Bob...Bounces don't usually take more than a year or so.  If the
PSA=1.1 on 01/01/05 were an error, then the timing of the PSA excursion
would be like a bounce.  Of course, multiple bounces aren't that
uncommon either.  A couple of things you could do, go to Don Cooley's
site at
http://www.psabounce.prostate-help.org/studies.htm
where he has a whole section on the bounce.  You can read study
abstracts, read bounce histories from other "bouncers" and submit your
own data to him and he'll give you his opinion as to whether he thinks
it's a bounce or not.  He knows quite a bit about these things. I would
certainly try to sort this out before starting into any heavy duty
treatment.  As to the Lipitor, it is thought that statins are
protective against PCa, but once PCa is present I haven't read anything
that statins lower the PSA reading (but I certainly might have missed
something)...Good luck, Ron

Drag.

We're going with Taxotere and Androgen Suppression, but I neither
recommend nor dis-recommend it.  Steve gets dexamethasone 2 days before
(oral), IV on chemo day, and 2 days after the Taxotere.

I was doing a lot of study on the Taxotere, and found one study that
said that taxotere every 3 weeks was far more effective than Taxotere
once a week (same length of treatment).  All of this information is
just off the top of my head.  These really are just "thoughts."  I
could try to find the reports if you like.  I usually use Google and
Vivisimo for searches.  It said that weekly Taxotere was the same
effectiveness as Mitoxantrone (the previous chemo medicine of choice),
but Taxotere every 21 days was several times more effective.  Ralph
told me that the 21 day dosage was designed to catch the cancer cells
just as they started to recover from the previous dose.  Another study
said that weekly dose is as effective as 21 day dose, but for some
reason I had the impression that this was not a completely objective
report.  Like it was the manufacturer or something.  I gather the side
effects of a weekly dose are generally easier to take.  But Taxotere is
supposedly "not bad" for side effects compared to some.  But who knows
what anyone's SEs will be.  At least with your trial, they are using
the most current chemo.  The one we were offered was with Mitoxantrone,
which is looking far less effective than Taxotere.

There are various steroids involved in his treatment also, plus some IV
anti-nausea.  And he is taking Casodex daily for the duration.

Obviously we opted for chemo, hoping for a cure.  We had a RP that
documented mets, though.  In your case, I don't know if you know
enough.  Maybe the cancer is still in the prostate and the brachy just
didn't get it all.  That happens.  But if you are at the limit for RT I
guess that wouldn't matter. Are there tests?  Cancer markers or
something?  Prostascint?  Trouble with Prostascint is it is not very
dependable.  I think G6 cancers are slightly less likely to be
metastatsized than higher numbers.  Dr. Barken told me he believes that
all PCa is systemic.

We did end up going with chemo, but we did not do a trial because we
wanted our onc's best idea for treatment, and that wouldn't have
happened if we'd done a trial.  We would have been limited to their
protocol.  Also we have ADT and chemo together (the ADT will continue
for probably a total of 24 months).  Those kinds of details we leave up
to the onc.  

Best wishes, Bob.

...

My radiation oncologist claimed that EBRT doesn't produce
PSA bounce.  He claimed that only brachytherapy does that.

I don't know if he's right or not.  Your numbers are high for
a bounce, but not unheard of.   Apparently there's a recorded
case of a PSA of 15 after radiation that came back down
again.

I guess a great deal depends on whether your recurrence
(assuming it is a recurrence) is local or not.  Have your doctors
ventured any opinions about that?  Have they given you all
the tests to try to find metastases?

If it's local, maybe cryo or HIFU would kill it.  But maybe not.
It may be almost local, but spread into areas around the prostate
that the cryo won't reach.

This is a very tough call.  I'd suggest getting some opinions
from other experts - particularly from the cryo guy, and from
a medical oncologist specializing in PCa.  Whoever does the
clinical trial might be an expert you could consult.

Don't give up hope.  There's still a decent chance that you'll
live for many more years and die of something other than PCa.
You'll almost certainly live long enough to try out some of the
new treatments that will become available in the next 5-10
years.

Good luck.

   Alan

Bob, do you have any additional information about this trial. Is it an
international trial?