IMRT Status Report

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Jim Thomas - 09 Nov 2004 07:05 GMT

When I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer, I got lots of good
advice from the folks on this newsgroup, and I promised to provide
feedback about my own experiences. Here is the first installment:

My IMRT treatments started on Oct 5, 2004. Today was my "hump day": I
had my 23rd (of 45) treatment, with 1.8 "grays" per treatment.

I have had very minor side effects so far, none of which have required
medication. These include a slight urine flow slowing, a little bit of
bowel loosening, and some fatigue (according to my wife; at my age
(65) I think I should get to fall asleep sometimes at 9:00 PM...)
Seriously, I do get tired a bit faster than I used to.

I walk, with my wife and dog, about 1.5 miles a day, and work out
(stretching, stationary bike, treadmill, weights) two or three times a
week. The latter is the part that's getting harder to do. I'm hoping
that the exercise will reduce any side effects (as well as keep the
rest of me healthy).

So mostly, praise God, it's been easy. Of course, it will be only
years later that I find out whether the treatment was successful.

Stay tuned.

Jim Thomas

PSA 2.7 (2003), 3.5 (2004), 4.1; Biopsy: 4/14 cores positive, Gleason
(3+4), Staging T-1C

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Steve Kramer - 09 Nov 2004 10:49 GMT

> I walk, with my wife and dog, about 1.5 miles a day, and work out
> (stretching, stationary bike, treadmill, weights) two or three times a
> week. The latter is the part that's getting harder to do. I'm hoping
> that the exercise will reduce any side effects (as well as keep the
> rest of me healthy).

Jim,

You are very, very close to what I did and the effects I sustained when I
went through 35 treatments of EBRT.

Do not worry about the inability to do the weights. It will come back and
is not important in your surviving IMRT. Water intake, sleep and
cardiovascular exercise are.

Signature

Prostate Cancer Survivor (so far), not a doctor
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3bN0M0
PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32
Lupron (1 mo) 07/21/2003 @ 48
PSA .07 .05 .06
Lupron (3 mo) 8/03 (48), 12/03, 4/04 (49), 09/04 (50)
non illegitimi carborundum

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Alan Meyer - 09 Nov 2004 23:57 GMT

Sounds like you're doing very well with it Jim.

Keep getting plenty of sleep and keep exercising.
You may find you need to cut back on the exercise,
but don't abandon it altogether. Your strength will
come back when the therapy is done.

Best of luck.

Alan

Reply to this Message

Doug Taylor - 10 Nov 2004 14:20 GMT

>When I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer, I got lots of good
>advice from the folks on this newsgroup, and I promised to provide
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>So mostly, praise God, it's been easy. Of course, it will be only
>years later that I find out whether the treatment was successful.

The urinary and bowel problems go away once the treatments end. The
fatigue part had a bid of a hangover for me for a few months, but it
is temporary as well.

I stayed with my exercise program throughout the treatments, and
though I generally had less energy, never had to cut back or quit
anything. It really amounted to going to bed earlier.

What you should expect in the next year is a gradual decrease in peak
sexual function. Don't let this be a self fulfilling prophesy, but
don't kid yourself that there will be no effect, since it does not
manifest immediately. The ejaculate starts to decrease (though it does
not completely dry up); erections become less spontaneous and less
firm (though I still have not had to use Viagra 1.5 years post
treatment). You will be "intact" but you will not be 100%

As far as the "cure" issue, I guess we'll have to wait 10 years. So
far so good for me, but I'm only a little beyond where you are.

God bless and good luck.
--dt

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Stephen Jordan - 10 Nov 2004 15:17 GMT

> When I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer, I got lots of good
> advice from the folks on this newsgroup, and I promised to provide
> feedback about my own experiences. Here is the first installment:

(snip interesting report)

I completed a course of IMRT on October 14. Total of 38
treatments, 76 Gy, plus 45 Gy to the seminal vesicles and 55 gy
to the lymph nodes. Am on ADT for an extended time.

