On January 6th, we had the absolute pleasure of hosting the very esteemed Dr. Anne Katz (Certified Sexuality Counselor, and Clinical Nurse Specialist at CancerCare Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada) at our Active Surveillance Virtual Support Group. She is also the author of Prostate Cancer & The Man You Love. Dr. Katz is such a rockstar in the cancer community, so I was definitely starstruck!
She answered all the questions our gentlemen, and their partners had. I highly encourage you to watch as I’m sure your questions will be answered too! She provided information relevant to all within the prostate cancer community.
We here at AnCan want to sincerely thank Dr. Katz for providing this invaluable resource.
Watch here:
To view the slides from this presentation, click here.
For information on our peer-led video chat ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE PROSTATE CANCER VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP, click here.
To SIGN UP for the Group or any other of our AnCan Virtual Support groups, visit our Contact Us page.
Our Board Chair and long time moderator, Peter Kafka, tells us how he fortuitoulsy got his Covid vaccination last week. For the first time, Peter adds the High Risk/Recurrent//Advanced Prostate Cancer Group to his Moderation repertoire this week.
POKEY MAN
i just returned this morning from getting my initial Covid-19 Moderna vaccination. Happy to report that it was an uneventful event. My anxiety level was increasing in recent days as our positive cases began to tick up considerably out here on little Maui in the middle of the Pacific ocean. Information here is slow to filter down and when I inquired about the shot I was tole that it would be some time in April or May since I was not yet 75 years old. Then, I got a surpise call from the Pacific Cancer Foundation which I volunteer for in a support and advocacy capacity and they told me that they could get me into their priority group today.
I am certainly not bragging about the above, but I mention it because there was absolutely no hesitation or concern in me about going forward with the vaccination. In the past 7-years I have been poked and scoped and proded more times then I can count. This kind of comes along with signing up for medical treatment for advanced prostate cancer. I understand that there may be as many as 40% of Americans who may decline getting a Covid-19 vaccination according to polls and predictions. And this is a personal choice in our society. But I doubt that those of us who find ourselves in this subset of Prostate Cancer guys would be so reluctant.
Over the years I have met men who chose not to enter into any kind of treatment for their more advanced prostate cancer diagnosis. Some of these men are still around and others not. I always wrestle with what my role is in this decision. I can encourage, I can strongly suggest that someone at least consult with a doctor who might be more pursuasive than me, and most of all I can point to myself as an example of a man who has not suffered from a host of medical treatments thus far. But in the end everyone must live or not with the decision they make.
The other day we had an AnCan Webinar with Dr. Jonathan Epstein, the go-to pathologist at Johns Hopkins for second opinions. He mentioned that he does actually consult with some of the men who reach out to him. This brought a smile to my face when I recalled a good friend who was leaning toward his own alternative treatments for his GL-4+3 diagnosis. I encouraged him to get a second opinion from Dr. Epstein. On his own he called the office and Dr. Epstein listened politely for 10 minutes while my friend described his alternative treatment protocol. Dr. Epstein responded, “That is all fine and good and you can continue with that protocol but you need to know that without medical intervention this disease can kill you!” That was all it took, a few weeks later he was getting radiation and he is doing fine and we are best of friends.
Teamwork makes dreamwork here at AnCan, and we were thrilled to team up with PatientPower for the webinar series “Your Prostate Cancer Questions Answered“. Video and transcript are available in the links below.
In 2018, patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) were watching and waiting. Two years later there are three novel androgen receptor inhibitors available. But more options mean more questions for doctors and for patients. In this first installment of our prostate cancer Answers Now series, we’ll explore these emerging questions around who should use what when, and why. We will also zoom out to give an overview of the disease and current treatment options. This event will be hosted by AnCan Founder Rick Davis and Len Sierra, AnCan Prostate Cancer Moderator. Dr. Eleni Efstathiou from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas and Dr. Tom Beer, Chair of Prostate Cancer Research at OSHU.
In this edition of our prostate cancer Answers Now series, we’ll learn about the latest in testing and imaging for prostate cancer with hosts & AnCan Prostate Cancer Moderators, Len Sierra and Peter Kafka. They will be joined by Scott Tagawa, MD, Professor of Medicine and Urology at NewYork-Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City and David VanderWeele, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. We invite your questions as we cover what PSMA PET and Next Generation Imaging can mean for patients at different points in their prostate cancer journey.
Talking honestly about one’s medical realities in the doctor’s office takes practice, but it is a crucial step to take. Tune in as experts discuss how transparent doctor-patient relationships can improve prostate cancer outcomes.
Hosted by AnCan Founder Rick Davis and Peter Kafka, AnCan Prostate Cancer Moderator. They will speak with Dr. Atish Choudhury, Co-Director of the Prostate Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Center about the importance of open communication between patients and physicians. What are the best treatment options? What side effects may I experience? What will my quality of life be? Expect all of these answers and more.
As they say, all good things must come to an end. While our 2020 Webinar Series “”Active Surveillance and Beyond” is finished, our support groups are still going strong! And if you’re feeling a little sentimental like we are, you can always rewatch the first, second, and third webinars.
Pathologist Dr. Jonathan Epstein (Director of Surgical Pathology at Johns Hopkins Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland) explains why he opposes reclassifying Gleason 6 as a noncancer, and why he thinks a second opinion should be sought on all pathologies, not just prostate cancer.
We want to graciously thank Dr. Epstein for answering our attendee’s questions!
Watch this fascinating and incredible webinar here:
