First-Hand Experience: Chemotherapy + ADT Treatments (For Newly Diagnosed Fellows)

Dear Prostate Cancer Warriors,

For those of you facing advanced prostate cancer, I just want to share this update following the latest appointment with my oncologist this past week.

I was diagnosed with advanced, metastatic prostate cancer over a year ago, with a PSA value of over 100 at the time of diagnosis. The prostate cancer had spread, resulting in multiple metastatic nodules in both of my lungs, which was very sobering news at the time I was initially diagnosed.

I am in the first wave of patients that have now been treated with the NEWLY adopted protocol of adding chemotherapy (Taxotere) to hormone therapy (Lupron) shots for advanced prostate cancer, which has now become the new standard of medical care in recent months.

There are still doctors out there that do not know about this new standard of care, so you may need to become your own advocate, do the research that it takes, and bring this research to your doctor. From my own perspective, it is also important to seek out a referral from your urologist, so that an ONCOLOGIST can added IMMEDIATELY to your medical team, EARLY in the game, if you are facing a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer. In my case, my urologist AND my oncologist both oversee my treatments and medical tests and medical care.

In my own situation, the Lupron hormone shots completely resolved the nodules in both of my lungs, for which I was thankful. The Lupron shots also brought my PSA down to a low decimal number below 1.00.

With the addition of the chemotherapy (Taxotere) infusions, given concurrently with the Lupron hormone shots, my PSA continued to be knocked down, bit-by-bit, over the course of the six chemotherapy infusions I was given over 18 weeks of treatment. My oncologist explained that the chemotherapy can kill cancer cells that the Lupron hormone shots can't kill, to put it in simple terms. You are shooting two loaded guns at the cancer in your body at the SAME time, instead of one gun !

I have just recently completed the entire series of chemotherapy infusions, while the Lupron hormone shots will continue indefinitely. At my appointment this past week, my oncologist reported that my PSA is now down to less than 0.05, for which I am exceedingly grateful. Going from an initial PSA value of over 100 down to a PSA value of less than 0.05 seems like a miracle, for someone standing in my shoes.

I have felt very fortunate that the side effects from both the chemotherapy and the hormone shots have been relatively mild in my case. It's important to note that side effects from chemotherapy and hormone treatment can vary widely from patient to patient, so stay in close consultation with your doctor throughout all of your treatments.

I have had the prayers and well wishes of hundreds of people in this journey, and am grateful beyond words for the faith they have shared with me and the prayers they have said on my behalf. There is also the tremendous network of support available here on Healing Well, as all of you readers will attest. I have been able to be at work each and every day throughout all of this, with the exception of medical appointments.

While each patient is different, I thought that my first-hand experience might provide a beacon of hope for others who have recently been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. LESSON LEARNED: Get INVOLVED in the fight, CONSULT with your doctor, and ASK about the possibility of adding chemotherapy treatments to the hormone treatments your doctor might be suggesting now ! Now that I have completed the chemotherapy treatments given in addition to the Lupron hormone shots, I thought my first-hand viewpoint might provide some hope and encouragement to others out there facing similar circumstances.

Keep seeking courage in every battle that you face,
CYCLONE

Post Edited (Cyclone-ISU) : 4/21/2024 8:23:26 AM (GMT-8)

Cyclone,

I too am happy to hear your progress as my husband has metastatic PCa. and may be facing the same
mixing of therapy's. His PSA started rising with his last Degeralix injection.
We will see our Oncol. in Jan.
My question is has your insurance paid for the chemo?

Thanks

BOOGEE

Cyclone,

You are completley correct that your postings are extremely helpful to other men with metastatic disease.
Though my husband doesn't post, he does read posts that I point out to him. Thank you. Glad to see such
great results for you and I hope the docetaxel will work as well for Frank.

Lisa

Cyclone,

Thanks for the great post.

Did you keep your hair through the chemo and did it run you down a bit?

Thanks,
Jerry

ISU CycloneFan
Great post and keep up the good work!
I did chemo in mid 2013, early in my journey, just a little before the CHAARTED study was published. Maybe I can help with some of the questions posed above.
It was covered by insurance. No issues at all.
And Taxotere (1 day of infusion every 3 weeks) was more tolerable than the Etoposide/Cisplatin (3 + days of infusions every 3 weeks) cocktail that I did. Neither were fun😁.
Hair loss started for me a couple weeks after the first Taxotere infusion. Basically lost all the hair on my body but retained just a little on my head. Hair on my head has grown back softer and whiter. Other hair, for example eyebrows, has been a little slower to recover. Chest hair, etc. shows no sign of coming back yet.

We need to remind each other of these great success stories especially for the advanced guys that chemo applies to (like some of you who have posted to this thread).

We all tolerate the SE's differently but the results seem well worth it. I wish I didnt have neuropathy and other issues but I think the chemo played a major part of my recovery from mets. I was eventually debulked as well but that's another discussion😎. Hard to tell if my continued fatigue is related to my chemo treatments or the subsequent surgeries and radiation and continued hormone treatments. But chemo definitely slowed me down at the time. I do remember walking 18 holes a few times in between treatments but by day 3 or so after infusions I usually had at least 2 days of sleep and down time where I was not feeling well.

Good update Cyclone. Take care.

Cyclone,

Thanks for the Post. Wishing you the best.
Send me an email, I am in the list.

Carl

Cyclone:

Great post ... very important to talk about how this works for us and isn't the chemo that we were taught to dread.

I also just finished my 6 rounds of Taxotere/Carboplatin on Friday ... so i'm going through the side effects for the last time. They're manageable, but do slow me down a bit. My doctor felt that I did well on SE, no big surprises and overall mild.

My situation was a little different, in that my PSA had already dropped from radiation and Zytiga, but the doctors felt that going after the cancer with chemo while it was weak (and i was strong) would only help. Though, as they pointed out, we'll never really know which of the treatments i received have the most effect.

Regards,

Ray

The CHAARTED trial that Gunnar eludes to has made a significant protocol change for patients presented with mets in 5 or more locations or with visceral disease. I ran a webinar on this with trial designer Nick Vogelzang who was instrumental with Chris Sweeney and Maha Hussain in bringing this protocol to the forefront. The presentation is about an hour and a half and it explains why ISU was recommended. It's a very significant study for these men...

advancedpcatalk.freeforums.net/thread/133/chaarted-webinar-available-viewing

I will be presenting this study as well at the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas sometime early in 2015. That is unless Nick can free his time up to do it for us.