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