ProtonPals – Weblog

September 22, 2011 1:00 to 2:30

The Proton Center Patient Group will be hosting a talk on Thursday September 22 between 1:00 and 2:30 pm in the Proton Center large Conference Room entitled “Things you’ve wanted to know about Proton Therapy but don’t know who to ask.” The speaker will be one of our patients and a ProtonPal leader, Dave Stevens. Whether you’re currently a patient at the PTC or a Proton Center Alumnus, you’re invited.

In the first half of his presentation, Dave will cover:

• What happens to my PSA after Proton Therapy is over?  
• What warning signs should I be on the lookout for?
• How can I tell if I am low risk, intermediate risk or high risk?
• Do the treatments continue to work after my 39 sessions are done?
• What does the medical literature say about life expectancy after treatments?
• Why is a Gleason score so important? What does it look like under a microscope?
• What is the difference between a Gleason 7 (4+3) and a Gleason 7 (3+4)?
• What’s next after if the protons don’t kill all the cancer? What are the stages?
• What does it look like under a microscope when the protons kill cancer?

The second half will focus on the 50% at the PTC who are on hormone therapy:

• If proton treatment nukes the cancer, why do I need hormone therapy?
• How does hormone therapy work?
• Some get 4 months of Lupron, others get 6 months. So why do I get 24 months?
• I’m intermediate risk. Doesn’t high dose radiation make hormone therapy obsolete?
• What evidence is there that hormone therapy works? And for whom?
• Since I’ve been on Lupron, I’m having ED, mood swings, hot flashes and I just feel like sitting in my recliner all day. Does this happen to anyone else?
• What are some other side effects of hormone therapy? How can I cope?
• How long does it take to get over the effects of Lupron?
• What about my PSA while I am Lupron, and when I get off it? What warning signs should I know about? 

When Dave “rang the gong” back in January, he realized that his therapy was not over, but that it had barely begun. That’s because he had another 19 months of hormone therapy to go, in a two year stint. For the past several months, Dave has made a study of scores of complete articles in the medical literature dealing with numerous aspects of proton, radiation and hormone therapy. In addition, he brings his own experiences as a patient to the presentation. His doctor, Dr. Andrew Lee will have reviewed Dave’s presentation for medical accuracy as he did when Dave spoke about hormone therapy back in May.

“Nearly everyone I met during my 39 proton treatments impressed me with how he thoroughly he examined all the treatment alternatives and made up his own mind how he was going to deal with his prostate cancer,” says Dave. “However, no one focused on what happens after the treatments are over, and what they should be looking for. And few of us on leuprolide (Lupron) were proactive in either researching the benefits of hormone therapy or learning about the side effects, let alone developing strategies for coping with them.”

As always, Dave stresses the importance of continuing to stay in contact with your Proton Center doctor after you ring the gong. “Our doctors are quite knowledgeable on all aspects of medicine, not just proton therapy, and they’re anxious to help any way they can. Your Proton Center doctor is the one you should contact if you have any questions or problems, not your hometown family doctor. If you send your Proton Center doctor an email or pick up the phone, he or she will get back to you quickly. They’re not like many family practice doctors who require an appointment before they will communicate with you.”

When he’s not at the PTC, Dave has his own law and CPA practice in the Galleria area.

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