Cancer Drugs and BG Control

[Dougie22]

Hi, I’ve not been back to the forum for several years. In 2018 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer (spread to bones).
Straight onto hormone treatment then full course of chemo got it under control in 2018. This year it started growing again but we caught that early and it’s even further under control now. Latest PSA level undetectable (1000+ at diagnosis), for those who know about these things. So, after ignoring my diabetes for a few years, I’m now taking it seriously again.

My current cancer related medications are Prostap3 injections every three months (hormone treatment), Enzalutamide tablet daily (new to me and responsible for the PSA drop, another and different hormone treatment) and to prevent the recurrence of a DVT/ Pulmory Embolism (also 2018), daily tablet Edoxaban (again new to me after 3 years of Dalteparin injections daily).

With no testosterone at all in my body at all, I get out of breath quite easily but I’m still mobile and leading a normal life.

My daily fasting had grown to 14/15 and my Hba1c was far too high, so now that I’m taking it seriously again, I’ve just been put on Trulicity, keeping the Metformin and Gliclacide for now. It is working well, already dropping my morning readings to 8/9 level with the lowest so far being a 7.8. For me, it’s a pretty brutal medication. If you eat too much you throw up, simple! But the fact that it’s working means I will definitely stick with it.

Without too much evidence, I’m convinced that my Prostap3, Enzalutamide or Dalteparin/ Edoxaban were partially responsible for my increase in BG readings over their various terms. Does anyone have any experience or information on this please?

Thank you.

 

[urbanracer]

Hi, I’ve not been back to the forum for several years. In 2018 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer (spread to bones).
Straight onto hormone treatment then full course of chemo got it under control in 2018. This year it started growing again but we caught that early and it’s even further under control now. Latest PSA level undetectable (1000+ at diagnosis), for those who know about these things. So, after ignoring my diabetes for a few years, I’m now taking it seriously again.

My current cancer related medications are Prostap3 injections every three months (hormone treatment), Enzalutamide tablet daily (new to me and responsible for the PSA drop, another and different hormone treatment) and to prevent the recurrence of a DVT/ Pulmory Embolism (also 2018), daily tablet Edoxaban (again new to me after 3 years of Dalteparin injections daily).

With no testosterone at all in my body at all, I get out of breath quite easily but I’m still mobile and leading a normal life.

My daily fasting had grown to 14/15 and my Hba1c was far too high, so now that I’m taking it seriously again, I’ve just been put on Trulicity, keeping the Metformin and Gliclacide for now. It is working well, already dropping my morning readings to 8/9 level with the lowest so far being a 7.8. For me, it’s a pretty brutal medication. If you eat too much you throw up, simple! But the fact that it’s working means I will definitely stick with it.

Without too much evidence, I’m convinced that my Prostap3, Enzalutamide or Dalteparin/ Edoxaban were partially responsible for my increase in BG readings over their various terms. Does anyone have any experience or information on this please?

Thank you.

Hi @Dougie22

I work in R+D for a company that makes radiotherapy equipment. Now, I don't claim to have the knowledge of an Oncologist but I do see quite a lot of medical info and I have work colleagues who have left the medical profession in search of more a lucrative career. I've picked up a few snippets along the way.

The human body needs a lot of energy to fight the disease and so the liver pumps out glucose to help the immune system. For a person predisposed to diabetes, this will of course lead to increased blood glucose levels. The first problem here is that cancer cells also use up large amounts of glucose in the process of dividing and multiplying so your liver pumps out even more.

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer...t/coping-with-treatment/diabetes/side-effects

Some of the latest research shows that keto diets starve the cancer cells of glucose which in turn slows down cell growth and ultimately leads to better outcomes from radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other (cancer) treatment regimen.

https://www.cancertodaymag.org/Page...tigating-the-Keto-Diets-Effect-on-Cancer.aspx

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/201...enic-diet-reported-in-new-study-91252827.html

I'm not discounting your medication, I don't know enough about it. But don't overlook the effects of the disease itself.

Glad you're doing well.
Urb'

 

[Dougie22]

Hi @Dougie22

I work in R+D for a company that makes radiotherapy equipment. Now, I don't claim to have the knowledge of an Oncologist but I do see quite a lot of medical info and I have work colleagues who have left the medical profession in search of more a lucrative career. I've picked up a few snippets along the way.

The human body needs a lot of energy to fight the disease and so the liver pumps out glucose to help the immune system. For a person predisposed to diabetes, this will of course lead to increased blood glucose levels. The first problem here is that cancer cells also use up large amounts of glucose in the process of dividing and multiplying so your liver pumps out even more.

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer...t/coping-with-treatment/diabetes/side-effects

Some of the latest research shows that keto diets starve the cancer cells of glucose which in turn slows down cell growth and ultimately leads to better outcomes from radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other (cancer) treatment regimen.

https://www.cancertodaymag.org/Page...tigating-the-Keto-Diets-Effect-on-Cancer.aspx

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/201...enic-diet-reported-in-new-study-91252827.html

I'm not discounting your medication, I don't know enough about it. But don't overlook the effects of the disease itself.

Glad you're doing well.
Urb'

Thank you very much for this thoughtful and considered reply. I hadn’t thought of the possibility that it might be the Cancer itself that was causing the problem but this also fits well with the timeline I experienced. In fact, better than the medication because the Cancer obviously started growing again before scans etc and starting the new treatment. Hopefully, it will cease to be a factor for now as my PSA has dropped to undetectable which I take to mean it is not growing for the moment. Scan next week should confirm that.