The latest about Kevin.........

Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.

A brief reminder of past events, as of the 5/11 blood draw, kevin's psa
was 19.0. When he saw the urologist on 5/18 the thinking was that this
was a bounce and Kevin started taking Casodex daily. Just to be safe he
was told to have a bone scan which showed mets on his spine and
completely changed everything. Since then Kevin had 10 radiation
sessions for the mets on his spine, starting 6/9 and finishing on 6/22.

His next PSA test was on 6/15 and it has come down to 10.3. Also his
Testosterone was 20.

Both the R.O. and the Uro agreed that the next step was for Kevin to see
a Medical Oncologist and both agree with our choice of Dr Gary Hudes at
Fox Chase Philly. Dr Ari, the R.O. said he would make a phone call to
get things started,. He is at Fox Chase in NJ and has connections which
helps. When Kevin got the first phone call from the coordinator, both
doctors had already been asked for his records. Kevin now has an
appointment for July 13th, which is 3 weeks from the phone call Dr Ari made.

Another issue that has come up is that the Urologist wants to start
Kevin on Zometa, but once you start getting it you can't have any bone
surgery. Kevin has been seeing a periodontist for awhile now, but once
he heard that Kevin had spinal bone mets, he asked if he was on Zometa
and said he wanted to talk to Kevin's Uro. The result of all of this is
that Kevin is going to have two sessions of gum flap surgery and will be
getting his first Zometa treatment in the middle of August.

The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows us
to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to get
down there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.

Sue - wife of Kevin


biopsy - 2/20/08 - Gleason 9, 5+4 all 12 cores
Got dx 3/4/08 - started one month of Casodex
4/17/08 - started Trelstar shots, later changed to Lupron shots to this
day and to continue.
44 IMRT sessions - 4/28 to 7/1/08
5/19/09 - started Casodex again
10 radiation treatments on the spine - June 9 through June 22

psa:
2.2 10/-5
4.1 8/07
7.9 12/07
0.1 8/08
4.1 2/2/09 - thought to be from bladder stone and cysto
14.5 5/5/09
19.0 5/11/09
10.3 6/15/09

Testosterone - 20 - 6/15/09

test
"Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
> Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.
>
> A brief reminder of past events, as of the 5/11 blood draw, kevin's psa
> was 19.0. When he saw the urologist on 5/18 the thinking was that this was
> a bounce and Kevin started taking Casodex daily. Just to be safe he was
> told to have a bone scan which showed mets on his spine and completely
> changed everything. Since then Kevin had 10 radiation sessions for the
> mets on his spine, starting 6/9 and finishing on 6/22.
>
> His next PSA test was on 6/15 and it has come down to 10.3. Also his
> Testosterone was 20.
>
> Both the R.O. and the Uro agreed that the next step was for Kevin to see a
> Medical Oncologist and both agree with our choice of Dr Gary Hudes at Fox
> Chase Philly. Dr Ari, the R.O. said he would make a phone call to get
> things started,. He is at Fox Chase in NJ and has connections which helps.
> When Kevin got the first phone call from the coordinator, both doctors had
> already been asked for his records. Kevin now has an appointment for July
> 13th, which is 3 weeks from the phone call Dr Ari made.
>
> Another issue that has come up is that the Urologist wants to start Kevin
> on Zometa, but once you start getting it you can't have any bone surgery.
> Kevin has been seeing a periodontist for awhile now, but once he heard
> that Kevin had spinal bone mets, he asked if he was on Zometa and said he
> wanted to talk to Kevin's Uro. The result of all of this is that Kevin is
> going to have two sessions of gum flap surgery and will be getting his
> first Zometa treatment in the middle of August.
>
> The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows us
> to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to get down
> there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>
> Sue - wife of Kevin
>
>
> biopsy - 2/20/08 - Gleason 9, 5+4 all 12 cores
> Got dx 3/4/08 - started one month of Casodex
> 4/17/08 - started Trelstar shots, later changed to Lupron shots to this
> day and to continue.
> 44 IMRT sessions - 4/28 to 7/1/08
> 5/19/09 - started Casodex again
> 10 radiation treatments on the spine - June 9 through June 22
>
> psa:
> 2.2 10/-5
> 4.1 8/07
> 7.9 12/07
> 0.1 8/08
> 4.1 2/2/09 - thought to be from bladder stone and cysto
> 14.5 5/5/09
> 19.0 5/11/09
> 10.3 6/15/09
>
> Testosterone - 20 - 6/15/09

