HT and efficacy

I found a very interesting article about HT...I thought it might be helpful here.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2725306/#!po=50.0000

My dad is waiting on his scan results but based on his high PSA and Gleason, some docs have said HT is likely his option.
A close relative had RP open in 2005 with Gleason 8 that had spread to Lymph nodes. he had a subsequent orchiectomy few weeks later and has been fine with PSA <0.2 since.
Most people off late however have been receiving HT oral/injections.
When researching Orchiectomy Vs drugs I found this article about how Orchiectomy brings Testosterone <15 ng/dL but LHRH drugs only have to bring it down to 50 ng/dL.
For those on this forum that are dealing with HRPCa, did your doctors check for testosterone levels regularly to ensure the drugs were maintaining the low T levels? How often?

I have my PSA and Testosterone levels checked every 3 months. That's almost standard for patients on HT. Prostate cancer comes in many different flavors..For some, HT works well and long. For others, it does not work as well...What is working well for me is CAB, Combined Androgen Blockade. You take a drug like Lupron and combine it with Casodex and the two work in concert. Your bones need testosterone too to remain healthy..Most HT patients also must take high doses of calcium and vitamin D to counteract that side-effect...I'm doing 1800mg a day calcium..

Hi sr9sh...sorry you have to be here. I've been on Lupron/Casodex (wit Zytiga thrown in just for kicks) and my testosterone has always been under 20. And my PSA is 0.01. It's only been about 20 months, but so far so good.

Good luck for your dad!

Thanks for everyone's well wishes and advice!
Glad to hear that its working for most of you guys!
Its really scary that there's nothing we can do but wait for the HT to work (or fail eventually).
Although most Pca is slow growing, my dad's PSA numbers and DRE CT results don't match up. I am wondering if this is an aggressive kind.
I am trying to scour the internet for any information on biomarkers or indicators that could give some indication whether the particular Pca will respond to HT or for how long. I am afraid I have come up empty handed so far :(

Question: Is Zytiga usually prescribed after PCa becomes resistant to HT? Or should it be started before?

His Gleason 4+3 is borderline aggressive, but with his PSA being so high it puts his in the high risk group even as a Gleason 7. While I'm not sure how it might alter this treatment, you could always get a second read on his biopsy slides, which is common advice here at HW. The sticky at the top of the list will give you information for Bostwick and Epstein, which are considered the two best at reading PC biopsy slides.

Zytiga is indicated for PC once the cells have grown resistant to HT. In my case, I'm taking it now as part of my HT as my oncologist (Dr Lam) feels some of the early clinic trials are promising in this regard. Although you don't say where you're being treated, you may also want to contact an oncologist that specializes in prostate cancer as they are familiar with the latest research and techniques. There are not many prostate cancer-specific specialists around, but there are a few...hopefully one is near you, but if not many will consult over the phone. I use Dr Lam here in Los Angeles (as do many others here at HW) and he has been a fantastic resource.

Good luck!