Peter’s Experience After A Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

One of our 2019 marathon runner's dads told us about his experiences since being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In 2001 when I was 59, my doctor suggested I have a full blood test.

This and a following test showed that my PSA was rising steadily and I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was treated with 20 doses of radiotherapy over a 4 week period.

As a result, my PSA fell to a low level below 1.

I had 6 monthly check ups until in 2010, my PSA started rising again and I was told that it was incurable. My doctor told me that my likely life-span with the drugs available at the time was 3-5 years.

I was treated with hormone tablets, then hormone injections, and then both together. This treatment kept my PSA low for 4/5 years.

After this, I was then put on a course of chemotherapy, but these I had to stop after 2 treatments due to the dangerous effect on my liver.

At this stage, I was told that the only drug available to me was Enzalutamide, which would be effective for about 6 months. Luckily, with my son Mike due a visit from Australia, I decided not to take the drugs. When Mike was leaving, I was offered a trial of abiraterone, a drug too expensive to be available on the NHS. The median time of effectiveness was 12/15 months. Now three and a half years later, my PSA is still below 1.

I have now been told that there is a newly developed drug, which will be available to me when the abiraterone becomes ineffective.

Since being on abiraterone, Mr Daughton has taken to tennis, table tennis and croquet, and is much fitter. This has helped his outlook on life and, his son Mike feels, has effected how well he has responded to the drug, which he has now been taking for 40 months.

Peter’s son Mike is running the London Marathon on Sunday 28th April 2019 for PCR. He’s running to support his dad and everything he has been through since his diagnosis. You can support his challenge here:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mike-daughton

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