Friday, March 6, 2015

Chances of a Complete and Durable Remission On My Current Protocol: Dr Myers Weighs In

As stated in my prior journal entry, I thought I might be well positioned to achieve a complete and durable remission. This assumption, based to some degree on wishful thinking no doubt, led to a series of e-mails between me and Dr. Myers. His response is concise and crystal clear; see below:

YOU FIRST WOULD HAVE TO GET AN UNDETECTABLE PSA. YOU ARE NOT ON A PROGRAM THAT WILL LEAD TO A COMPLETE REMISSION. THAT WOULD REQUIRE  AGGRESSIVE HORMONAL THERAPY AND OTHER AGENTS
COMPLETE REMISSION WOULD REQUIRE 6 MONTHS OF HORMONAL THERAPY AND IMMUNE STIMULATION
 
I intend to explore the feasibility of pursuing a complete and durable remission, although I suspect my age (79),  represents a substantial hurdle. This may take awhile. My next few journal entries will be devoted to this endeavor. Stay tuned.

Addendum  April 24, 2015
In an attempt to determine whether I am a candidate for complete and durable remission, I posed a series of questions via the Patient Portal. Dr. Myers answered a number of my questions, but evidently, there is a limit to his magnanimity. His response to my most recent series of questions appears below:
"These matters can best be addressed at our next scheduled appointment."
Consequently my next entry on this topic will remain on hold until next November, i. e., at the very soonest.