Sue, sorry to read that Kevin has mets to his spine. However, I want to
encourage him to keep fighting the bastard.

My own story is in March of 2003 PCa was confirmed as a Gleason (7 4+3). My
primary treatment was 117 Palladium seeds followed by 25 sessions of IMRT.
My PSA never came down and hovered a little over 6. In May of 2004 the scan
showed mets to L2 & T3 with PSA at 32.3. I immediately started Lupron and
saw a Medical Oncologist in June. I started a chemo trial the first of July
for six months.

My PSA immediately started to drop so that it was 0.5 six months later and
remarkedly my scans were clean.

I have had 14 scans since - all clean and PSA remains undetectible - less
than 0.1.

The trial that I under went consisted of :

Each course of chemotherapy lasts for 8 weeks. Patients were treated in
weeks 1, 3, and 5 with doxorubicin 20 mg/m2 as a 24-hour intravenous
infusion on the first day of every week in combination with ketoconazole 400
mg orally 3 times a day daily for 7 days. In weeks 2, 4, and 6, treatment
consisted of paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 intravenously on the first day of every
week in combination with estramustine 280 mg orally 3 times a day for 7
days. Added to the regimen was 30 mg of prednisone daily. 20 mg in am and 10
mg in pm.

Let me add that I have not ben back to my Urologist since April 2003 and
turned the management of my cancer over to two Radiation Oncologists working
in tandem. Although each telephones annually, they both turned over the
mangement of my cancer to the Medical Oncologist and he iand his team are
the only people that I see on a regular basis. Let me add that my Medical
Oncologist has spent over twenty-five years in academia researching both
Prostate and Kidney cancers.

I have a close friend who was diagnosed at the same time as me with a
Gleason 10. He sought treatment at M.D. Anderson and he is still kicking
along as well with a PSA of 1.1. He had removal and raditional, and within
60 days of his surgery started a different chemo trial.

I am thankful that I reside in Houston and have access to the Baylor College
of Medicine, the Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Hermann Memorial
Hospital Systems all at the Texas Medical Center.

Kevin's new best friend will be his Medical Oncologist. Good luck on the
path that PCa has taken him and may he continue to enjoy a lengthy and
healthful life.

