Hormone therapy

[Guest guest]

As I learn more about this disease I'm coming to realize that

treatment involving hormonal therapy (HT) has become fairly

sophisticated. We no longer do actual castration surgeries in

the developed countries, and the other hormonal manipulations may

or may not involve androgen deprivation.

After viewing some of the videos by Dr. " Snuffy " Myers, I

realize that he uses ADT, but also uses other types of hormonal

therapies, including Nilutamide/Casodex, Dutasteride/Avodart, and

estradiol. Sometimes he uses these along with Lupron and the

other ADT agents, and sometimes as alternatives, or as therapies

to use in intermittent periods, to enable men to get relief from

ADT.

I know that very few of the male doctors, and of course none of

the female doctors, have experienced ADT. There's no reason why

they should unless, like Dr. Myers, they are themselves PCa

patients. But I'm hoping that medical oncologists will gradually

come to understand more about HT and take an interest in

understanding all of the options. Until then, we patients should

try to educate ourselves about the options and bring them up to

our doctors.

Dr. Myers says that some of his patients express " battle

fatigue " . Years of ADT have worn them out and they are depressed

and even ready to give up treatment altogether. He's had

considerable success with at least some of these patients using

other forms of HT.

I encourage those who are on ADT to learn more about the other

forms - Casodex, Dutasteride, Estradiol, DES and, if possible,

try to educate their doctors about them too.

Alan