Questions About Casodex And Lupron Therapy

My father was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in Oct. 07, PSA 10 and Gleason 9. They could not do a rad. protastectomy because the cancer had spread too much.( lymph nodes and urethra). His bladder was clean and so were his bones. He was started on Lupron shots in November, and his PSA in FEb was 7. The Dr. recently told us it should have been to 2 by then, and that he didn't think the lupron shots were working. Last week we found out it has spread into the bladder. he had surgery this week to scrape down the tumor for comfort so that he could go to the bathroom more easily, and he could empty his bladder. They are now starting him on Casodex and Lupron as treatment. He will be having a bone scan on Tuesday to see if his bones are clean. The Dr. made a statement to my step mother that the cancer is pretty advanced, but his not sure how much with out the bone scan and possible MRI.

Can anyone tell me if this treatment is a mute point at this stage, or is there a chance it could help prolong his life and the quality he has?

It is possible that hormone treatment can be effective: no one knows how long it will be effective for, but it's often more long lasting than thought.

Was Casodex (or similar) used for a few weeks at the start of Lupron treatment in November?  It is prudent to use it for a short period  at that time.

Cancer cells depend on Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone. A check on the levels of both will gauge whether the medication is starting to do what it should be doing.

Men react differently to various medications: when one product like Lupron isn't working, often an alternative drug, and/or  the addition of Casodex will be more effective.

Two men I know have found Zoladex and Eligard effective. One started hormone treatment a couple of years ago after he had bone involvement. His story is one of many you can look at in the mentors section of the yananow site.

Best wishes 

On 4/11/2008 Johnw100 wrote:

It is possible that hormone treatment can be effective: no one knows how long it will be effective for, but it's often more long lasting than thought.

Was Casodex (or similar) used for a few weeks at the start of Lupron treatment in November?  It is prudent to use it for a short period  at that time.

Cancer cells depend on Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone. A check on the levels of both will gauge whether the medication is starting to do what it should be doing.

Men react differently to various medications: when one product like Lupron isn't working, often an alternative drug, and/or  the addition of Casodex will be more effective.

Two men I know have found Zoladex and Eligard effective. One started hormone treatment a couple of years ago after he had bone involvement. His story is one of many you can look at in the mentors section of the yananow site.

Best wishes 

 

 

Thank you for your reply, No he did not have the Casodex or anything else in conjunction with the start of the Lupron shots in November. he literally had  what we hoped would be a radical prostatectomy, but they could not do it. he was started on the Lupron about 2 weeks post op, with nothing prior or in conjunction with. I am a nurse, but this is not my specialty, but I am trying to research as much as possible to help my dad made informed decisions. I appreciate your help.

Most of the popular books on PC do not contain a lot of detailed information about hormone therapy, and there are not many doctors expert in the field.

One exception is Dr Charles myers who has the book "Beating Prostate Cancer: Hormonal Therapy & Diet"  Dr Myers has used hormone treatment himself and has considerable success with it in treating many of his patients.  He is also a nutrition expert and has also published a lot of research papers on these subjects.You might find useful information at  www.prostateforum.com

Another good general book on PC is the one by Lee Nelson MD "Prostate Cancer Prevention and Cure" : It has a lot of information on diagnosis, stages, lifestyle changes, diet, treatment options, including information hormone treatment, side issues etc.

You might find more information on hormone treatment at www.compassionateoncology.org and the Patient Advocates for advanced Cancer Treatments, www.paactusa.org

I thought it usual to use Casodex, at least for  a short time at the start of treatment to help reduce any potential initial problems.

Best wishes

Thank you very much for your reply and for the information. I will look up every one of the resources you gave me. I would like to help empower my dad with as much information to help as I can. He likes to read, so he may be interested in some of the books.

Thank you So much

God Bless