A REALLY Good Month

It's time to celebrate when a new treatment actually seems to work!

Over the past several months I have rambled on about high drug costs, the high profit margins of big pharma, and shared my skepticism about all the miracle drugs. None of my opinions has changed much--but--

I am pleased to announce that my PSA, which had peaked at 27 in May, has dropped to 1.3 (note placement of decimal in that number) in only two months! I would never have believed that it could or would happen (to me, anyway). Since I started taking abiraterone (Zytiga) at the end of May I have had very, very good results. Two months is not very long and there is always the possibility that the good effects won't last, side effects will become intolerable, or I will be hit by a bus. But for now I will enjoy the good news. This is my lowest PSA number in almost nine years. Woo Hoo. I'll drink to that! In all honesty, if it was my highest PSA number I'd also drink to that.

For the past eight years I have continuously been on one or more forms of hormone therapy. None of the previous pills or injections reversed, stopped, or even slowed the rise of my dreaded PSA for more than a year. Abiraterone is the first treatment that actually significantly lowered my PSA. I certainly hope this is more than a passing fancy.

Time will provide the answers--it always does. I know there are no absolutes in cancer treatment--no two people respond in exactly the same way to any treatment. But, so far, I'm getting my money's worth.

axman

Holy Mackerel, Batman!

The media is telling us guys with prostate cancer that fish oil could make our condition worse!

A 2011 study has been replicated in 2013 and shows a correlation between high levels of fish oil consumption and increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer. High level is defined as one fish oil capsule a day and/or eating fatty fish, such as salmon, twice a week. Note that it says correlation and not cause.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, released a study showing that high intake of omega-3 fatty acids is correlated with a 71 percent increased risk of high grade prostate cancer and a 44 per cent increase in the risk of low grade prostate cancer. They analyzed data from an earlier study of the effects of selenium and vitamin E in preventing prostate cancer (neither did). The analysis included 834 men who had already been diagnosed with prostate cancer and a comparison group of 1,393 men who were cancer free. The results have been published in the online edition of theJournal of the National Cancer Institute.

What does that mean for all of us who have been taking fish oil capsules and eating fish as often as possible for years and years and years? As far as I can tell, nobody knows for sure (yet). Should we stop taking fish oil capsules and eating fish? Some researchers say yes, stop now. A few say we should carry on as usual, and a very few suggest that this whole thing is a socialist plot to destroy big pharma (and maybe save fatty fish). It would probably be a good idea to talk to your oncologist before you make any changes in your normal routine.

For many years I took a whole handful of supplements every day. Slowly, researchers suggested that I would likely not benefit from selenium, vitamin E, large doses of vitamin C, and even multiple vitamins. Is my D3 and low-dose aspirin still safe? Some researchers suggest that most people don’t need any supplements whatsoever.

If we wait a few more months or years the rules will change again—and again. What’s a guy to do?

axman

Nothing New Under the Sun

The key phrase here is 'under the sun.'

It's finally summer in the northwest (there is not always a summer here). Whatever else happens, I always feel better when the sun shines. It may be just in my head but that's OK with me. This helps explain our winters in Arizona and the trips to Hawaii whenever the budget allows. Warm, even too

warm, always trumps cold.

Everything has a downside and I have noticed three minor problems in the heat. Hot flashes are hotter, fatigue is more fatiguing, and for the life of me I can't remember the third one. A cold drink or two may tweak my memory.

I think most people have ideal conditions in which they feel better. I know others who follow the snow like I follow the sun. A day on the slopes does for them what a day on a tropical beach does for me. I'm pretty sure none of this has anything to do with my PSA or prostate cancer, but when I'm happy I think about my problems less. That has to be a good thing.

axman