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About a year ago my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had a PSA in the 6s and a Gleason score of 7. The treatment was radiation. 3 months after the treatment his PSA was .1. About 3 months after that it rose to 3. Another 3 months went by and it went to 6. A PSA he had done a month ago was at 8 and last week it was at 9. He had a Bone scan, a CAT scan, and a Prostastinct (sp) done and they all showed no incidence of prostate cancer in the prostate. His doctor believes his prostate is clean but there are microscopic cancer cells in his body and recommends hormone therapy. Is this a reasonable course of action? He is 71 years old and I don't want him to suffer side effects of drugs. I also want him around as long as humanly possible. Do you have any advice?
DC,
Sorry to hear about your father's recurrence. Hormone treatment would seem the next logical step in controlling his cancer. With his rapid increases in PSA, he might have fairly aggressive cancer. The big question would seem to be which hormone treatment would be best suited for his circumstances, LhRh analogues alone (like Lupron or Zoledex) or LhRh analogue combined with an antiandrogen (like Casodex). Many men achieve long term relief from symptoms and have lowered PSA using these methods. Side effects vary widely but none seem to be particularly life threatening. I have been on Lupron for almost two years and at 55 wish that i didn't have to take the drug but it has kept my PSA (and symptoms) undetectible so far. Hot flashes, fatigue, weight gain and others side effects are definitely better than the alternative. As a side note if you are his son (can't tell sex from your post) you are in a higher risk group so you also need to be vigilant in starting PSA and DRE no later than 45. Some doctors are now saying 40. Take care and good luck - Pat Priestley, (Alaska, USA)
DC,
My dad had prostate cancer at 56 and a reacurence at age 66 his PSA was 78. He had radiation therapy and hormonal therapy. Today he is 72 with a PSA of 0.01. He did not complain of any major side effects.
