Cheshire Chris's Treatment Thread

Excellent news Chris and what a great consultant! Shame they don’t all do that, we often wait months for the written reports and almost never see reports on scans.

love Devonmaid xxx

For over a year now I’ve been taking 150mg/day bicalutimide, together with 20mg tamoxifen twice a week to counteract breast growth, which has worked fine. In the last few weeks, though, my breast area has shown definite “development” and on the right side in particular has become quite painful - an almost constant aching pain. Not severe pain, but certainly noticeable.

I’m not due to see my oncologist again until mid November, but I’ve contacted his secretary and she’s arranged for my GP’s surgery to be sent a fax authorising an increase in my tamoxifen dose to 10mg/day, so I’m hoping that the increased dose will sort it out. Does anyone know if there’s any other treatment available if it doesn’t? Does the NHS fund breast reduction surgery should things reach that stage?

Hopefully I won’t be on bicalutimide for that many more months anyway - my oncologist was suggesting stopping it after 18 months (I’m a little over 13 months thus far).

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Chris

No other treatment available - RT to the breast buds only works if you have it right at the start of being on HT and despite Andy's research to the contrary, the generally accepted view in oncology is that tamoxifen will not reverse breast growth. John was a rugby player until recently and although the moobs have never quite gone, he did enough weight training for it to be hard to tell now whether they are moobs or impressive pecs (probably a bit of both). He is quite big in build anyway so I realise that wouldn't be a solution for all.

We have had a member here who had breast reduction on the NHS and I also know of someone in our village but as is the case for for women, to get it on the NHS you have to demonstrate that it is causing either physical health problems or significant mental distress. I don't imagine it is too difficult to convince a surgeon that you are distressed but based on a recent posting here, persuading the GP that it is bad enough to be referred to a surgeon may be a challenge. 

Thanks, Lyn and Andy. Things aren't yet at the stage where I'd want surgical intervention, but if they go much further it would be something I'd perhaps consider. Hopefully the increased dose of tamoxifen will do the trick in terms of preventing any further growth. 

Best wishes,

Chris

Best wishes,

Chris

I have my next PSA test and subsequent oncology appointment in early November. My PSA was 31 on diagnosis, had fallen through HT to 13.0 immediately prior to RT and was 4.6 in May, six weeks after RT, so I'm hoping for another significant fall. My oncologist says that nadir of 2 or below 18 months after RT would be a good result. I'm on bicalutimide, not the injections which block testosterone production, so I'm not going to see the "undetectable" PSA that people on the injections can get.

I'm very comfortable with my decision to go down the HT/RT treatment route. It's what I always preferred, so I was happy when it was what both my urologist and oncologist recommended.

Best wishes,

Chris

Is hydrogel interface injection generally available to protect large bowel?

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/05/nhs-funds-tech-to-protect-prostate-cancer-patients-during-radiation-treatment/

Chris

Cheers,

Chris