Just, here is an early Abstract on the study. So far the premise is true for
me. But my attitude is that it's a waiting game until a real cure is found.
My Medical Oncologist has dedicated 28 years in finding a cure. As soon as
my PSA exploded, with mets, I became a guinea pig.

Trial of Chemotherapy plus Hormonal Therapy as Initial Treatment for
Unresectable / Metastatic Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

H. Henary, R.J. Amato; The Methodist Hospital/The Methodist Hospital
Research Institute/Genitourinary Program, Houston, TX

Background: Chemotherapy in a setting of hormone refractory prostate cancer
has shown palliative benefit especially with substantial PSA decline
strongly suggesting that disease modifying potential exists. Recently,
chemotherapy is beginning to show a survival advantage. The stage is set for
chemotherapy given earlier in a disease course. As a working hypothesis, we
suspect that the transformation from an androgen-dependent to an
androgen-independent phenotype is mediated by the expansion of an
androgen-independent clone already present at the time of androgen
deprivation. If this model is correct, then it would be desirable to bring
treatment to bear on the androgen-independent component when the
corresponding tumor burden is minimal. Thus, we view the
androgen-independent component as analogous to "microscopic residual" or
"micro-metastatic" disease for which adjuvant chemotherapy has shown to be
effective in other contexts.

Methods: Each course of chemotherapy lasts for 8 weeks. Patients were
treated in weeks 1, 3, and 5 with doxorubicin 20 mg/m2 as a 24-hour
intravenous infusion on the first day of every week in combination with
ketoconazole 400 mg orally 3 times a day daily for 7 days. In weeks 2, 4,
and 6, treatment consisted of paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 intravenously on the
first day of every week in combination with estramustine 280 mg orally 3
times a day for 7 days. After completion of 3 courses of chemotherapy,
hormone management [medical castration plus casodex (at the completion of
chemotherapy)] is initiated at the start of chemotherapy and for a total of
24 months.

Results: Nineteen men have been enrolled with a median age of 63 (48-76).
Fifty percent of the men had no prior local therapy, while the other 50%
either failed surgery, radiation therapy, or surgery plus radiation therapy.
Fifty-nine percent of the men had Gleason 7, 12%/8, 24%/9, and 5%/10.
Thirty-five patients presented with bone metastasis and 50% presented with
nodal involvement. The median PSA reduction to date has been 95.6%.

Conclusion: Enrollment is ongoing. Further information regarding PSA
response, associated radiographic response, and toxicity will be presented.

GD

Charlie
Thank you for the kind words.
I'm getting tremendous support from my sisters and children.
My wife has been a saint.  It's tough on her but she doesn' t
complain.
My grandsons are the extra.  The 3 year old knows that something is
not right.  I'm not the "pop pop" that he has known.  He doesn't know
what's happening.  The two young ones don't know any different.
My son's little boy is my best bud.  Where ever I'm at, he's there.
He loves to sit on my lap and have me play music on the computer.  He
is mesmerized by the graphics on the screen.  He'll start jumping to
the music if there is a powerful passage played.
When the little ones are here, nothing hurts.  They do tire me out,
but just about anything does that.

Jim

On 22 Mar 2007 07:39:38 -0700, "chasjac" <chjacobson@elmira.edu>
wrote:

(1) Not happy with the group, or 168 other prostate groups shown by
Google.

(2) Feeling of POWER, being moderator of a group.