Advanced Prostate Cancer help, please

[maddiemostmerry]

My dad has just been dx'd with this. He has apparently had the cancer for at least five years and it has spread to bones and soft tissues, ribcage, pelvis and lymph nodes.

He has been told he cannot have radiotherapy as the cancer is spread over too far an area. He will be having Hormone Therapy. Has anyone else had a family member have hormone therapy? How did they find it and did it slow down the progress of their cancer?

Dad is quite upbeat about it all probably because the hospital were. At the moment he is joking about treatment, as he is sure he will soon have the biggest boobs in our family[hormone side effect).
I know prostate cancer is for want of a better choice of words the best cancer to have but I still can't help feeling that his outlook may not be too good based on the spread of cancer.

hi
my sister is on an immunotherapy drug which I think is similar (?). She has kidney cancer, the original site was removed, she then developed secondary in her sinuses of all places and now it is back in the site where her kidney was. I beleive the therapy had shrunk the tumour a little at last check and sh finds out more this week. Good luck, sending hugs.

Oh, I forgot to say it in Interleukin she is on, dont know if its the same.

maddie, I'm really sorry. I don't know exactly how successful the hormone therapy is, but I think it's more a question of buying him some more time than anything. It's actually testicular cancer that's the "good" one, prostate cancer is enormously variable and can be extremely slow but can be more rapid. There's some quite good information here . I am really sorry, I hope the treatment works well.

hi maddiemostmerry - sorry to hear your news, it is worrying isnt it. my step father was diagnosed with this about 4 or 5 weeks ago and has started the hormone therapy tablets and has had his first implant. no new boobs as yet but the treatment is causing him to lose a lot of weight etc. that said they did a blood test last week to check the psa levels (something relating to the cancer)and there has been quite a large improvement so fingers crossed the therapy is good stuff! What he eats is very important and there is a long list of foods he should eat loads of and an equally long list of foods he should avoid. If you want any further information or just a chat you can email me if you like ... i know what it is all like as my brother, step brother and grandmother have all had cancer ... and my step father has had it before (albeit a different form). My email is [email protected]

Yes, my father had hormone therapy. It slowed the progress of his disease. He had no major side effects (abobe being made impotent but as he was in his late 70s this wasn't so much of an issue)

My cousin's husband is now on two types of hormone therapy. He has had the disease for 5 years, and his antigen marker level are lower now than when he was first diagnosed.

It is horrible to go through this. I think it is most im,portant to remember that while many men have prostate cancer, most of them die of something else.....my father died of heart failure.

I hope that things go well.

Sorry about what you and your family must be going through at the moment. Can you talk to his consultant/ go to his next appointment with him?

It's not always a hot idea to research stuff yourself on the web without speaking to a consultant first. How old is your dad?

Thanks very much for all the replies.

Shewhoneverdusts, I hope your sister receives news that her tumour has shrunk. My dad is on Cyproterone which i think blocks testosterone.

tamum, that is prabably the best, clearest and detailed information that i have read. Thank you. It does confirm what I expected but I am feel better prepared. Thank you.

cjmummy, thanks so much for the email addy. I hope your step dads treatemnt goes well and his PSA level drops. I have read a bit about diets and will be looking into it. My dad has a pretty good diet and is very fit (he dug my garden pon a few weeks ago) so is probably as strong as he could be.

mb, I have only just twigged that you used to be hmb! I have read threads about your dad before and know that for many men it isn't actaully the prostate that gets them in the end but anothe usually age related illness.

Mousie, haven't read too much but have found info very vague. There is no way my dad would let me go for an appointment with him,he is just too private. My mum does go but she is quite easily confused so I know that what I get told doesn't always represent what went on in the consultants room!

Dad is 62,and his dad died of prostate cancer which was picked up very late.

Thanks for all your replies and for sharing your experiencces with me. I feel better for reading them.

maddie

62 seems young to me. How are you feeling about it, you haven't mentioned that? And is your dad in pain from this at the moment?

I went through some tests with my own dad but he is over 80 and is being monitored rather than actively treated.

I don't really know how I'm feelimg at the moment, a bit stunned I guess, he is just so fit. Like I said, he dug my pond a few weeks ago.

He has some pain in back but has put this down to his job(gardner).

I know watch and wait is quite common. is that what is happeneing with your dad?

Hi maddie, hope you are feeling OK today.
yes my dad is on watch & wait - but he has some other underlying problems anyway, as you generally do in your 80s I suppose. Despite this he is very active for his age & would still climb onto the roof of his house to fix slates himself etc!

I am finding it hard to realise that he won't be here forever as I am a complete Daddy's girl. And my dad has always been the rock of the family. Are you and your dad especially close?