“Playing the Long Game” – Does your Recurrent/Advanced Prostate Cancer Need Treating? NCI Seminar

“Playing the Long Game” – Does your Recurrent/Advanced Prostate Cancer Need Treating? NCI Seminar

“Playing the Long Game” – Does your Recurrent/Advanced Prostate Cancer Need Treating?

National Cancer Institute Seminar with Dr. Ravi Madan and Dr. Melissa Abel,  Jan 30, 2026

READ THROUGH – you won’t regret it!! (rd)

A recent article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology with a very dry title caught our eye – National Cancer Institute’s Working Group on Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer: Clinical Trial Design Considerations

AnCan has long been perplexed by the prostate cancer category “non-metastatic Castrate Resistant” or even “non-metastatic Hormone Sensitive”. If PSA is rising after primary treatment but prior to hormone treatment, something’s going on, however, ‘micro-metastatic’. It’s like being just a little bit pregnant!!

This paper considers a new category, PSMA Positive Biochemically RecurrentPSMA+ BCR. We circulated the paper to our Brains Trust and reached out to Dr. Ravi Madan at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with a couple of questions. Dr Madan offered to meet with us along with his colleague, Dr. Melissa Abel. What resulted was this REMARKABLE video that could present many of our recurrent and advanced AnCan (& non-AnCan) participants with one of the most mind-blowing videos many have seen in a long time,

DO YOU REALLY NEED TREATMENT??

As the venerable and highly respected Dr. Paul Schellhammer said in the meeting, “it’s like listening 15 years ago to the folks who began to promote active surveillance ( in first line treatment)”     Dr. Madan and Dr. Abel have collected solid data from around 150 patients that suggests men with slow PSA doubling times can “play the long game” as Dr. Ravi calls it, and defer active treatment when their disease recurs.

PLEASE watch this astonishing presentation, listen to some excellent observations and questions, and consider how it relates to your own situation. And spread the word to others. Dr. Madan’s and Dr. Abel’s NCI clinical trial can be found at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05588128. Don’t immediately assume you’re not eligible before speaking with them… but you’ll have to watch the video to get their contact information.

See this related report on a UCLA study reported in the JNCCN Feb 2025

Good summary article in ASCO Post 04/03/25

Living with Visual Snow – a Therapist’s Perspective with Dr. Paula Hechinger – January 20th, 2025

Living with Visual Snow – a Therapist’s Perspective with Dr. Paula Hechinger

 

“My approach to Visual Snow Syndrome was born from my own journey from being a
depressed and isolated mother of two to becoming a resilient psychoanalyst. Today, I not
only help individuals navigate VSS but also support those facing a wide range of mental
health challenges, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, borderline personality
disorder, trauma, and more. What once felt like a limitation became the foundation of my
purpose to guide others toward healing with empathy, depth, and lived understanding.” -Dr. Paula Hechinger

Join us for a special presentation with Dr. Paula Hechinger, a psychoanalyst who is living with Visual Snow Syndrome. She shares her personal journey, insights, and practical tips for managing VSS. Click here to view her personal testimony and presentation.

For a list of resources on Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS), click here.

Special Presentation: What if You Could Predict the Risk of Radiation Effects – Prostox and Beyond

Special Presentation: What if You Could Predict the Risk of Radiation Effects – Prostox and Beyond

 

 

Featuring Dr. Joanne Weidhaas, developer of the Prostox test. Dr. Weidhaas is a radiation oncologist/ professor at UCLA. Co-discoverer of the biomarker KRAS-variant, she co-founded MiraDx, maker of Prostox, and MiraKind to empower individuals with meaningful health information. Dr. Weidhass’ professional and academic resume includes MSKCC, Yale and Stanford, largely in breast cancer. She also finds time to care for 3 kids and save dogs!

Learn more about Prostox here: https://miradx.com/prostox/

 

 

Webinar: Interpreting Prostate Needle Biopsies in Today’s World ; Dr. J. Epstein – Recording

Webinar: Interpreting Prostate Needle Biopsies in Today’s World ; Dr. J. Epstein – Recording

If you’re new to AnCan – welcome!

Please sign up to receive a Reminder/newsletter for one or more of our 5 different prostate cancer groups each month at https://ancan.org/contact-us/ .

  • Early Active Surveillance
  • Low/ Intermediate (treatments)
  • High Risk/Recurrent/Advanced
  • Locally advanced and advanced Under-60s
  • Gay and Bisexual men

Check out our Veterans and mental health too, including art and creative writing classes.  All AnCan sessions are free and all except the Art Class are drop-in – no pre-registration.

Take a look at the recording of our latest webinar presentation featuring guest speaker Dr. Jonathan Epstein, MD, a leader in Advanced Uropathology. Thanks to guest panelists Dr. John Antonucci, MD, Dr. Randall Jones, PhD, and Howard Wolinsky.

Reliable biopsies are critical to selecting the right treatment at all stages of prostate cancer – we’re talking needle tissue, not blood, btw. Get it wrong and you may get too much or too little treatment.

Reading pathology is part art and part science! AnCan Advisory Board Member, Dr. Jonathan Epstein is globally acknowledged to have the best eye in the genitourinary pathology world. AnCan frequently refers men to him for a 2nd opinion. His presentation will include:

  • Getting the most out of a 2nd Opinion
  • The relevance of cribriform, intraductal, ductal, & small cells
  • Biopsy report terms, like perineural invasion
  • Role of AI – artificial intelligence

View the slides for this recording here 

 

 

 


 

AnCan thanks the following sponsors for making this recording possible: Bayer, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Myriad Genetics, Telix, Blue Earth Diagnostics, and Foundation Medicine. Views expressed in this Recording are solely the opinion of AnCan Foundation, our Moderators, and Participants.

