Just a little over a year ago, our beloved gene expert and Board Member, Professor Bill Burhans, delivered a webinar we called Cancer Genetics 101. While Professor Bill is sadly no longer with us, two other good AnCan friends, Dr. Eli Van Allen and Dr. Corrie Painter Ph.D delivered their equally good take on the same content late last month sponsored by Cancer Research Institute, the historical research home of immunotherapy.
I have to admit, many of the questions were way more sophisticated than we produced. And in their inimitable fashions, both Eli and Corrie dumbed down teh answers to make them very intelligible for the many – but not all – lay particpants.
This webinar is definitley worth bookmarking for future reference.
Trevor Maxwell is a remarkable man. A young colorectal cancer survivor, he and Joe Bullock, another colorectal cancer survior, have formed Man Up To Cancer. This is a safe and suportive space for male surviors to speak about their condition.
Trevor comes to AnCan via our good friend at Inspire, John Novack, and also through our prostate cancer participant, Russ Smith who is active in Man Up To Cancer. Trevor’s recent video essay on situation is touching and piercing at the same time. Here is what he writes:
6.24.20
“When the storm of cancer hits, you need protection. Something to shield and strengthen you. My shield is an oak tree.”
This short film on YouTube (4 min) was produced and edited by my talented friend, Roger McCord. With stunning footage taken from ground level and from high above the coastline, the film captures the heartache and hope of my cancer journey.
The TALK is a series of webinars addessing how parents and kids of every age speak to each other about their health conditions. If you haven’t noticed, this is a topic that rarely get aired in public – AnCan hopes to address that over the next several months.
We started last Tuesday, June 30 with a discussion around prostate cancer, moderated by genitourinary medical oncologist extraordinaire, Dr. Alicia Morgans speaking with panel members that included pairs of father and child from ages 17 to 43. We also welcomed Dr. Ryan Berglund, a urologist at Clevaland Clinic and spokesperson for MENtion It, a men’s health awareness campaign sponsored by his institution. Dr. Berglund had excellent slides and a 2 minute video that we were unable to view due to a SNAFU by our co-presenters, UsTOO. But the magic of modern technology allows us to provide them to you here …. click here – the video is embedded in the 5th of 6 slides. And to watch the whole, outstanding presentation, click on the video above
More good news to offset the difficulties of advanced cancer treatment!
If you have been paying attention, you will have noted that ADT (androgen deprivation therapy) drugs may protect against COVID19. A certain male protein, TMPRSS2, acts as a door handle for the virus to enter the lungs. ADT drugs suppress TMPRSS, and the LHRH antagonist, degarelix (Firmagon) has been shown to be very effective in controlling the virus in an Italian trial and is now being tested here in the US through the VA System; Prostate Cancer Foundation has sponsored both trials. Here are a couple of links to enlighten you:
Now the BBC is reporting this morning that dexamethasone may be a “lifesaving” COVID19 drug. Dexamethasone is a steroid, frequently used around the time of infusion for intravenous infused chemotherapy. In the UK RECOVERY Trial it has been shown to perform as a very effective agent to control the immune system, hence the aggression of the COVID19 virus. AND its inexpensive and readily available!
So if you are anything like our intrepid AnCan Board Chair, Peter Kafka, and currently on ADT and chemo, you may be very well protected against COVID19.
Most who particpate in AnCan’s programs know we are massive proponents of involving palliative care, or as UCSF calls it ‘Symptom Management”, early in your treatment path – so we stronlgly recommend attending this CureTalk webinar.
Dr. Mike is a good friend of AnCan, as is CureTalk – so please don’t miss this presentation. You can register here.
