Connect
← Return to Trying to decide treatment options and quality of life after
Discussion
Trying to decide treatment options and quality of life after
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Aug 13 8:44am | Replies (42)Comment receiving replies
My husband's Testosterone was less than .2 on June 23 (the last blood test).
His Gleason score last fall was 4 +3 7/10
Unfortunately, we don't know what his testosterone level was prior to the hormone therapy. He just turned 70 a week or so ago. He was always in great health, and interest in sex was always high.
His PSMA score prior to treatment was 2 to 3, according to the results I just looked at. I don't know what that means. There were also SUV scores, varying from location. The highest was about 39, and lowest was about 6. Again, I don't know what that means.
I don't know what a DEXA scan is and I can't see anything about that in the test results I have looked at.
Yes, he is on Zytiga (abiraterone). They have said he will, most likely, be on hormone therapy for life.
I will ask about Orgovyx. Were you or are you on Orgovyx. I think I have read that testosterone levels may return more quickly after Orgovyx?
Replies to "My husband's Testosterone was less than .2 on June 23 (the last blood test). His Gleason..."
Connect
For most all the numbers related to prostate cancer, it’s important to have baseline numbers - PSA, testosterone, DEXA, etc. - in order to know whether treatments are working (or not).
> for instance, if his testosterone level was going down (due to the hormone therapy), but his PSA was not dropping, they would know that was a problem. On the other hand, if his testosterone was not going down at all (when on hormone therapy), they would see that problem as well. In any situation, having baseline numbers helps with diagnosis and treatments.
> PSMA PET scan scores - called SUVmax (maximum standardized uptake value) - are used to tell how aggressive the cancer is. Those numbers are compared to other SUVmax scores of other tissues, organs, and fluids that naturally produce PSMA without being cancerous (blood, liver, and parotid glands). What were the PSMA PET scores they assigned to his blood, liver, and parotid glands?
> since hormone therapy can seriously affect bone density - especially in older patients - getting a baseline bone density reading with a DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan is critical. (It’s the same test many women get when going through menopause.) It tests for osteoporosis and osteopenia. But, he needed a baseline test first to know what his “normal” bone density is; then every two years or so they re-test to ensure there is no serious loss of bone density.
> I was never on Orgovyx. However, Orgovyx leaves the system much quicker than the hormone therapy injections do. So, if he ever does have the chance to go off of hormone therapy, it’s better to go off of Orgovyx (which only takes a few weeks to leave the body) rather than to go off of hormone injections (which can take many months to leave the system).
Lots of questions to ask his doctors so that your husband can have both the best outcome and the best quality of life.