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Stage 4 PC Longevity: Anyone have prostate cancer more than 10 years?

Posted by ringmastr1 @ringmastr1, May 26, 2023

There is a lot of great info on this forum. I am 54 and was just diagnosed in January with metastatic Stage 4 PC. (Hip, L4, Sacrum, and a small liver lesion). My PSA has gone from 359 in January to .24 last week and I feel great! I am curious to know how many guys on this forum have been treated for more than 10 years and what your quality of life is like. It is stories like this that will give me (and others) more hope. Peace to you all!!!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

melcanada | @melcanada | Feb 3 7:57am
In reply to @jkwerner "My husband is 74 years old. He has gone through many treatments that eventually stopped working...." + (show)
@jkwerner

My husband is 74 years old. He has gone through many treatments that eventually stopped working. He remained on Lupron injections every 3 months consistently. He was first on dexamethasone 2 and 1/2 years, zytiga for 3 years, These were the more stable years and lower PSA levels. He had testosterone injections for a year that brought his PSA down and then stopped working. Re-tried zytiga last year but it failed. Because of the Pluvicto not being approved in the US until 2021 he waited without any treatment for 9 months. Then to have Medicare approval to try Pluvicto he had to go on chemotherapy drugs. He lost extensive weight and became very weak. This may have been the reason that when he was approved for Pluvicto he was in a weakened state and never really seemed to benefit from this treatment. I think it is going to be a life saver for many men.

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This too is valuable
https://airomedical.com/blogs/treatment-guides/what-is-better-actinium-radium-or-lutetium-for-prostate-cancer

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melcanada | @melcanada | Feb 3 7:45am
In reply to @jkwerner "My husband is 74 years old. He has gone through many treatments that eventually stopped working...." + (show)
@jkwerner

My husband is 74 years old. He has gone through many treatments that eventually stopped working. He remained on Lupron injections every 3 months consistently. He was first on dexamethasone 2 and 1/2 years, zytiga for 3 years, These were the more stable years and lower PSA levels. He had testosterone injections for a year that brought his PSA down and then stopped working. Re-tried zytiga last year but it failed. Because of the Pluvicto not being approved in the US until 2021 he waited without any treatment for 9 months. Then to have Medicare approval to try Pluvicto he had to go on chemotherapy drugs. He lost extensive weight and became very weak. This may have been the reason that when he was approved for Pluvicto he was in a weakened state and never really seemed to benefit from this treatment. I think it is going to be a life saver for many men.

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If only in bones Radium 223 is approved I understand
https://www.healthline.com/health/prostate-cancer/radium-223-for-prostate-cancer#procedure

. Most health insurance plans cover a majority of the cost. Most government healthcare plans, such as Medicare, cover Xofigo for prostate cancer1

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edmond1971 | @edmond1971 | Feb 2 9:06pm
In reply to @jkwerner "My husband is 74 years old. He has gone through many treatments that eventually stopped working...." + (show)
@jkwerner

My husband is 74 years old. He has gone through many treatments that eventually stopped working. He remained on Lupron injections every 3 months consistently. He was first on dexamethasone 2 and 1/2 years, zytiga for 3 years, These were the more stable years and lower PSA levels. He had testosterone injections for a year that brought his PSA down and then stopped working. Re-tried zytiga last year but it failed. Because of the Pluvicto not being approved in the US until 2021 he waited without any treatment for 9 months. Then to have Medicare approval to try Pluvicto he had to go on chemotherapy drugs. He lost extensive weight and became very weak. This may have been the reason that when he was approved for Pluvicto he was in a weakened state and never really seemed to benefit from this treatment. I think it is going to be a life saver for many men.

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I am sorry to hear of this situation and appreciate immensely sharing the personal details amidst a time period of emotions that I can not imagine, but offer wholeheartedly my sincerest comfort for you and your husband.

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jkwerner | @jkwerner | Feb 2 5:10pm
In reply to @rxharleydude "Just curious, how old is your husband & do I understand correctly it was the Pluvicto..." + (show)
@rxharleydude

Just curious, how old is your husband & do I understand correctly it was the Pluvicto that failed?

Jump to this post

My husband is 74 years old. He has gone through many treatments that eventually stopped working. He remained on Lupron injections every 3 months consistently. He was first on dexamethasone 2 and 1/2 years, zytiga for 3 years, These were the more stable years and lower PSA levels. He had testosterone injections for a year that brought his PSA down and then stopped working. Re-tried zytiga last year but it failed. Because of the Pluvicto not being approved in the US until 2021 he waited without any treatment for 9 months. Then to have Medicare approval to try Pluvicto he had to go on chemotherapy drugs. He lost extensive weight and became very weak. This may have been the reason that when he was approved for Pluvicto he was in a weakened state and never really seemed to benefit from this treatment. I think it is going to be a life saver for many men.