Gourd Dancer


"Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
> Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.
>
> A brief reminder of past events, as of the 5/11 blood draw, kevin's psa
> was 19.0. When he saw the urologist on 5/18 the thinking was that this was
> a bounce and Kevin started taking Casodex daily. Just to be safe he was
> told to have a bone scan which showed mets on his spine and completely
> changed everything. Since then Kevin had 10 radiation sessions for the
> mets on his spine, starting 6/9 and finishing on 6/22.
>
> His next PSA test was on 6/15 and it has come down to 10.3. Also his
> Testosterone was 20.
>
> Both the R.O. and the Uro agreed that the next step was for Kevin to see a
> Medical Oncologist and both agree with our choice of Dr Gary Hudes at Fox
> Chase Philly. Dr Ari, the R.O. said he would make a phone call to get
> things started,. He is at Fox Chase in NJ and has connections which helps.
> When Kevin got the first phone call from the coordinator, both doctors had
> already been asked for his records. Kevin now has an appointment for July
> 13th, which is 3 weeks from the phone call Dr Ari made.
>
> Another issue that has come up is that the Urologist wants to start Kevin
> on Zometa, but once you start getting it you can't have any bone surgery.
> Kevin has been seeing a periodontist for awhile now, but once he heard
> that Kevin had spinal bone mets, he asked if he was on Zometa and said he
> wanted to talk to Kevin's Uro. The result of all of this is that Kevin is
> going to have two sessions of gum flap surgery and will be getting his
> first Zometa treatment in the middle of August.
>
> The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows us
> to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to get down
> there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>
> Sue - wife of Kevin
>
>
> biopsy - 2/20/08 - Gleason 9, 5+4 all 12 cores
> Got dx 3/4/08 - started one month of Casodex
> 4/17/08 - started Trelstar shots, later changed to Lupron shots to this
> day and to continue.
> 44 IMRT sessions - 4/28 to 7/1/08
> 5/19/09 - started Casodex again
> 10 radiation treatments on the spine - June 9 through June 22
>
> psa:
> 2.2 10/-5
> 4.1 8/07
> 7.9 12/07
> 0.1 8/08
> 4.1 2/2/09 - thought to be from bladder stone and cysto
> 14.5 5/5/09
> 19.0 5/11/09
> 10.3 6/15/09
>
> Testosterone - 20 - 6/15/09

"Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
> Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.
>
> A brief reminder of past events, as of the 5/11 blood draw, kevin's psa
> was 19.0. When he saw the urologist on 5/18 the thinking was that this was
> a bounce and Kevin started taking Casodex daily. Just to be safe he was
> told to have a bone scan which showed mets on his spine and completely
> changed everything. Since then Kevin had 10 radiation sessions for the
> mets on his spine, starting 6/9 and finishing on 6/22.
>
> His next PSA test was on 6/15 and it has come down to 10.3. Also his
> Testosterone was 20.
>
> Both the R.O. and the Uro agreed that the next step was for Kevin to see a
> Medical Oncologist and both agree with our choice of Dr Gary Hudes at Fox
> Chase Philly. Dr Ari, the R.O. said he would make a phone call to get
> things started,. He is at Fox Chase in NJ and has connections which helps.
> When Kevin got the first phone call from the coordinator, both doctors had
> already been asked for his records. Kevin now has an appointment for July
> 13th, which is 3 weeks from the phone call Dr Ari made.
>
> Another issue that has come up is that the Urologist wants to start Kevin
> on Zometa, but once you start getting it you can't have any bone surgery.
> Kevin has been seeing a periodontist for awhile now, but once he heard
> that Kevin had spinal bone mets, he asked if he was on Zometa and said he
> wanted to talk to Kevin's Uro. The result of all of this is that Kevin is
> going to have two sessions of gum flap surgery and will be getting his
> first Zometa treatment in the middle of August.
>
> The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows us
> to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to get down
> there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>
> Sue - wife of Kevin
>
>
> biopsy - 2/20/08 - Gleason 9, 5+4 all 12 cores
> Got dx 3/4/08 - started one month of Casodex
> 4/17/08 - started Trelstar shots, later changed to Lupron shots to this
> day and to continue.
> 44 IMRT sessions - 4/28 to 7/1/08
> 5/19/09 - started Casodex again
> 10 radiation treatments on the spine - June 9 through June 22
>
> psa:
> 2.2 10/-5
> 4.1 8/07
> 7.9 12/07
> 0.1 8/08
> 4.1 2/2/09 - thought to be from bladder stone and cysto
> 14.5 5/5/09
> 19.0 5/11/09
> 10.3 6/15/09
>
> Testosterone - 20 - 6/15/09

Gourd Dancer wrote:

> Sue, sorry to read that Kevin has mets to his spine. However, I want to
> encourage him to keep fighting the bastard.
>
> My own story is in March of 2003 PCa was confirmed as a Gleason (7 4+3). My
> primary treatment was 117 Palladium seeds followed by 25 sessions of IMRT.
> My PSA never came down and hovered a little over 6. In May of 2004 the scan
> showed mets to L2 & T3 with PSA at 32.3. I immediately started Lupron and
> saw a Medical Oncologist in June. I started a chemo trial the first of July
> for six months.
>
> My PSA immediately started to drop so that it was 0.5 six months later and
> remarkedly my scans were clean.
>
> I have had 14 scans since - all clean and PSA remains undetectible - less
> than 0.1.

