Hi-Risk/Recurrent/Advanced PrCa Video Chat, 1/13/26

Hi-Risk/Recurrent/Advanced PrCa Video Chat, 1/13/26

by | Jan 15, 2026 | Cancer Resources, High Risk/Recurrent/Advanced, High Risk/Recurrent/Advanced Prostate Cancer, mCRPC, mHSPC, Prostate Cancer, Recorded Groups, Uncategorized

Hi-Risk/Recurrent/Advanced PrCa Video Chat, 1/13/26

AnCan is closing out its Annual Fundraising Campaign. If you haven’t donated yet, consider the priceless value we bring . Please donate – especially if you watch our recordings and are not on our Mailchimp list. https://ancan.org/donate/

Hear Founder, rick davis talk about how AnCan came to be in this 20-min podcast dropped this week on Empowered Patient Radio http://empoweredpatientradio.com/virtual-support-groups-remove-barriers-encourage-sharing-honest-experiences-to-fight-misinformation-with-rick-davis-ancan

AnCan thanks the following sponsors for making this recording possible: Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, 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 promotion. 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 interactive FDA Form 3500 https://www.fda.gov/media/76299/download

All AnCan’s groups are free and drop-in … join us in person sometime! You can find out more about our 12 monthly prostate cancer meetings at https://ancan.org/prostate-cancer/ Sign up to receive a weekly Reminder/Newsletter for this Group or others at https://ancan.org/contact-us/

Join our other free and drop in groups:
Men (Only) Speaking Freely…1st & 3rd Thursdays @ 8.00 pm Eastern https://ancan.org/men-speaking-freely/
Veterans Healthcare Navigation… 1st & 3rd Tuesdays @ 8.00 pm Eastern Schmier Room https://ancan.org/veterans/
Veterans Speaking freely… 4th Tuesday @ @ 8.00 pm Eastern Schmier Room

Editor’s Pick: Denovo metastatic BRCA2 Newbie stumps us all!

Topics Discussed

High volume denovo Mx Gent with BRCA germline can’t fiing a treatment that controls his T or his PSA; starting IMRT along with constipation; 2nd docetaxel easier with less fatigue than the first; liver returning to normal after 6x docetaxel; so back to full daro dose; T returns within 3 months of stopping 12 mo of orgovyx; BCBS turns down Prolia for -2.7 osteoprosis – did doc ask for wrong denosumab; ‘ciiling cap’ discussion; opting for new Plan Ds (drugs); Inherited Mutations discussed;

Chat

  • Alfredo in Houston, TX sent: 4:24 PM

    https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/pamela-n-munster

  • Larry (Alaska) sent: 4:50 PM

    should we test for LH and FSH levels?

  • Alfredo in Houston, TX sent: 4:51 PM

    Dr. Jack, would an LH level be helpful in this case?

  •  Jeff Marchi – San Francisco sent: 4:52 PM

    small cell= neuroendocrine (not exactly: rd)

  • AnCan–John A sent: 4:55 PM

    advanceduropathology.com 5162807930 Dr Epstein prostate pathology expert

  • Alfredo in Houston, TX sent: 5:00 PM

    the relatively long half-life of injectable testosterone undecanoate means its effects can last for weeks, but probably not months

  • Jeff Marchi – San Francisco sent: 5:08 PM

    has anyone had VMAT radiation?

  • Gary Martin sent: 5:09 PM

    I had that prostate inflammation first and second round docetaxel. my oncologist did not know cause. Suggested UTI, which have the same symptom I had in round 1 and 2. I figured it was chemo working on prostate.

  • Julian – Houston sent: 5:13 PM

    Jeff, I have had VMAT radiation.

  • Jeff Marchi – San Francisco sent: 5:13 PM

    how well did it work? any side effects?

  • Jack sent: 5:14 PM

    Enzalutamide blocks androgen binding which disrupts the negative feedback loop that normally supresses testosterone this leads to compensatory increases in LH and subsequent increases in testosterone

  • Julian – Houston sent: 5:14 PM

    It worked quite well – I have been in remission for over 5 years. I am now having some radiation effects but not severe

  • AnCan – rick sent: 5:18 PM

    Fatigue article https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2843277

  • Bruce Schrimpf sent: 5:20 PM

    I have not met or heard of him.

  • Gary Martin sent: 5:32 PM

    I had insurance denial of Prolia (bone strengthening)- anyone encounter denial of Prolia?

  • Julian – Houston sent: 5:34 PM

    Aetna no longer approves Prolia.

  • Larry (Alaska) sent: 5:36 PM

    Bone loss is largely drivenby estradiol deficiency (just as it is in post-menopausal women). Testosterone deprivation also lowers a man’snatural estradiol. A low-dose estradiol suppement can avoid the need for bune-building agents. Agents which are expensive and bring their own set of adverese side effects.

  • Larry (Alaska) sent: 5:43 PM

    Calcium + Magnesium:

    AI Says: Why Separation Helps Competition for Absorption: High levels of calcium can block magnesium absorption in the intestines, and vice-versa. Optimizing Intake: Spacing them out (2-4 hours apart is a common suggestion) minimizes this competition, allowing your body to absorb each mineral more effectively. When It’s Okay to Take Them Together Multivitamins: If they are in smaller, balanced amounts within a multivitamin, the interaction is usually not an issue. With Food: Taking them with food can also help with absorption and reduce digestive upset.

