PSA-Knee Replacement

Thought that I would check in with an undetectible again on May 21st. The
test was run while undergoing a total knee replacement. Since my platlet
count was low, the staff medical oncologist ordered a PSA. Apparently he
forgot that after chemo, platlets typically stay down and when given Heparin
during surgery, my platlets dropped further. He wanted to be safe....
Interesting was his comment that he would have never ordered the chemo
cocktail that I went through four years ago as his understanding is that it
does not work on PCa. His only explanation was that I am lucky. Oh well....
I'll take the last fours years of clean scans.

Gourd Dancer

"Gourd Dancer" <!!!msheets!!!@!!!sbcglobal!!!.net> wrote in message
news:npM1k.3187$uE5.1827@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com...

> Thought that I would check in with an undetectible again on May 21st.

That's great news, Mike!


> Interesting was his comment that he would have never ordered the chemo
> cocktail that I went through four years ago as his understanding is that
> it does not work on PCa. His only explanation was that I am lucky. Oh
> well....

Now let me recap, if I might (and try to figure this out in my head). Your
chemo trial was in 2004. Your PSA went down slowly for several months then
up to 1.9. You went off Casodex and your PSA slowly decreased to <0.1 and
has stay there more than two years. Is that about right?


--
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 <0.04, <0.05, <0.04, <0.04, <0.1 2/12/08
Non Illegitimi Carborundum

"Gourd Dancer" <!!!msheets!!!@!!!sbcglobal!!!.net> wrote in message
news:npM1k.3187$uE5.1827@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com...
....
> Interesting was his comment that he would have never ordered the chemo
> cocktail that I went through four years ago as his understanding is
> that it does not work on PCa. His only explanation was that I am
> lucky. Oh well.... I'll take the last fours years of clean scans.

I am dumbfounded by that comment.

Do you mean to say that he ordered chemotherapy without knowing that
it's effects on prostate cancer were not well established?

I would have assumed that he would know the state of the evidence
for any drug he prescribes, but especially for drugs as powerful and
dangerous as chemotherapy agents.

As it happens, he was probably wrong four years ago (trials had
not shown much efficacy for chemo then), and probably wrong
now (current trials are being conducted on men at earlier stages
of the disease and are showing more promise than at late
stages.)

In other words, he may have done the right thing for the wrong
reasons, and now he may be doing the wrong thing for the wrong
reasons.

There was an interesting panel discussion video available on the net
among about a dozen prominent medical oncologists specializing
in prostate cancer. These were some of the "big guns" in the
field. Although some were dubious about chemotherapy, most
of them believed it should be given much more often, and much
earlier, than it usually is.

Alan

Alan, this was a different guy. The staff medical oncologist at the hospital
is who I was referencing. He is a completely different guy than the MO who
treated me. The point is that my treatment medical oncologist who
specializes in PCa treated me early with chemo and it it still working;
wheras the staff medical oncologist at the hospital believes that my chemo
treatment is not effective at all.

Two educated men, one who specializes in general cancers and one who
researched PCa, with two different treatment concepts.

That is the paradox that faces anyone with APCa ... who is the best guy to
treat my disease?

Couple that with the decision to go with chemo early rather to wait until
the cancer has a stronger foothold. My hero says his research tells him to
hit the bastard early before it gains a foothold and effects how the body
deals with a poison (chemo) being injected.

I gotta agree with my researcher.

I am still under Lortabs for the knee replacement and maybe my thought
proceses are not clear.

Take Care.

Gourd Dancer
"Alan Meyer" <ameyer2@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:g2afod$vqm$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>
> "Gourd Dancer" <!!!msheets!!!@!!!sbcglobal!!!.net> wrote in message
> news:npM1k.3187$uE5.1827@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com...
> ...
>> Interesting was his comment that he would have never ordered the chemo
>> cocktail that I went through four years ago as his understanding is that
>> it does not work on PCa. His only explanation was that I am lucky. Oh
>> well.... I'll take the last fours years of clean scans.
>
> I am dumbfounded by that comment.
>
> Do you mean to say that he ordered chemotherapy without knowing that
> it's effects on prostate cancer were not well established?
>
> I would have assumed that he would know the state of the evidence
> for any drug he prescribes, but especially for drugs as powerful and
> dangerous as chemotherapy agents.
>
> As it happens, he was probably wrong four years ago (trials had
> not shown much efficacy for chemo then), and probably wrong
> now (current trials are being conducted on men at earlier stages
> of the disease and are showing more promise than at late
> stages.)
>
> In other words, he may have done the right thing for the wrong
> reasons, and now he may be doing the wrong thing for the wrong
> reasons.
>
> There was an interesting panel discussion video available on the net
> among about a dozen prominent medical oncologists specializing
> in prostate cancer. These were some of the "big guns" in the
> field. Although some were dubious about chemotherapy, most
> of them believed it should be given much more often, and much
> earlier, than it usually is.
>
> Alan
>