It would be interesting to know if you're a BRCA mutation carrier
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0900212
Published at www.nejm.org June 24, 2009 (10.1056/NEJMoa0900212)
Inhibition of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase in Tumors from BRCA Mutation Carriers

Overall, eight patients with advanced ovarian cancer had a partial response on
radiology, according to RECIST (Table 4 and Figure 2A). On the basis of GCIG
criteria for assessing the response of the CA-125 level to olaparib in patients
with ovarian cancer, six patients with a BRCA mutation had a decline of more
than 50% (Table 4 and Figure 2B). Of the three patients with BRCA2 breast
cancer, one had a complete remission, according to RECIST, and another had
stable disease for 7 months; both had a corresponding decline in serum levels of
tumor markers (Figure 2C). The patient with BRCA2 breast cancer had a complete
remission lasting for more than 60 weeks. She had pulmonary and lymph-node
metastases and had previously had disease progression while receiving
anthracycline-based chemotherapy. A patient with breast cancer (with no family
history) who did not undergo BRCA testing had regression of cutaneous disease
and of multiple subcentimeter brain metastases (not meeting RECIST) that had not
previously been treated with radiation or corticosteroids and a decline of more
than 50% in serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen and cancer antigen 15-3.

A patient with castration-resistant prostate cancer who was a BRCA2 mutation
carrier had more than a 50% reduction in the PSA level and resolution of bone
metastases. He had been participating in the study for more than 58 weeks at the
time of the cutoff date (and has participated for more than 2 years since that
date) (Figure 2C, and Fig. 5 in the Supplementary Appendix). "

Might explain why you responded so well to chemo and be a new guideline for who
gets chemo early .
You probably were not tested. Genetic testing is relatively new.

Here's an older article
http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/22/4/735
Cancer Risks for Male Carriers of Germline Mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2: A Review
of the Literature
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 22, No 4 (February 15), 2004: pp. 735-742

Opens up a number of cans of worms re: pros and cons of testing.
Plucking eyebrows sounds faiirly simple; cost might be prohibitive.

J

"Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...

: The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows us
: to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to get
: down there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.

Have a great time, Sue!!! You've earned it.

--
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins
PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years
Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after
PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years
Casodex added daily 07/06
PSA undetectable since; last checked on 06/04/09
Illegitimati non carborundum

"Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
> Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.
>
>
> The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows us
> to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to get down
> there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>

Sue... Have a great time on the trip. Happy to hear that you made the
connection with Hudes as well. I'm sure you'll let us know how it goes at
Fox Chase. My experience there has been completely positive.

Chuck

Thanks Gourd Dancer!!

We are both lucky to live where we have very good excellent cancer
hospitals and doctors. My friend who worked for BMS said they consider
Fox Chase Philly to be a "baby Sloan Kettering" and that even one of the
very top execs there went to Fox Chase for himself.

I am very glad I have been reading here since last year when he was
first dx. It has made the current news a little easier to deal with.
Shocking YES, but not as bad as the initial dx.

I agree that the medical oncologist will be the one who guides Kevin's
treatments, but I like the idea of keeping the R.O. and Uro in the loop.
It is also easier for Kevin to get his lupron shots and later on his
Zometa treatments at the Uro's office.

