Six months ago my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It is after a series of detailed examinations and surgery has been ruled out, it has metastases, and the temporary improvement in the results (PSA has dropped by half) is explained by the doctor by the effect of zoladex. What is the effect of this drug and is there any hope that it will heal this cancer or just prolong the patient's life?
In the case of advanced prostate cancer with distant metastases, unfortunately, there is no possibility of other treatment than palliative, i.e. improving the patient's quality of life. There is currently no cure for such an advanced disease. The treatment administered (goserelin-zoladex) is a hormone treatment as prostate cancer is a hormone-dependent cancer. Unfortunately, after some time, this cancer escapes from hormonal control and its further development is independent of the influence of hormones. The period of hormone sensitivity varies from patient to patient, but only lasts up to 2-3 years. The effectiveness of this treatment is judged by the decrease in PSA. After a while, the PSA will begin to grow again. In the case of advanced prostate cancer, radiotherapy can be used, but only to reduce pain or prevent pathological bone fractures. Recently, chemotherapy is also possible in a group of patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Remember that our expert's answer is informative and will not replace a visit to the doctor.
Adam ZakościelnyUrinary Cancer Clinic, Oncology Center in Warsaw, ZZOZP Oncology consultation room (without procedures), Warsaw, ul. Nowolipie 31.
More advice from this expert
Frequent urination [Expert Advice]Bladder tumor [Expert Advice]One testicle and fertility [Expert's tip]Kidney stones and catheters [Expert advice]Both kidney stones [Expert's advice]Blood in semen [Expert's tip]Bleeding from the penis [Expert Advice]Torn frenulum [Expert's tip]Prostate cancer, metastases [Expert's advice]Sand in the kidney [Expert Advice]Sand in the kidney! [Expert advice]Care after phimosis treatment [Expert's advice]Beer and kidney stones [Expert's tip]Cracked foreskin [Expert Advice]Seam problem [Expert Advice]Bladder cancer T2G3 [Expert Advice]Penis Cancer [Expert's Advice]G1 bladder cancer -metastases [expert's tip]Urothelial cancer [Expert's tip]Movable kidneys [Expert Advice]Penile curvature [Expert Advice]Autovaccine efficacy [Expert's advice]Uro-Vaxom vaccine [Expert's tip]UKM [Expert's tip]Urethral Injury [Expert Advice]Testicular inflammation and the amount of sperm [Expert Advice]Zoladex in prostate cancer [Expert's advice]14 mm deposit [Expert's tip]