Crossroads

Sorry to hear of the development.
Some patients are taking metformin which costs maybe 15 dollars a month or so to slow cancer.
There was an article today about thiabendazole, an antifungal that is supposed to slow cancer. Inexpensive.
Sporanox is another antifungal supposedly might help. Inexpensive.
mebendazole / Vermox is a parasite med an article said might slow cancer. So there are inexpensive things a person could try that are outside the box, if you could find a doctor to co-operate with.

Another possibility is clinical trials. Some of them look promising. A couple have been mentioned on this board in the last few weeks. If you can find a trial that does not require pre-treatment with chemo than it would be worth your while.
Thats all I can think of off the top of my head. Good luck......Robert

I would reccomend that you give casodex and proscar ( or avodart) a try.....I have seen a number of guys in my group have a good response when lupron starts to fail.....you will know pretty quickly if it is going to work.....easy to start.....certainly worth a try.The side effects of casodex and proscar are minimal,

Terry

I was on Lupron/Eligard for some four years until the PSA started climbing. I figured "refractory", but my onc said to add Casodex. My PSA dropped for a few months, but started climbing again (FINALLY truly refractory), and I was having urinary problems from a resurgent prostate-bed tumor eating into my bladder. I got Provenged (to no avail), operated on, radiated, and now Taxotered.

But the addition of Casodex bought me some time---there are many types of testosterone being produced in the body. The Lupron was taking care of certain types of testosterone, but the cancer liked feeding on another type---Casodex "eliminated" that route. I guess that "pissed off" my cancer and it switched from testosterone entirely.

Thanks to you all for your replies and encouragement. I see the medical oncologist tomorrow and will likely give the casodex a try. Still some time to think about other avenues. I do not want to go down a road that requires more medication and treatment that is ineffectual while ruinous of the good health I currently have.  

Terry, good suggestion on the avodart. I will ask about this also.

Danielle and nhwife thanks for the information on the keto and prednisone. I had read that the prednisone could cause the puffiness.

Robert I was aware of a few of the drugs you mentioned. So far my docs have not seemed to want to stray from the tried and true. Uro did not even want to discuss the DES route. Maybe the med onc will be a bit more open to discussion. Clinical trials may be an option. Not sure what is available here in Idaho. Most seem to be west or east coast at the larger hospitals. But something to consider.

Sequoiaranger I smiled when I read your comment about the treatment "pissing off" the cancer. I have felt that way as well. Sometimes I think I should have let a sleeping dog lay. (But I just had to poke it).

David, I follow your case though I do not post often. Yes quality of life is important to me more than quantity. My favorite uncle passed away in his early sixties from bone cancer. He was gone within ninety days of the diagnosis. He seemed to have been emotionally crushed by the news and went in to the hospital a week later and did not come out. Only relative on either side of my family to ever have any type of cancer.  

Thanks, again to all of you.

Regards,

Don

 

Hi Todd, Useful advice. I am not symptomatic at this time and do not have verified metastasies. I questioned my docs about c11 choline pet-ct scan and neither were familiar with it. I watched a good video presentation on it's use by a Dr Kwon of the Mayo clinic. I feel that it is imperative that some imaging is done that can reliably locate this stuff. I see the medical oncologist today. I am hoping the casodex gives me a boost and will ask about the avodart as well.

Don

Todd,

You have mentioned before, about how the Provenge doesn't lower PSA. I am trying to understand, if that is the case, how will they ultimately know if it is working for you, or has even worked at all? Any way to explain that to a layperson? What other measure of sucess would they use to tell?

David

David, it was discussed in the topic " PROVENGE"

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=2487796&g=2493011#m2493011

"In this new research paper the correlation between survival and immune activation was established. It provides confirmation that Provenge really works in targeting cancer cells and thus extending survival.
A publication showed that Provenge triggered dramatic increases in APC's (antigen presenting cells) and their presence correlated with OS (P = 0.003). A p value of 0.003 is essentially saying that we have a 99.7% certainty that the correlation between APC increases and OS is real. Recall that the publication stated: "APC activation occurred in the first dose preparation [6.2-fold, (4.65, 7.70); median (25th, 75th percentile)] and increased in the second [10.6-fold (7.83, 13.65)] and third [10.5-fold (7.89, 13.65)] dose preparations. Cytokines and chemokines associated with activated APCs were produced during the manufacture of each dose; T-cell activation-associated cytokines were detected in the second and third dose preparations." In other words, one of the major reasons why PROVENGE settled on 3 doses 2 weeks apart is because they realized that each subsequent dose benefits from the previous one and the process seems to saturate after three doses.
Other words:OS( overall survivor) success depending on the APC increase.
IN the cancer world OS is gold standard and the correlation has been established statistically. PROVENGE treat cancer, other drugs like ZYTIGA, MDV3100 treat symptoms (PSA redaction?). I think one of the best benefits is the extremely long half life. Other therapies have a benefit that disappears when the therapy stops but that Provenge will remain in patients body for an extremely long time, maybe the rest of their lives."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22865266

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