AnCan does not accept sponsored promotions. Any drugs, protocols, or devices discussed are based solely on anecdotal peer experience or clinical evidence. AnCan cannot and does not provide medical advice. We encourage you to discuss anything you hear in our sessions with your own medical team.

AnCan reminds all Participants that Adverse Events experienced from prescribed drugs or protocols should be reported to the pharmaceutical manufacturer or the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). To do so, call 1-800-332-1066 or download the interactive FDA Form 3500 https://www.fda.gov/media/76299/download

To SIGN UP for any of our Virtual Support groups, visit our Contact Us page

Webinar: MRI 2nd Opinions…ProstatID solves the challenge

Webinar: MRI 2nd Opinions…ProstatID solves the challenge

In our prostate cancer world, getting 2nd opinions is critical. It’s easy to find a medical second opinion, and you can have your pathology reread by the best. But MRIs – that’s been challenging.

Now there’s an affordable AI-validated option that’s proven very reliable* – ProstatID

Founder and Developer, Randall Jones, PhD, explains the technology and its uses. Hosted by AnCan Advisory Board Member and prostate cancer peer, Cdr. Mike Crosby

*Sensitivity and Specificity in the mid-90% range

 

Click here to view the slides.

AnCan thanks the following sponsors for making this recording possible: Bayer, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Myriad Genetics, Telix, Blue Earth Diagnostics, and Foundation Medicine. Views expressed in this Recording are solely the opinion of AnCan Foundation, our Moderators, and Participants.

AnCan does not accept sponsored promotions. Any drugs, protocols, or devices discussed are based solely on anecdotal peer experience or clinical evidence. AnCan cannot and does not provide medical advice. We encourage you to discuss anything you hear in our sessions with your own medical team.

AnCan reminds all Participants that Adverse Events experienced from prescribed drugs or protocols should be reported to the pharmaceutical manufacturer or the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). To do so, call 1-800-332-1066 or downloadthe interactive FDA Form 3500 https://www.fda.gov/media/76299/download

To SIGN UP for any of our Virtual Support groups, visit our Contact Us page.

Low/Intermediate PCa Video Chat, Aug 26, 2024

Low/Intermediate PCa Video Chat, Aug 26, 2024

Low/Intermediate PCa Video Chat, Aug 26, 2024

AnCan is grateful to the following sponsors for making this recording possible: Bayer, Foundation Medicine, Janssen, Myriad Genetics, Novartis, Telix & Blue Earth Diagnostics.

WELCOME all to our newly recorded Low/Intermediate Prostate Cancer Group. To receive notice when new recordings are posted, either follow us on this YouTube Channel or sign up to our Blog via https://ancan.org/contact-us/ – check New Blog box.

Join our other free and drop in groups:
AnCan respectfully notes that it does not accept sponsored promotion. Any drugs, protocols or devices recommended in our discussions are based solely on anecdotal peer experience or clinical evidence.
AnCan cannot and does not provide medical advice. We encourage you to discuss anything you hear in our sessions with your own medical team.
AnCan reminds all Participants that Adverse Events experienced from prescribed drugs or protocols should be reported to the pharmaceutical manufacturer or the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). To do so call 1-800-332-1066 or download interactive FDA Form 3500 https://www.fda.gov/media/76299/download
AnCan’s Prostate Cancer Forum is back (https://ancan.org/forums). If you’d like to comment on anything you see in our Recordings or read in our Reminders, just sign up and go right ahead. You can also click on the Forum icon at the top right of the webpage.
All AnCan’s groups are free and drop-in … join us in person sometime!

Editor’s Pick: Leverage second opinions when in decision making mode (bj)

Topics Discussed

Following PSA levels after prostatectomy — how low, how fast, how often; understanding undetectable PSA following surgery; newly diagnosed seeks second opinion; active surveillance; getting the most out of in-person medical conferences; focal vs definitive treatment; germline (inherited mutation) testing and the Promise Study; Post radiation urinary issues — irritation and flow; managing symptoms of long covid during radiation treatment; importance of getting a second opinion from a prostate cancer center of excellence; attending PCRI conference — visit AnCan

Chat Log

Boykin Jordan (DC Metro)
A lot of fun!

Jerry Grimes, Brighton, MI
Oops, I had the wrong meeting!  All the best, and I’ll show myself out…  ?

AnCan – rick
Trends in Active Surveillance for Men With Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer   https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2822716

AnCan Barniskis Room
This Weds 7:30 pm PT Kelly Spillman a comedian who does a stand-up comedy routine about living with cancer will perform online at ANCAN Solo Arts Heal. Please share this if you know someone dealing with cancer. Kelly Spillman is a psychology professor, stand-up comedian and storyteller based in Los Angeles. Kelly has performed at The Comedy Store, The Improv and many comedy festivals around the country. She is currently touring her solo show I Blame Florida which is a humorous, hopeful show about her quest to beat her stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis. To Watch: Click On :https://themarsh.org/soloartsheal/ Scroll down to mid-page where you can click to view in Zoom or YouTube

AnCan – rick
Promise study https://www.prostatecancerpromise.org/?utm_campaign=ANCAN&utm_medium=link&utm_source=Webinar

AnCan – rick
Darryl – here’s our phone number to dial in 646 749 3129   #222 583 973

Jim Stewart   Reno, NV
have to sign off to get grandkids, goodnight everyone

AnCan – rick
Is he new??

AnCan – rick
rickd13.sg-host.com

AnCan – rick
NCI Centers  http://www.cancer.gov/research/nci-role/cancer-centers/find

AnCan – rick
NCCN http://www.nccn.org/members/network.aspx