Lots of choices in dealing with PCa, no easy answers, even just jumping into RT is not a guarantee or easy answer, not that it is bad or like Davids experience, but it also comes with no guarantee at all, maybe should try to read and find abstracts and data on the percentage of successes or failures on 'salvage radiation' and put that into your considerations basket.
It is in effect another gamble just like surgery and other treatments, is it the best gamble, maybe? IF you want more time to consider it all, you can do
casodex and other drug protocols and
avodart or
proscar do work(maybe use with casodex=ADT2), without casodex(avodart or proscar)is used as maintenance therapy it is used after dropping ADT3 combo therapy....why because it does block/cancel dihydratestosterone which is the bigger/better fuel for PCa that normal testostorone, it is said to be atleast 10 times more potent form of '
testosterone' and
your body makes this normally, makes sense to block it as
docs are saying PCa prefers this fuel as first for fueling PCa. You can seek
docs and others that might give you this information: www.pcref.org (Barken-donation basis), www.paactusa.org (likely free opinions), and other sources. If you had a super fast rising
psa that could influence all this (like doubling in days or weeks), doesn't seem to be that...you probably have time to do alot of things, maybe get an opinion from a PCa type
oncologist to perhaps see what that opinion is.
Alot of discussion on what is the window of opportunity on PCa, especially salvage treatments. Not against doing radiation or any treatments (fyi), patients should have the
quantitative data they need in order to make "their" decision on when and what risks are included, then you need to decide what is right for you. I mentioned Rick K. herein a few times, low stats patient,
did not do surgery or others, did ADT3 drugs 13 months then only on
proscar, manhood returned to normal soon after quitting ADT3, went 12 yrs. clear biopsies and no problems, just recently(
psa went up) and resumed 2nd round of ADT3 and will quit and go back on
Proscar. Is he unpleased???? Not at all and fully normal functions, that is his choice and
does not seem all that ridiculous...he can still have any normal
treatment still also(he is around 67 now approx). Surgery would be harder but is still possible, too. It is car-razy in PCa twight zone world.
Post Edited (zufus) : 11/28/2009 11:48:05 AM (GMT-7)