Alternative, Complementary Cancer Treatments, Cancer Discussions - December 26th, 2009 - 3 Comments
Is it possible for a man to receive chemo for bone cancer in his vertebrea for 21/2 yrs.?
My friend tells me he had prostate cancer & it spread to his bones in the vertebrea. He has multiple little tumors. He is getting chemo for 2 1/2 yrs. Isn’t that a long time with no rest in between? Is this possible. I am doubting that he even has cancer at all.
While that is not the norm, I have had patients who took chemotherapy intermittently for prostate cancer and survived that long.This is much more common when hormonal therapy (an injection usually) is first started, and many patients call that shot chemotherapy- though more properly it is hormonal therapy (I know, all of it is chemotherapy, but when the average person talks about "chemotherapy", he is thinking of the usual more toxic drugs). So he may be legitimate. A path report and bone scan would help confirm.
Chemo is used to keep people alive with prostate cancer, as it is associated with a survival advantage compared with best supportive care.
God bless, best wishes
yes, this is possible. The chemo is what is keeping him alive.
Chemo is only used in very advanced prostate cancer after hormone treatment is no longer affective, it is never used to keep someone alive and you are correct it would not go on for 2 ½ years. Radiation is usually used to treat bone mets.