Had partially-successful cryo in November '03 on a Gleason 4+5=9,
6 0f 7 cores, perineural invasion tumor on right side.

The IMRT/ADT was necessitated by the uro's failure to destroy the
"missed" Gleason 8 on the left base.

The SE's were never severe, much the same as Jim is so far
experiencing. Now, nearly four weeks post, they're slowly
improving, though it seems as though it's two steps forward, one
back. The effects of the radiation do not cease with the
completion of treatment, so this could take a while.

As we know, every man is unique, but on the whole IMRT should
result in fewer and milder SE's.

Whether it will accomplish the curative purpose will not be known
for years.

Regards,

Steve J
__
"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or
small, large or petty, never give in except to
convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never
yield to the apparently overwhelming
might of the enemy.''
--Sir Winston L. S. Churchill

Reply to this Message

Jim Thomas - 15 Dec 2004 01:50 GMT

Here's my latest report. Today I finished my last IMRT treatment (45
treatments, 81 Gys). My side effects have still been minimal (I think
I'm less fatigued than I was a few weeks ago). I see my radiation
oncologist in 3 weeks, along with a first post-therapy PSA, with PSAs
every 3 months for the first year.

The IMRT procedure has been easy, more easy than I expected. Now, over
the next years, I'll see how it all worked.

Jim Thomas

Reply to this Message

Stephen Jordan - 15 Dec 2004 02:58 GMT

> Here's my latest report. Today I finished my last IMRT treatment (45
> treatments, 81 Gys). My side effects have still been minimal (I think
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> The IMRT procedure has been easy, more easy than I expected. Now, over
> the next years, I'll see how it all worked.

Finished my IMRT in late October. 76Gy + 40-some to seminal vesicles and
lymph nodes, 38 sessions. Tumor (the most recent one) was Gleason 8, so
I'm also on Lupron for at least a year. Is Jim also on ADT?

PSA on November 22 = 0.1, so something is working correctly. Must bear
in mind, though, that the ADT is responsible for the PSA reading. We
won't know for at least a year (unless something goes wrong) whether the
IMRT achieved its curative purpose.

Jim must prepare himself for the possibility of SE's for several months.
The effects of the radiation do not cease when the sessions conclude.
The SE's could include urinary frequency, bowel incontinence, impotence,
fatigue. See Strum, _A Primer on Prostate Cancer_ and/or the Prostate
Cancer Research Institute website at http://prostate-cancer.org/index.html

My SE's had been reviewed elsewhere on this NG. To summarize, they exist
but are bearable. There is improvement, though sometimes it seems I make
two steps forward then one back.

It'll pass....

Regards,

Steve J
__
"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small,
large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good
sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming
might of the enemy.''
--Sir Winston L. S. Churchill

Reply to this Message

Alan Meyer - 15 Dec 2004 05:55 GMT

>> Here's my latest report. Today I finished my last IMRT treatment (45
>> treatments, 81 Gys). My side effects have still been minimal (I think
>> I'm less fatigued than I was a few weeks ago).

> Jim must prepare himself for the possibility of SE's for several months. The effects of
> the radiation do not cease when the sessions conclude. The SE's could include urinary
> frequency, bowel incontinence, impotence, fatigue. See Strum, _A Primer on Prostate
> Cancer_ and/or the Prostate Cancer Research Institute website at
> http://prostate-cancer.org/index.html

Steve and Jim,

My side effects seemed to peak for the period from the end of
treatment to about 6 weeks after. Then they started to get better.
By about 3 months they were gone.

Jim,

81 Grays is a big dose. Must have fried that cancer to a crisp.
Good luck with it.

Alan

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ButtercupsDad@dog.net - 15 Dec 2004 12:48 GMT

Good luck to you Jim for a positive outcome. I hope the side effects
stay minor.

>Here's my latest report. Today I finished my last IMRT treatment (45
>treatments, 81 Gys). My side effects have still been minimal (I think
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
>Jim Thomas

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