Thanks and good luck to you also!!

sue (and Kevin)




Gourd Dancer wrote:
> Sue, sorry to read that Kevin has mets to his spine. However, I want to
> encourage him to keep fighting the bastard.
>
> My own story is in March of 2003 PCa was confirmed as a Gleason (7 4+3). My
> primary treatment was 117 Palladium seeds followed by 25 sessions of IMRT.
> My PSA never came down and hovered a little over 6. In May of 2004 the scan
> showed mets to L2 & T3 with PSA at 32.3. I immediately started Lupron and
> saw a Medical Oncologist in June. I started a chemo trial the first of July
> for six months.
>
> My PSA immediately started to drop so that it was 0.5 six months later and
> remarkedly my scans were clean.
>
> I have had 14 scans since - all clean and PSA remains undetectible - less
> than 0.1.
>
> The trial that I under went consisted of :
>
> Each course of chemotherapy lasts for 8 weeks. Patients were treated in
> weeks 1, 3, and 5 with doxorubicin 20 mg/m2 as a 24-hour intravenous
> infusion on the first day of every week in combination with ketoconazole
> 400
> mg orally 3 times a day daily for 7 days. In weeks 2, 4, and 6, treatment
> consisted of paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 intravenously on the first day of every
> week in combination with estramustine 280 mg orally 3 times a day for 7
> days. Added to the regimen was 30 mg of prednisone daily. 20 mg in am
> and 10
> mg in pm.
>
> Let me add that I have not ben back to my Urologist since April 2003 and
> turned the management of my cancer over to two Radiation Oncologists
> working
> in tandem. Although each telephones annually, they both turned over the
> mangement of my cancer to the Medical Oncologist and he iand his team are
> the only people that I see on a regular basis. Let me add that my Medical
> Oncologist has spent over twenty-five years in academia researching both
> Prostate and Kidney cancers.
>
> I have a close friend who was diagnosed at the same time as me with a
> Gleason 10. He sought treatment at M.D. Anderson and he is still kicking
> along as well with a PSA of 1.1. He had removal and raditional, and within
> 60 days of his surgery started a different chemo trial.
>
> I am thankful that I reside in Houston and have access to the Baylor
> College
> of Medicine, the Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Hermann Memorial
> Hospital Systems all at the Texas Medical Center.
>
> Kevin's new best friend will be his Medical Oncologist. Good luck on the
> path that PCa has taken him and may he continue to enjoy a lengthy and
> healthful life.
>
> Gourd Dancer
>
>
> "Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.
>>
>> A brief reminder of past events, as of the 5/11 blood draw, kevin's
>> psa was 19.0. When he saw the urologist on 5/18 the thinking was that
>> this was a bounce and Kevin started taking Casodex daily. Just to be
>> safe he was told to have a bone scan which showed mets on his spine
>> and completely changed everything. Since then Kevin had 10 radiation
>> sessions for the mets on his spine, starting 6/9 and finishing on 6/22.
>>
>> His next PSA test was on 6/15 and it has come down to 10.3. Also his
>> Testosterone was 20.
>>
>> Both the R.O. and the Uro agreed that the next step was for Kevin to
>> see a Medical Oncologist and both agree with our choice of Dr Gary
>> Hudes at Fox Chase Philly. Dr Ari, the R.O. said he would make a phone
>> call to get things started,. He is at Fox Chase in NJ and has
>> connections which helps. When Kevin got the first phone call from the
>> coordinator, both doctors had already been asked for his records.
>> Kevin now has an appointment for July 13th, which is 3 weeks from the
