PSA Raising and Bone Scan show mets

Unfortunately the answer to all your questions is yes. What it means is that there were already cancer cells that were outside the prostate before the surgery. With G7 this is not uncommon. Usually PCa first goes to the bones as that is a good environment for the cancer to grow. It will also go to lymph nodes and other organs like the lungs, liver and brain. The various scans help the doctors to determine the locations. With that information they can then prescribe various treatments to help control the cancer and limit or reduce it's adverse effects, like pain.

It is likely they will consider some radiation to the bone mets to reduce them and the pain. They will probably also put him on drugs like Lupron/Eligard/Firmagon that reduce the testosterone and will help starve the cancer of it's preferred food. They may even consider chemotherapy like Taxotere that has been beneficial with metastatic cancer.

At this stage it is important to have a medical oncologist that specializes with metastatic prostate cancer to determine a treatment plan. Thankfully, there are many great treatments that can serve him very well for hopefully a long time with limited side effects.

Ahmed
From what limited knowledge that I have or understand, JNF's is "spot on". Other will chime in. My situation is a little different , but wanted to share this. For me with G7 and four Bone Met spots already on initial diagnosis, I have had no surgery, no radiation, no chemo yet, just Lupron and Zytiga over 4 years. My PSA has gone down from 71 to undetectable, <0.06 in that time. Been fortunate not to have any or very minor bone pain, I know my good friend in a similar situation has much bone pain.

So depending on how you look at it yes, all things are possible as in the cancer can return and spread, create some pain or little pain. But conversely, and I have been wanting to express this in the limited guidelines here on HW...ALL thing are possible for the good! I have a positive, hopeful outlook, although I do have bone mets.
Keep the faith that you will have a lasting and durable remission period.
Wings aka Dan in So Cal

Bone mets are usually not found when the PSA is 0.13 It's possible but not very likely. I would talk to his doctors about their confidence that he actually has detectable bone mets...

If the mets are few and positively identified, then they can be controlled with SBRT.

The next step in his treatment will undoubtedly be ADT, Lupron, and when that starts to fail they may ad Casodex. Some new studies show that starting chemo early works much better than waiting..These treatments can greatly extend his life but they can't cure his cancer...

I agree with you fairwind. I had a bone scan and it came back positive for met, scared the living crap out of me. I went home and made out my will. My doc called me and said that hot spot for mets showed up on my bone scan and they wanted to do more xrays. Well they were all arthritis that shows up as mets. Bottom line Ahmed, be sure they are mets. Good luck

Another "Howard" here. Scans showed mets. No mets.

Good luck..

Ahmed,
I would suggest a 68 PSMA PETCT for your father. I don't know if you have the possibility .I did it at a PSA of 0.27 and showed 2 mets. after CT,MRI,BONE SCAN....showed nothing.
Prayers!

Ahmed, I'm sorry to hear about your father. First of all, know that PC is one of the slower progressing of cancers and you are likely to have him around for many more years.

As JNF said, the answer to all your questions is "yes, it is possible." Mets are especially suspected when the PSA doubling time is that rapid as your father's is. The MRI will help confirm that they are indeed mets and not old fractures.

Pain usually only occurs when the bone mets grow significantly in size, which often is not for a long time. At that time, they may give him some radiation there to ease the pain. Hormone therapy alone will reduce their growth rate and may keep him pain-free for a long time. Early use of chemo (Taxotere) may increase survival in men with 4 or more mets. A recent study (called STAMPEDE) found that the combination of Zometa + Celebrex could increase survival by 20% in men with mets.

Ahmed,

If you put the word "taxotere" or "docetaxel" in the search bar, you will be able to read about the experience other patients had with it.

Chemo is different for different kinds of cancer, so do not be put off by what you may have heard about different kinds of chemo. For men with several mets, it can extend life and quality of life for many of them. Let's see how many mets there are, and he can decide afterwards.

- Allen

Hello Ahmed,

We're here to support you, each step of the way. We've got a wide network of members here, with direct and first-hand experiences with all ranges of treatments ...

You've asked specifically about chemotherapy treatments and side effects.

Recently, several of us banded TOGETHER and created a thread entitled "Taxotere Side Effects" --- this thread will give you direct insight into what to expect if chemotherapy treatments are pursued in your father's case.

Simply type the phrase "Taxotere Side Effects" into the SEARCH BOX located in the top right-hand corner of your screen and that thread will appear immediately in the search results.

Continue to check in with us here --- we've got supportive, informed, and caring members here from all over the globe --- and we are all hoping that your father gets started on a treatment pathway that leads to some meaningful successes for him.

Sent with my very best,
"Cyclone Fan" ~ Iowa State University