Intermittent Hormone Therapy (IHT): How is it working for you?

Excellent news! You are certainly no newbie, but research as much as you can and write down your questions along with bona fide studies, well known cancer hospital protocols, etc.
If the RO ever looks like a deer in the headlights or dismisses something you feel strongly about, thank him/her for their time and move on to another one.
When I went for my consult at Sloan I had the chief RO - a guy in his 60’s, thought he was a comedian, dismissed my surgeon’s abilities and told me I would need Lupron shots and at least 39 salvage treatments. Moreover, he gave me a prostate exam - “just to be sure” - that almost killed me and he laughed when I screamed….
He subsequently left for Florida ( good riddance!) and my new RO was a wonderful 34 yr old doctor who had co-authored 4 research papers (I Googled him before the visit).
He told me I would be getting the newer protocol of 25 treatments (“only the older guys do 39 or 45 anymore”) and Orgovyx, a newer oral kind of ADT which worked faster, better and let your T come back faster after you were off of it.
I felt that I had entered a time warp! How could two doctors at the same hospital recommend such radically different treatment protocols??
The answer was simple: their age difference….not just the chronological one but the mental one as well. The older guy was just mailing it in, business as usual, my way or the highway; the younger RO was vivacious, really into his profession and had facts, figures and case studies right at his fingertips. I asked a question, he answered and explained why or why not.
I left his office ELATED at needing salvage radiation - how messed up is that?! But he instilled such confidence and hope that now I was all in and no longer feared the treatment.
That’s what I think you have to look for and you will absolutely know it when it happens. Best of luck!
Phil

Thanks for the reply Bill. At least we have 2 cases where the IADT provides some relief and, yes, let's hope for that extended period! I do think there is good data for our decisions. Good luck!

I Just saw yesterday my medical oncologist at UCI. I told him that Dr Mark Scholz told me that I could stop Orgovyx and take a holiday. He doesn't agree. He says that I should continue Orgovyx for 18 months, unless I can't tolerate. I have Gleason 9(4+5) and Decipher score of 0.9
Now my PSA is 0.05.
I decided to stay on Orgovyx at least for 12 months( March 31st, 2025) and then go on month by month checking Ultrasensitive PSA every 6 weeks or so.
He also told me UCI is currently running a trial being on Hormone Therapy for 12 months vs 24 months.

I remember your first post, ava, about wanting to get off the Orgovyx now and not even do a year…..but you gradually warmed up to the idea of doing at least one year.
If you are feeling OK, why not continue for another 6 mos? Your Gleason and Decipher scores certainly merit a longer duration of ADT….just sayin…

Dr Mark Scholz, Prostate cancer specialist told me that I will get 2% more benefit by continuing on the medicine on November 21st. My PSA was 0.05 and he said that is at undetectable level. Based on the recent Intermittent Hormone therapy randomized trials, I will get the same benefit as continuous ADT and I will feel better.
Both oncologists have all my diagnostic results. One says I am a good candidate for Intermittent ADT and the other says I am not!
For now, I decided that 2% benefit is worth it, because I am handling the drug reasonably well.
Perhaps Dr Scholz is giving more weight to my age!