Prostate Cancer Treatments

I'm taking nothing KilljoyKlown and continue to live as per normal.
In one of my recent School boy reunions, one of our blokes underwent drastic prostatectomy, [same age as me 71] and although erections are a thing of the past, [and he wasn't too worried about that anyway] he suffered no incontinence. Even a day out on the piss at our reunion, he drank schooners along with the rest of us without any apparent mishap.
Not much more I can help you with.

 

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I believe that is basically correct, but it is learning how to grow with no external Testosterone, not without Testosterone. I.e. prostate cancer cells, learn how to generate sufficient testosterone, internally.

There is a new, and very expensive, medicine with commercial name "ZYTIGA" that as I understand it is supposed to block or at least significantly interfere with this internal generation of Testosterone (or closely related compound, the cells can use instead) While in the US about a month ago, the cheapest price for it I could find, was 9,393.19 dollars for 120 25mg pills or each pill costs 78.27 dollars, if they forget about the 19 cents.

One reason why I am reluctant to get radiation treatments, is that makes many slight variants of the cell's DNA, often ones fatal to the cell or it ability to divide, but some times gives some cells greater viability, perhaps even against ZYTIGA. It clearly damages non-cancerous cells too - increases their mutation rate. I'm still hoping to celebrate my 100th birth day - so it is a long war plan I using.

Humans are complex organisms that fundamentally "want" to multiply. Cancer cells are relative simple organisms that have the same goal. Our complex system has evolved a multitude of biological ways to defend its self against "damaging living simple cell invaders."

In my 21 years of living in Brazil, I have been sick with fever about three times. I don't like to take medicine, including anti-biotics, so did not and twice my body (immune system in large part, I assume.) killed off the invaders, in three of four days. One time, however the invaders were clearly winning the battle, so after a week of moderately high fever, I used modern anti-biotics - sort of "cheating" but I don't like to lose.

One of my favorite saying, one I made up decades ago, is: "My body is smarter than all the world's doctors combined." so I always let my body try to do its thing first but monitor the war, and when clearly I am losing, then I bring out the best weapons modern medical science has to offer. That is part of the reason I used Testosterone, T, suppressing drug, Androcur, intermittently rather than continuously as most do. I am convinced that is why it worked for me for 3.5 years when it often starts to fail in only two. Details in my first post about knocking T down to "castration level," then just continuing the use of my "therapeutic diet" and watching PSA climb up towards 0.1 before resuming the use T-drug again.

 

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Probably not, once you make the decision as to which therapy your going to go with, your pretty much locked into it. All of these therapies are fairly expensive and insurance companies are not to eager to give more than one to a customer. My oncologist bill and radiation treatments came to a little over $100,000. Those guys got a real racket going for them. From the terminology you have used I'm thinking you are an Aussie and you have a whole different pricing structure probably cheaper than here in the States.

 

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Our health scheme covers most drugs and medication.
I am often amused when I see some of your Americans debating the pros and cons of health schemes. We take it for granted.

 

Billy, I will keep that in mind if my PSA levels start rising again. Not sure if paddoboy's insurance pays for a PSA test every 3 months, but I know mine doesn't and I'd be lucky if they paid for more than one per year.

 

From this side of the fence it's not vary amusing at all and things could get a lot worse if we get a republican president elected to office in the next election.

 

FYI, tomorrow morning I go out of town for two weeks and won't be able to post to this thread until I get back.

 

IE the first off drug cycles were three or so months long. PSA increased slowly so I only needed to measure PSA about every month at start of 1st off drug cycle, but after PSA was above 0.08 near the end of the cycle, I measured (and often T in same blood) about weekly. I don't have an accurate total count but during those 3.5 years on intermittent use of Amdrocur, I'm sure I had at least 50 PSA measurements! All at zero cost to me.

That most Americans can't afford to do that too is a national shame.* Americans pay more than twice what a modern socialized medicine state in Northern Europe pay per capital for health care and get three years LESS life expectancy! This probably belongs in my old thread: "How DUMB can Americans be?"

* The less than 5 minutes of the nurse's time taking the blood and the technician's time (salaries) putting sample into the automatic processing machine are more than half the cost, I'm pretty sure. (Don't think any of the reagents used are costly.) They do discard the needle used and the pre-evacuated tiny "test tubes" cost in mass purchase about dollar, I would guess.

They take the blood in early AM prior to patient eating any thing. As you leave they offer a snack pack, but I never take it. - I have brought a banana, apple and orange from home, as I don't want to add to their cost. For same reason, I get testosterone data less than half the time.

 

All PSA tests are covered as well as biopsies and any associated medical procedures/medications etc. Costs me SFA! [I'm retired of course]
Working folk fund our Hospital/Medical scheme with a 2% levy on their wages and salaries.

 

I really hate that a rich country like the US is so backward in the medical & drug care they provide to it's people. All I can do to help solve that problem is never vote for any republican and encourage all others I can to follow my example.

 

If you have a competent surgeon and the cancer is not extremely advanced then those nerves are indeed "spared". If the cancer has advanced enough for Perineural Invasion to have occurred (the cancer has taken over nerve bundles that run across the prostate surface) then those nerves will be taken during surgery (you really don't want to keep them anyways, as they do not work any more and are cancerous). The big 3 way nerve trunk that governs erection, orgasm, urinary sphincter and rectal sphincter control is generally too far away from the cancer to be directly involved. The diaper/pad thing is usually from cutting the urethra at the bladder neck sphincter when the cancer has invaded that area. Then the sphincter leaks as the muscles cannot completely close. If that occurs and does not heal an artificial valve (I think the AUS 300 or similar) can be installed to regain control so you don't have to wear a diaper.

My wife and I had a friend relationship for many months before we went beyond that. No sex. If a relationship is strictly sexual it will not last. A serious walking or running program has been proven to assist in fighting prostate cancer, supplements...not so much, though there is always the placebo effect. Obviously, a healthy life style and diet are an advantage infighting any illness, cancer inclusive.

I am with Billy here - I want to live a long and healthy life. I would prefer to keep my sex life (as I remember it) but would be OK without now that I have done a couple of years neutered. I expect my moobs and other adipose tissues I have collected over the last couple of years - along with the 14 pounds I have gained despite my diet and exercise program - to go away when I return to my new normal.

Prostate cancer that has become non-hormonally reliant is called "refractory" cancer, is most likely a Gleason 5 type and metastatic (stage 4). There are other effective drugs for that and mets can be zapped when they show up, but you are then in a 'holding the line', palliative situation.