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Detection and treatment of microscopic cancer cells
I had a robotic prostatectomy back in 2015 for PT3b Gleason 9 disease with intraductal carcinoma. I had salvage radiotherapy in 2019. I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer end 2020 which was treated with an esophagectomy & 24 weeks of Xelox chemo.
My psa dropped to 0.039 but 6 months after my chemotherapy finished, increased to 0.30. In the last 2 months it has increased to 0.7. I have had a PSMA PET CT scan and an FDG PET CT scan which showed nil cancer. I believe the cancer cells may be microscopic and undetectable by the scans.
Is there any way of detecting microscopic cancer cells and any treatment for them as they could be all over my body ?
I would welcome any advice. Thanks
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Spryguy, how did your appointment go? Did you get more clarity and your questions answered?
The appointment at Mayo was good news. Blood Draw at 10:30 with 12:30 follow up (nice turn around time). PSA was down from 0.4 ng/ml
to 0.1ng/ml in 30 days time. That was encouraging to have evidence that Abiraterone (zytiga) is working. It makes the side effects worthwhile and easier to accept. Even more encouraging were comments made that there were no visceral abnormalities (liver etc.) and that I should be looking at a somewhat successful outcome for some years. I don't think we are talking cure but some sort of remission that may or may not be realized.
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2 ReactionsThis sounds like good news.
How long will you be on Zytiga? I thought that possibly prednisone is given with it…
Wondering if any more was said about the “intraductal carcinoma” besides being aggressive. My oncologist says about the same…and doesn’t seem to want to do except to watch the PSA. Mine was .444 in September…