Reinardo
Regular
Joined: 05 Aug 2009
Posts: 30
Location: Moraira, Spain
|
 Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:23 pm Post subject: My approach to prostate cancer |
 |
|
Hello:
JohnT invited me to give an account of my prostate cancer history.
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2001 with PSA = 8.9 Gleason 2+3. Bone scan was negative.
Unwilling to accept the hazards and serious side effects of surgery I learned about Bob Leibowitz’ triple hormone blockade. Bob Leibowitz is an American oncologist well known in Europe as he opposes routine surgery and radiation suggesting instead total hormone blockade over a period of 13 months, thereby avoiding impotency, incontinence and osteoporosis. The therapy is limited to 13 months in order to avoid cancer becoming hormone resistant. In the case of advanced cancer or failure the therapy will be supplemented by a so called “light chemotherapy”.
I started with hormone deprivation in February 2002.
PSA went down as predicted and became undetectable after about 4 months. As concerns side effects I had to cope with depression, but succeeded in hiding it from other people.
I chose flutamide instead of bicalutamide for cost reasons. My insurance covers but routine medication.
3-4 months after the end of therapy my PSA began to show up again, rising slowly but steadily up to 4.4 ng/ml by June 2006. Considering the doubling effect of finasteride (Proscar) my PSA was about at where I had started.
Leibowitz suggests that under favourable conditions a so called “stable PSA plateau” between 2 and 4 can be achieved and maintained over a long period of time, being equivalent to a cure. But my PSA wouldn’t stop rising. Subsequent readings were as follows:
09/2006 4.82
01.2007 6.27
05.2007 6.09
09.2007 5.89
12.2007 6.91
05.2008 5.71
09.2008 8.81
12.2008 9.98
02.2009 7.91
06.2009 14.30
08.2009 10.60
A bone scan in August of this year was negative. I still have no complaints whatsoever.
There were external reasons for the PSA decline between 09-2007 thru 05-2008 and for its rise in 06-2009.
Some people who I know have indeed maintained a “stable plateau” of their PSA between 2 and 4 over a long period of time. But, faced with rising PSA I have had to think about a follow-up therapy.
I considered antiangiogenic medication as proposed by Leibowitz. These would be thalidomide, revlimid and leukine. However, I have no appropriate health insurance to cover the cost.
The same applies to chemotherapy, which I do not consider necessary for the time being.
Urologists keep urging me to start again on hormone therapy. This I have refused. I had my tumor DNA examined in 2007 by fine needle aspiration biopsy. Compared to the DNA examined in 2001, malignancy has markedly deteriorated since, in terms of gleason from 2+3 to about 4+3 or worse, signaling an increased propensity of the tumor to metastasize. Also, there is a rule for hormone therapy that, the greater the malignancy the sooner you will become hormone resistant, a disastrous stage which I am determined to avoid at all cost.
Prostate cancer, like other cancer, is a desease at cell level with chromosomes in disorder. But only when coupled with excessive cell proliferation leading to metastasis the desease will become life threatening.
I still hold that prostate cancer can be treated as a chronic desease, like diabetis, avoiding the risks and side effects of radical therapy and maintaining good quality of life.
It is therefore containment that I am aiming at, not cure.
For medication I take finasteride (proscar) daily as part of the Leibowitz protocol.
To strengthen my bones against metastasis I take one tablet of a bisphosphonate (fosamax) weekly and I do some physical exercise every day, walking or cycling.
I have changed my diet, avoiding “red” meat and bad saturated fat, preferring fish and poultry, reduced salt and sugar.
For supplements I take modest quantities of fishoil, selenium, vitamin E and two spoonful of pomegrade extract daily in order to support my immune system.
Milk thistle tablets twice a day, I hope, will safeguard against liver mets.
As special means to combat tumor proliferation I take a homoeopathic agent called agaricus phalloides, a fungus derivative requiring prescription by a doctor.
However, I wish to point out that this is just my own protocol and cannot be copied by anyone else. People are different. What helps me may not help others.
My next blood test for PSA is scheduled for December. I will come back with the result.
Best wishes to all of you.
Reinardo
References:
Steven B. Strum, A Primer on Prostate Cancer, see chapter 144 on hormone therapy for advanced patients, “. . . this is the least favourable population to treat because . .”, chapter 147 on Bob Leibowitz, chapter 58 on DNA ploidy.
Bob Leibowitz, see “Compassionateoncologists” in the web
B. Tribukait, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm/Sweden “Nuclear Deoxybonucleic Acid Determination in Patients with Prostate Carcinomas: Clinical Research and Application” for life expectancy based on ploidy status and for the adverse effect of hormone therapy on advanced cancer patients.
_________________
Diagnosed in 2001 at PSA 8.9 Gleason 2+3
Triple Hormone Therapy (Leibowitz) in 2002
Active Surveillance thereafter
Palliative TUR-P in 12-2009 |
|
Search 
Email Digests
Register to post
Profile 
Check private messages 
Log in
What is this ?
We subscribe to the HONcode principles. Verify here. All content and posts are copyright.
