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I have a question to those of us using Lupron

Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Jul 15, 2022 | Replies (46)

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@upnort

When I started Lupron (4 month shot), my neurologist did acknowledge that my osteoarthritis in my right knee would "get worse." After the second month, my right knee was swollen 24/7, stiff, and limited my walking. I now need a cane to get around. I told my oncologist I did not want another shot of Lupron.
If I may ask other Lupron patients, what dictates how long you continue on the Lupron therapy? Some patients are "one (shot) and done" while other patients continue on Lupron for years.

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Replies to "When I started Lupron (4 month shot), my neurologist did acknowledge that my osteoarthritis in my..."

I don't think there is anything set in stone. It seems like they go for the longer duration to be on the safe side. But quality of life has to come into play and ultimately, we have to be our own judge of that. My urologist gave me one time fame to stay on Lupron and my radiologist suggested different. I went with what I thought would give me my best chance to have quality of life Best of luck

Given the heterogeneous nature of PCa, there is a Loy of clinical data and personal choice that goes into a decision on if and how long one is on Lupron. In my case, we used triplet therapy, chemotherapy, radiation and a planned 24 months of ADT. We stopped the Lupron after 18 months given my response to the triplet therapy. There were studies pointing to 18 months as being just as effective as 36. The key I think is if the clinical data and your personal preferences support stopping treatment after a specific period and response, you must actively monitor through labs and consults with your medical team and have decision criteria about what constitutes a reason to go back on treatment and a decision point when to do so. For me, that criteria involves labs every 2-4 months, three or more PSA results that showed a continuous rise, PSA above .5, imaging that showed recurrence and then a decision to treat and with what, for how long...I am not a fan of "indefinite...! This chart shows my clinical history, it's been four years off treatment, I have actively monitored my PSA and seen my urologist, haven't met our decision criteria to resume treatment.