Power of Support During Cancer
- Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, 63, praises his family for helping him cope with stage 4 prostate cancer.
- Taylor was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2018. He’s found added hope with Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan), a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cancer treatment that specifically treats patients with a type of disease called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). He says his treatment has taught him to “live again.”
- PSMA is a protein expressed in some prostate cancers that can be targeted with medication. Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer means the cancer has spread beyond the prostate and does not respond to hormone therapy.
- Spouses and partners of loved ones diagnosed with cancer often assume caregiver roles. Gynecologic oncologist Dr. Jayanthi Lea encourages caregivers to come to doctor visits and engage with their care by asking questions and helping their loved ones fulfill treatment recommendations.
- Sometimes, a cancer diagnosis can strengthen a relationship. Psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin recommends cancer patients surround themselves with people who care for and support them throughout treatment while also acknowledging their limits on what they can handle.
Duran Duran star Andy Taylor, 63, gives credit to his family and long-time wife for supporting him through his stage 4 prostate cancer journey.
“The real support you get is from your family. They’re the people who have to live with [the diagnosis] daily,” Taylor told People Magazine.
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“She’s always been there. In a way, through everything,” Taylor said.
“I’m glad I’ve got a strong marriage,” he added.
Helping You Find Resources on Prostate Cancer
Supporting a Spouse During Cancer
A life-altering diagnosis can impact the patient and their loved ones emotionally and physically.
Research published in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine studied the impact of a cancer diagnosis or disease on family members. It found, “Most chronic diseases have similar effects on family members including psychological and emotional functioning, disruption of leisure activities, effect on interpersonal relationships, and financial resources.”
Feelings of “helplessness, lack of control, guilt, anger, embarrassment” are some common emotions parents, siblings, and other relatives within the household of someone battling a health condition may experience, according to researchers.
Communicating your feelings is something licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin also believes is vital to helping couples dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
She adds that people faced with cancer should “surround [themselves] with individuals who care and support [them]” throughout treatment while also acknowledging their limits on what they can handle.
Supporting Your Partner as a Caregiver
Cancer patients need a robust support system. Having a partner, friend, or family member to help care for and support you through a health struggle can be advantageous.
Although many partners assume a caregiving role when their loved one is diagnosed with cancer, anyone close to the patient can become a caregiver. It’s prudent that caregivers understand their loved one’s diagnosis and assist them when following cancer-care instructions.
Dr. Jayanthi Lea, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet, “I encourage caregivers to come to visits with my patients because, in that way, the caregiver is also listening to the recommendations about what should be done between these visits, any changes in treatment plans, any toxicities [side effects] that we need to look out for, changes in dietary habits, exercise, etc.”
If you are a caregiver of a cancer patient, it is important to maintain your own mental and physical health as well.
“Caregiving is the most important job in the universe because you are there through the highs and lows,” Julie Bulger, manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet.
“You are there to support your loved one, to manage all of the daily tasks as everything is changing in your life,” Bulger added.
Caregivers must also watch out for “caregiver burnout,” where stress, anger, fatigue, and illness emerge from putting another person’s needs ahead of their own.
Taylor’s Cancer Journey and ‘Miracle’ Treatment
Taylor was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2018. When prostate cancer enters stage 4, it has spread beyond the prostate.
Taylor had kept his cancer private until last year, just before the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“We’d kept it just sort of within the family and a few sort of friends and stuff. Then, I realized I’d have to go public with it,” Taylor said.
He described his unwillingness to draw added attention to his prostate cancer as “Duran denial,” referring to the group’s tendency to “plow through with good strength of character.” However, his earlier treatments sometimes made him feel dizzy, even during performances.
“I’d get this dizziness and have to stop and hold onto something. I’m the kind of person who won’t quit until I’m absolutely on my knees, but I realized, ‘I’m going to f—k this up for everybody else.’ So, I thought it was best to leave them to do it because they were on the road and were in good shape,” Taylor explained.
Some of Taylor’s side effects stemmed from the chemo he was undertaking. At one point, when he learned his cancer had metastasized to stage 4, he was facing “palliative, end-of-life care.”
WATCH: Symptoms of prostate cancer
Taylor found remarkable hope with an FDA-approved radiopharmaceutical drug called Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan). Pluvicto may be helpful for anyone with prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate and has not responded to hormone therapy.
“Unlike chemotherapy, the quality of life you get from this is staggering. Like, wow. It can add three to five years to your life – and I’m going for the five because they think I can make that. I am still terminal because there’s nothing curative for [stage 4 prostate cancer]. But I’ve beat the odds with this treatment,” Taylor said.
“There are a lot of things the public aren’t aware of in terms of treatments. And I certainly wasn’t. If I’d have had more knowledge, I’d have been on Lutetium years ago,” Taylor said.
Plutvicto is an intravenous radioligand therapy that targets cancer cells precisely in the body. The medication combines diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, which can identify the presence of a target (PSMA) on a patient’s cancer cells and then treat it directly with minimal impact on normal tissues.
“The approval of lutetium is a major step in the development of personalized treatment for advanced prostate cancer,” Dr. David Penson of Vanderbilt University Medical Center told SurvivorNet.
“This agent specifically targets PSMA-positive metastasis and represents the first theranostic agent for use in castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer,” Dr. Penson continued.
Like most treatments, Plutvicto has side effects. The most common adverse reactions may include:
- Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Nausea
- Anemia
- Decreased appetite
- Constipation
- Screening for Prostate Cancer
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have experienced symptoms associated with prostate cancer or have a screening coming up, here are some questions you may ask your doctor:
- If I have elevated PSA levels, what could be causing that besides cancer?
- How long will it take to learn if my PSA levels warrant further testing?
- What are the treatment options that are best suited for me based on my risk level?
- What financial resources exist to help me with the costs associated with treatment?
- How long will my potential treatment prevent me from working or continuing normal activities?
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