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New to post.. My dad has prostate cancer that spread to his bones

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Posted 12/6/2018 2:25 PM (GMT -5)
Hi
I am new here. I am now coping with my Dad.. He has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Nuclear bone scan shows it has move to the spine pelvic and thoracic. It has not moved to the lymph nodes or any other organs. Dr Rx him Cosadex 50 mg and will see him back on 12/20. I hope and pray my dad who is 72 yrs old live a long time
Posted 12/6/2018 2:31 PM (GMT -5)
Welcome to HW. Sorry to hear about your father.

While that's not good news, it's not horrible. Even with metastatic PC, the HT(ADT) can reduce the PC and give him many more years. When the HT starts to fail there are other chemo treatments that can keep the PC at bay for years.

We have members here who gone, years, decade, are still with us. The treatment will have side effects that might not be pleasant, but he's not dying next week or next year.

Do read the sticky threads at the top of the forum for more info on PC.
Keep us updated and ask all the questions you want.
We're here most days,
Andrew
Posted 12/6/2018 2:45 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you Andrew.. This is a great forum.
Posted 12/6/2018 5:14 PM (GMT -5)
Sorry to hear about Dad...you didn't say what doctor, if it's the Uro you need to see a medical oncologist instead.
Posted 12/6/2018 5:24 PM (GMT -5)
I am new to this post so pls forgive me. Urologist and thank you. That is all I know and will be posting as soon as I know more.
Posted 12/6/2018 5:45 PM (GMT -5)
Let us know what part of the country your dad is in. We can recommend specialists and centers of excellence nearby. There are a great many cutting-edge treatments being developed for advanced PCa, including clinical trials. Only a medical oncologist who specializes in PCa can be expected to be up on them. The urologist may still be useful to treat urologic symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate, since your dad still has his, but his cancer isn't a urologic problem. Removing his prostate -- the only treatment a urologist, who is trained in surgery, is competent to offer -- won't cure him or do him much good. He needs an oncologist.
Posted 12/6/2018 6:15 PM (GMT -5)
Casodex is usually given as a prelude to an injection called Lupron that will suppress your Dad's testosterone to castrate levels..This will (hopefully) greatly reduce your dad's cancer but it will also have some profound side-effects as you can imagine.. This is pretty much standard treatment but it would best be managed by a Medical Oncologist as the other guys pointed out..Many Urologists treat prostate cancer, it's very profitable to do so but it's outside the focus of their training..Have your Dad's primary care doctor refer him to an Oncologist., preferably one who treats many PC patients..
Posted 12/6/2018 6:30 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you both.. He lives in Miami, Florida.. He sees his primary this Monday.. I will see to it that he gets referred to an oncologist.
Posted 12/6/2018 7:20 PM (GMT -5)
We have a lot of forum members in South Florida. Hopefully, some of them can recommend particular MOs. Also, your dad's uro may have recommendations. In any event, you have easy access to U Miami's Sylvester Cancer Center, both downtown at Jackson and up in Deerfield Beach. I'm familiar with their PCa radiation oncologists, but not their MOs.
Posted 12/6/2018 7:36 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you so much for that information.
Posted 12/6/2018 7:48 PM (GMT -5)
Dad72, very sorry to hear about your dad But as others have said, PROSTATE cancer can be treated for many many years even decades. Prostate cancer for most men once it has Spread to distant sights, becomes a chronic disease, not a death sentence as it was many years ago.
While I cannot recommend any specific medical oncologists, down in Miami you have Sylvester Cancer center of University of Miami which I is a recognized cancer center of excellence. You also have Cleveland clinic in Weston, but that is a bit more of a trip. I would suggest you Google Sylvester Cancer Center and take a look at some of the medical oncologist listed there who specializes in prostate cancer. Good luck and keep us posted
Posted 12/6/2018 8:57 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you soo much.
Posted 12/7/2018 1:48 PM (GMT -5)
You might try Dr. Joseph Pizzolato, at Mount Sinai, in Miami. He is quite good. 305-692-5400

Try as I might, I could not find an experienced MO who specialized in PCa at the University of Miami, and from my many experiences, their Urology group is not a 'center of excellence'

Good luck to you, and your dad!
Posted 12/7/2018 3:36 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you so much for providing that information.. I really appreciate everyones input) help.. I really appreciate it.
Posted 12/7/2018 5:20 PM (GMT -5)

garyi said...
You might try Dr. Joseph Pizzolato, at Mount Sinai, in Miami. He is quite good. 305-692-5400


Nice call, Gary. This from his Mt Sinai webpage: “Dr. Pizzolato also has a strong interest in genitourinary cancers and is actively involved with novel therapies for prostate cancer.” From Google hits, looks like he has done a lot of public interest interviews (or promotional pieces, depending on your POV) about Provenge.
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