THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2017 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.
I have been under treatment for prostate cancer for well over a decade. Hormone treatment and bracheotherapy both failed, although hormone treatment in combination with alternative therapies kept me going for many years. When these treatments failed, along with some new drugs for failed hormone treatment, my PSA ultimately rose to 2,890 with scans showing metatheses to nearly all bony areas of my body. I have responded to an innovative metronomic chemotherapy treatment in conjunction with integrative medicine including high dose Vitamin C therapy, accupuncture, and more. In around five months my PSA dropped from 2,890 to less than 10. I continue treatment and am very hopeful. I am convinced that listening to many voices when faced with a cancer diagnosis is very important. I share the story of my journey of healing on my blog and in a YouTube video at http://samuelmahaffy.com/2013/10/moving-beyond-diagnosis-the-dangers-of-a-single-story/
I am completing a second round of metronomic chemotherapy in conjunction with alternative therapies including acupuncture and high dose Vitamin C. Metronomic chemotherapy is described on the National Cancer Institute website. Using lower doses of traditional chemotherapy drugs, it reduces side effects and supports the immune system to fight cancer. With this treatment, my PSA has now dropped to the normal range for a man my age from a one-time high of 2,890 ng/ml. I will be making the transition this month from chemotherapy to other treatment modalities in consultation with my oncologist and Natropathic Physician. I am leading the development of research applications for clinical trials using metronomic chemotherapy and will post updates on this research on my website at www.samuelmahaffy.com as they become available. My story is my own and of course I encourage anyone reading it to consult with a number of cancer experts and get more than one opinion about their course of treatment.
After some years of being off hormone treatment and after several other treatment modalities including Radium, I saw my PSA rising to above 1,300. My oncologist and I decided to return to hormone treatment--a treatment modality that had previously failed. This is being administered in conjunction with an oral chemotherapy. Over the past three months, I have seen my PSA drop to 81.7. There is surprise and learning that cancer cells that were once refractory (hormone resistent) are now again respondig to hormone treatment. This may be a significant finding for men with advanced cancer who have abandoned ADT as a treatment approach. Our treatment approach is to get the PSA as low as we can with ADT, then move to hormone enhancement (testosterone flooding) with the hope that this will be effective with whatever population of cancer cells indeed remain hormone resistant. While I experience fatigue from the hormone treatment and need a nap every day, I am pleased to be able to function well and feel pretty good. Residing in a state where medical marijuana is legal, I have found marijuana oil -- by prescription from my naturopathic physician -- to be effective in managing bone pain. I experienced severe bone pain when my PSA was higher -- once over 2,890 -- but now have nearly no pain and am able to function without prescription medications for pain. I have now been a survivor of very advanced prostate cancer for just under thirteen years and am very grateful.
Samuel's e-mail address is: samuelmahaffy AT gmail.com (replace "AT" with "@")
NOTE: Samuel has not updated his story for more than 15 months, so you may not receive any response from him.