  • RJ Smith (Seattle) sent: 5:47 PM

    Cold Cap system is https://paxmanscalpcooling.com/

  • Julian – Houston sent: 5:52 PM

    Volumetric-modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)

  • Alfredo in Houston, TX sent: 5:55 PM

    Well, here is a longish article, but it does seem to describe the difference between IMRT and VMAT, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_therapy

  • Julian – Houston sent: 5:57 PM

    https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17626-volumetric-modulated-arc-therapy-vmat

  • Alfredo in Houston, TX sent: 5:58 PM

    I have to leave now, sending everyone good wishes for the new year. Good night! and thank you!

  • Alan Swope sent: 5:59 PM

    Thanks all. I have to leave. Good information.

  • Don Rogers sent: 5:59 PM

    look at Scriptco.com for generic drugs. Huge saving even with the $140 yearly fee.

  • Bruce Schrimpf sent: 6:01 PM

    Thanks for the good discussion!

Monthly Art Friends Art Class

by | Jan 13, 2026

Welcome to AnCan’s regularly scheduled guided art class! These free sessions are open to everyone and thoughtfully designed with our chronic illness and cancer community in mind.

Each class features a pre-planned, step-by-step art lesson led by one of AnCan’s instructors. No prior art experience is required. Participants are encouraged to work at their own pace, and modifications are always offered to support energy levels, physical limitations, cognitive fatigue, and access to art supplies.

In addition to learning creative techniques, these sessions are intended to support mindfulness and emotional well-being. Art can be a grounding practice—offering a moment to slow down, focus on the present, and reconnect with yourself through gentle creative expression.

Our goal is to create a welcoming, low-pressure space where creativity can feel restorative, calming, and accessible. We do our best to make every session as accommodating and inclusive as possible, so you can focus on creating in a way that feels right for you.

Sessions take place every 3rd Thursday at 8pm Eastern time

Register for each individual monthly class

Register for June HERE

Monthly Art Friends Art Class

by | Jan 13, 2026

Welcome to AnCan’s regularly scheduled guided art class! These free sessions are open to everyone and thoughtfully designed with our chronic illness and cancer community in mind.

Each class features a pre-planned, step-by-step art lesson led by one of AnCan’s instructors. No prior art experience is required. Participants are encouraged to work at their own pace, and modifications are always offered to support energy levels, physical limitations, cognitive fatigue, and access to art supplies.

In addition to learning creative techniques, these sessions are intended to support mindfulness and emotional well-being. Art can be a grounding practice—offering a moment to slow down, focus on the present, and reconnect with yourself through gentle creative expression.

Our goal is to create a welcoming, low-pressure space where creativity can feel restorative, calming, and accessible. We do our best to make every session as accommodating and inclusive as possible, so you can focus on creating in a way that feels right for you.

Sessions take place every 3rd Thursday at 8pm Eastern time

Register for each individual monthly class

Register for May HERE

Monthly Art Friends Art Class

by | Jan 13, 2026

Welcome to AnCan’s regularly scheduled guided art class! These free sessions are open to everyone and thoughtfully designed with our chronic illness and cancer community in mind.

Each class features a pre-planned, step-by-step art lesson led by one of AnCan’s instructors. No prior art experience is required. Participants are encouraged to work at their own pace, and modifications are always offered to support energy levels, physical limitations, cognitive fatigue, and access to art supplies.

In addition to learning creative techniques, these sessions are intended to support mindfulness and emotional well-being. Art can be a grounding practice—offering a moment to slow down, focus on the present, and reconnect with yourself through gentle creative expression.

Our goal is to create a welcoming, low-pressure space where creativity can feel restorative, calming, and accessible. We do our best to make every session as accommodating and inclusive as possible, so you can focus on creating in a way that feels right for you.

Sessions take place every 3rd Thursday at 8pm Eastern time

Register for each individual monthly class

Register for April HERE

Is It OK to Take Supplements After a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis?

Is It OK to Take Supplements After a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis?

by | Dec 28, 2025 | Cancer Resources, Health Resources, High Risk/Recurrent/Advanced Prostate Cancer, Low/Intermediate Prostate Cancer, mHSPC, Nutrition, Prostate Cancer, Recent News

Is It OK to Take Supplements After a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis?  by Stuart Jordan

We were recently asked by a newly diagnosed member of our group—who is preparing to begin treatment—about a dietary supplement he has been taking. His question had two parts: Could this supplement help with prostate cancer? And just as important, is it safe to keep taking it now?

It’s a fair question, and a very common one. Many supplements are marketed as supportive of prostate health, metabolism, or weight management, and it’s easy to assume they might be helpful during cancer treatment.

In my day job as publisher of the Wellness Letter, we often see how supplement claims outpace the science behind them. That’s why we rely on evidence-based research as the final word when exploring questions like these.

When we look closely at the research, the picture is clearer than the marketing suggests. So far, no dietary supplement has been shown in solid human studies to prevent, treat, or slow the progression of prostate cancer once diagnosed. Some supplements that once sounded promising haven’t held up in careful trials. Others affect lab markers, such as PSA, without improving outcomes that truly matter. In fact, some supplements—like high-dose vitamin E or selenium—have actually shown potential harm in trials.

Safety is just as important. Supplements and over-the-counter products can interact with medications, affect lab results, or interfere with how treatments work. This matters whether a man is on active surveillance, receiving hormone therapy, undergoing radiation therapy, or after treatment. Even products that seem harmless can complicate care if the medical team isn’t aware of them.

That’s why it’s essential to tell your doctors about every supplement and over-the-counter product you’re taking, not just prescriptions.

Instead of relying on supplements, focusing on overall health—through diet, physical activity, weight management, and addressing true deficiencies—offers a safer, better-supported path, especially when coordinated closely with your medical team.

-Stuart Jordan