. I’m confident we’ll get it this time but it is very concerning. Team of drs in St Louis say there are still lots of things to throw at it.

I emailed my Dr the other night and asked if they were going to do a PSA before I started radiation to set a baseline and he said no as we just did one in August. They did a testosterone test at same time and it was 249. He said he isn’t doing one yet as it’s likely suppressed by the ADT. I got a 6 month injection of Eligard on 9/23.

In same email, since my doubling time was only about 2 weeks I asked him if he compared his planning scan to my earlier scans and he said he did and noticed the lymph nodes are smaller now so that’s good news. He seemed excited about that so I am too.

Does Eligard shrink cancer cells? I thought it just prevented them from growing?

ADT shots --- such as LUPRON, ZOLADEX, or FIRMAGON --- help take away testosterone --- which fuels hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cell proliferation.

Deprived of testosterone --- the "fuel for the fire" --- those hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cells will then "starve and strangle" themselves to death ---- as it was described to me, when I first started ADT ...

Meanwhile, you are adding another round of radiation -- so with these two approaches, you are aiming a double-barrelled shotgun at those prostate cancer cells.

That's a powerful visual image that will carry you through your treatments.

Here's to the FIGHT, and your FIGHTING SPIRIT!

CYCLONE --- # Iowa State University

Dr Randall James Brenneman. I can not say enough good things about him & his staff. He and his staff were awesome. He was very aggressive towards my cancer. He is very accessible. If you email him he emails back very quickly. Very easy to talk to and in terms we can understand. Just finished this past Tuesday. You’ll like him.

My Urologist is Eric Hwan Kim also at BJC/Siteman. Really like him too.

Awesome. Best of luck to you.