>> phone call Dr Ari made.
>>
>> Another issue that has come up is that the Urologist wants to start
>> Kevin on Zometa, but once you start getting it you can't have any bone
>> surgery. Kevin has been seeing a periodontist for awhile now, but once
>> he heard that Kevin had spinal bone mets, he asked if he was on Zometa
>> and said he wanted to talk to Kevin's Uro. The result of all of this
>> is that Kevin is going to have two sessions of gum flap surgery and
>> will be getting his first Zometa treatment in the middle of August.
>>
>> The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows
>> us to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to
>> get down there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>>
>> Sue - wife of Kevin
>>
>>
>> biopsy - 2/20/08 - Gleason 9, 5+4 all 12 cores
>> Got dx 3/4/08 - started one month of Casodex
>> 4/17/08 - started Trelstar shots, later changed to Lupron shots to
>> this day and to continue.
>> 44 IMRT sessions - 4/28 to 7/1/08
>> 5/19/09 - started Casodex again
>> 10 radiation treatments on the spine - June 9 through June 22
>>
>> psa:
>> 2.2 10/-5
>> 4.1 8/07
>> 7.9 12/07
>> 0.1 8/08
>> 4.1 2/2/09 - thought to be from bladder stone and cysto
>> 14.5 5/5/09
>> 19.0 5/11/09
>> 10.3 6/15/09
>>
>> Testosterone - 20 - 6/15/09
>
> "Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.
>>
>> A brief reminder of past events, as of the 5/11 blood draw, kevin's
>> psa was 19.0. When he saw the urologist on 5/18 the thinking was that
>> this was a bounce and Kevin started taking Casodex daily. Just to be
>> safe he was told to have a bone scan which showed mets on his spine
>> and completely changed everything. Since then Kevin had 10 radiation
>> sessions for the mets on his spine, starting 6/9 and finishing on 6/22.
>>
>> His next PSA test was on 6/15 and it has come down to 10.3. Also his
>> Testosterone was 20.
>>
>> Both the R.O. and the Uro agreed that the next step was for Kevin to
>> see a Medical Oncologist and both agree with our choice of Dr Gary
>> Hudes at Fox Chase Philly. Dr Ari, the R.O. said he would make a phone
>> call to get things started,. He is at Fox Chase in NJ and has
>> connections which helps. When Kevin got the first phone call from the
>> coordinator, both doctors had already been asked for his records.
>> Kevin now has an appointment for July 13th, which is 3 weeks from the
>> phone call Dr Ari made.
>>
>> Another issue that has come up is that the Urologist wants to start
>> Kevin on Zometa, but once you start getting it you can't have any bone
>> surgery. Kevin has been seeing a periodontist for awhile now, but once
>> he heard that Kevin had spinal bone mets, he asked if he was on Zometa
>> and said he wanted to talk to Kevin's Uro. The result of all of this
>> is that Kevin is going to have two sessions of gum flap surgery and
>> will be getting his first Zometa treatment in the middle of August.
>>
>> The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows
>> us to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to
>> get down there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>>
>> Sue - wife of Kevin
>>
>>
>> biopsy - 2/20/08 - Gleason 9, 5+4 all 12 cores
>> Got dx 3/4/08 - started one month of Casodex
>> 4/17/08 - started Trelstar shots, later changed to Lupron shots to
>> this day and to continue.
>> 44 IMRT sessions - 4/28 to 7/1/08
>> 5/19/09 - started Casodex again
>> 10 radiation treatments on the spine - June 9 through June 22
>>
>> psa:
>> 2.2 10/-5
>> 4.1 8/07
>> 7.9 12/07
>> 0.1 8/08
>> 4.1 2/2/09 - thought to be from bladder stone and cysto
>> 14.5 5/5/09
>> 19.0 5/11/09
>> 10.3 6/15/09
>>
>> Testosterone - 20 - 6/15/09
>