REPLY
3 replies
rxharleydude | @rxharleydude | Feb 2 9:13am
In reply to @jkwerner "Yes my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2013. (11 years ago) He has..." + (show)
@jkwerner

Yes my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2013. (11 years ago) He has been treated at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for 11 years. His last treatment program was Pluvicto. Unfortunately this last treatment only lasted 9 months and has now failed. He is on hospice care in home, currently. We have had many good years and now we are on this last journey. I encourage men to seek treatment early

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Just curious, how old is your husband & do I understand correctly it was the Pluvicto that failed?

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1 reply
jkwerner | @jkwerner | Feb 1 3:12pm

Yes my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2013. (11 years ago) He has been treated at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for 11 years. His last treatment program was Pluvicto. Unfortunately this last treatment only lasted 9 months and has now failed. He is on hospice care in home, currently. We have had many good years and now we are on this last journey. I encourage men to seek treatment early

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1 reply
patrick64 | @patrick64 | Jan 22 2:51pm
In reply to @robert570 "I will be 62 this fall. and I was diagnosed at 52. I had a prosectomy..." + (show)
@robert570

I will be 62 this fall. and I was diagnosed at 52. I had a prosectomy followed with radiation. Then I had 6 rounds of chemo followed by Zytiga and prednisone for almost 4 years. After that stopped working they put me on Xtandi which didn't work too good, it sort of stabilized my PSA though it started rising after 3 months. Then came 13 rounds of Jevtana chemotherapy. Every 3 weeks from May of 22 until February of 23. PSA was stable but it slowly started to rise. I'm now on Pluvicto. I have just completed my 2nd round of 6 at 6 weeks apart. Too soon to tell if is working. During these years my PSA has been between .20 and never above 3.5 during all of these treatments. I'm on xgeva shots for my bone mets on my rib cage, middle spine and on the back of my neck. The 2 on my back were fractures which have healed nicely. Almost no pain. I get Lupron injections every six months. All I can say is that everyone is different. I have a good sense of humor and just go on like nothing has happened. Fatigue is the biggest hurdle and I can deal with that. They told me at the beginning that they were going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at me in the beginning and they weren't kidding. Hope this helps and good luck!

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Good on you, good sir! You've been in this game longer than most of us and, like my father, your optimistic spirit and sense of humor is a big part of the success you've had thus far.

Your treatment protocol is identical to mine, surgery, chemo, radiation, ADT with Lupron and Zytiga for about the last year and a half. So far so good. I've had several negative PET scans and my PSA has been undetectable for the last year or so. Fatigue is the most significant side effect I've had along with the obvious ones like, zero libido, and hot flashes. I was diagnosed in August of '21 and I'm 59.

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melcanada | @melcanada | Jan 22 3:25am

Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy is based on the notion that Lu-177 can stick to the surface of the cell membranes that make PSMA. Lutathera and Pluvicto, two drugs with lutetium, were the first to get FDA approval. Radiologists can use it if the tumor has spread to other body parts and isn't responding to chemo or hormone therapy.
Radium-223 dichloride, Xofigo, is used to treat advanced prostate cancer metastasizing to the bones. Radium's structure is also similar to that of Calcium, which is the main element in bone tissue. This similarity makes it easier for Ra-223 to get into bone metastases and kill cancer cells. Since there are no cancerous cells in the internal organs, this radioligand is given.
Actinium-225 PSMA therapy is a novel radioligand-based approach to treating cancerous tumors. The medication molecule can bind to the protein in the same way that Lutetium can. It is used in place of Lutathera in cases where the latter medication is ineffective against prostate cancer.

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melcanada | @melcanada | Jan 22 3:24am
In reply to @colleenyoung "@jacksgland, your timeline offers hope to many, living with stage 4 is possible. How are you..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@jacksgland, your timeline offers hope to many, living with stage 4 is possible.

How are you doing on Relugolix and Xtandi?

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share charts https://airomedical.com/blogs/treatment-guides/what-is-better-actinium-radium-or-lutetium-for-prostate-cancer
The results of many clinical trials show the efficiency of Lu-177 treatment:
Increasing the 5-year survival rate by 30%;
Decreasing the risk of recurrence;
Improving the quality of life in 70% of patients.
The investigations in Ac-225 efficacy presented:
Lowering levels of an indicator of prostate cancer PSA in 80% of patients;
Decreasing of 50-80% of metastases;
Increasing the life expectancy.
The studies in Ra-223 showed:
Increasing average survival;
Decreasing risks of death by 30%;
Reducing pain and making the life quality higher.
We can say that the Lutetium-177, Actinium-225, and Radium-223 therapy significantly improve prostate cancer patients' condition. It makes a longer life expectancy because it is successful and does not cause significant harm.

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