Steve Kramer wrote:
> "Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
>
> : The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows us
> : to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to get
> : down there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>
> Have a great time, Sue!!! You've earned it.

Thanks Steve, we both need a rest very badly. When we come home we will
be ready to start in again with all the doctors.

sue

clp1939 wrote:
> "Sue Mullen" <kjmullen@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:7an626F1uq13jU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Sorry not to of posted sooner, but it has been very hectic here.
>>
>>
>> The one ray of sunshine here is that the timing of all of this allows
>> us to go to St Thomas for my nephews wedding. We both can't wait to
>> get down there and have a little rest, relaxation and family time.
>>
>
> Sue... Have a great time on the trip. Happy to hear that you made the
> connection with Hudes as well. I'm sure you'll let us know how it goes
> at Fox Chase. My experience there has been completely positive.

Thanks Chuck. Since Dr Ari is Fox Chase Virtua, he knows all the
oncology people in Phily and I am sure that is making the process go so
smoothly. We have heard from a number of people we know that their Fox
Chase Philly experience has been very, very good. We both are looking
forward to meeting Dr Hudes and see what kind of treatment plan he
thinks is best for Kevin.

You can bet that I will post an update after we see Dr Hudes!!

sue

I was tested, as next step was a gene vaccine if there was failure. I'll ask
next time I go in.

GD
"J" <xyewsnswex@nalid;"no> wrote in message
news:4A475390.81B3E932@execulink.com...
> Gourd Dancer wrote:
>
>> Sue, sorry to read that Kevin has mets to his spine. However, I want to
>> encourage him to keep fighting the bastard.
>>
>> My own story is in March of 2003 PCa was confirmed as a Gleason (7 4+3).
>> My
>> primary treatment was 117 Palladium seeds followed by 25 sessions of
>> IMRT.
>> My PSA never came down and hovered a little over 6. In May of 2004 the
>> scan
>> showed mets to L2 & T3 with PSA at 32.3. I immediately started Lupron and
>> saw a Medical Oncologist in June. I started a chemo trial the first of
>> July
>> for six months.
>>
>> My PSA immediately started to drop so that it was 0.5 six months later
>> and
>> remarkedly my scans were clean.
>>
>> I have had 14 scans since - all clean and PSA remains undetectible - less
>> than 0.1.
>
> It would be interesting to know if you're a BRCA mutation carrier
> http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0900212
> Published at www.nejm.org June 24, 2009 (10.1056/NEJMoa0900212)
> Inhibition of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase in Tumors from BRCA Mutation
> Carriers
>
> Overall, eight patients with advanced ovarian cancer had a partial
> response on
> radiology, according to RECIST (Table 4 and Figure 2A). On the basis of
> GCIG
> criteria for assessing the response of the CA-125 level to olaparib in
> patients
> with ovarian cancer, six patients with a BRCA mutation had a decline of
> more
> than 50% (Table 4 and Figure 2B). Of the three patients with BRCA2 breast
> cancer, one had a complete remission, according to RECIST, and another had
> stable disease for 7 months; both had a corresponding decline in serum
> levels of
> tumor markers (Figure 2C). The patient with BRCA2 breast cancer had a
> complete
> remission lasting for more than 60 weeks. She had pulmonary and lymph-node
> metastases and had previously had disease progression while receiving
> anthracycline-based chemotherapy. A patient with breast cancer (with no
> family
> history) who did not undergo BRCA testing had regression of cutaneous
> disease
> and of multiple subcentimeter brain metastases (not meeting RECIST) that
> had not
> previously been treated with radiation or corticosteroids and a decline of
> more
> than 50% in serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen and cancer antigen
> 15-3.
>
> A patient with castration-resistant prostate cancer who was a BRCA2
> mutation
> carrier had more than a 50% reduction in the PSA level and resolution of
> bone
> metastases. He had been participating in the study for more than 58 weeks
> at the
> time of the cutoff date (and has participated for more than 2 years since
> that
> date) (Figure 2C, and Fig. 5 in the Supplementary Appendix). "
>
> Might explain why you responded so well to chemo and be a new guideline
> for who
> gets chemo early .
> You probably were not tested. Genetic testing is relatively new.
>
> Here's an older article
> http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/22/4/735
> Cancer Risks for Male Carriers of Germline Mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2: A
> Review
> of the Literature
> Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 22, No 4 (February 15), 2004: pp.
> 735-742
>
> Opens up a number of cans of worms re: pros and cons of testing.
> Plucking eyebrows sounds faiirly simple; cost might be prohibitive.
>
> J
>