There has been a lot of criticism about the recent guidelines on PSA testing that has been issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS). Many of us with advanced prostate cancer are appalled with these guidelines and feel it is just another example of the ACS abandoning men with cancer over the powerful breast cancer lobby.
Some of my fellow survivors have begun to refer to the ACS as the American Breast Cancer Society. I would like to remind everyone that there is very similar clinical trials results for mammograms as we have found with PSA testing coupled with digital rectal exams (DRE). Despite these findings (which are actually contrary to the large European studies) the ACS continues to champion the continued use of mammograms while in the same breath recommend PSA guidelines that are confusing and unrealistic.
I am a firm believer in the need to continue aggressive breast cancer screening because it saves lives. I am also a firm believer in PSA testing along with DRE exams because it saves lives.
Ron Gerhard, an advanced prostate cancer survivor has written a personal commentary about the new ACS Guidelines. I think that Ron’s statement stands on its own. Read More→
NO ONE DESERVES CANCER!
By · CommentsI don’t know if you have ever thought about it, but sometimes I think about who gets cancer and who doesn’t. It is hard not to think about this after having three different cancers.
According to scientists, we know of some things that can cause cancer, such as certain environmental exposures. Exposure only means that one might develop a cancer. Remember, many more people who also with the same exposure, will never get cancer.
Then, there is the genetic component. How important is this factor? I am a middle child with three separate cancers. Neither my older brother or younger sister have ever been diagnosed with any type of cancer. There is no other people in the universe who are more genetically closely matched to me.
After meeting and talking with many cancer survivors, reading many blogs and their follow-up comments, I believe that there are a number of people, the ‘Others’, those without cancer, who actually blame cancer survivors for their illness.
When I was diagnosed with my third cancer, one of my doctors, a well respected oncologist, made an off handed comment. Shockingly, he said “you must have been one evil guy in a past life”. Many people do believe that those of us with cancer deserve our cancer because of something that we have done wrong, either now or in a past life (in deference to the oncologist). We are responsible for and therefore we deserve the cancer. Read More→
Sen. John McCain’s (R- Arizona) office has confirmed that the Senator no longer supports his own bill that would significantly tighten the regulatory requirements for dietary supplements. Currently, the manufacturing of supplements is not monitored or controlled by any governmental agency. There is no way to know that the supplement you purchase contains what is stated on the label, if it is pure or if will do what is indicated.
The Senator originally proposed the bill in February. McCain’s office now states that the Arizona Republican will now collaborate with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on revised legislation that allegedly provides for transparency and safety within the supplement industry but without the intensive regulatory intervention proposed in S. 3002. No timeline is set for introduction of a new bill.
I have to wonder if the manufacturing lobby has cooped the Senator. What possible reason could there be for passing these much needed controls and not insuring that the industry complies with them?
Joel T Nowak, MA, MSW
The drug is called Cabazitaxel, (it will be named Jevtana) and is made by the French company Sanofi-Aventis SA. Cabazitaxel is a chemical cousin of Taxotere (the current standard of care) and it is designed to evade the mechanism that cancer cells use to resist Taxotere, so we can assume that initially it would be used after Taxotere failure. Currently, once Taxotere has failed, we do not have an approved alternate therapy other than perhaps going back the older and much more toxic drug mitoxantrone.
The results of a small phase III study of only 755 men from several dozen countries demonstrated that Cabazitaxel extended life when compared against mitoxantrone by 30%, or an extra 10 weeks. Men in the Cabazitaxel group lived a little more than 15 months on average, versus less than 13 months for those given mitoxantrone. Men in both trial groups were also given prednisone, which eases pain and improves appetite. Read More→
Ten Steps Backward at Today’s Congressional Hearing
By · CommentsI spent most of today listening to the Congressional Hearing on Prostate Cancer. I spent most of today listening to a travesty for men with advanced prostate cancer. I believe that today’s hearing pushed men with advanced prostate cancer ten steps backwards.
PSA testing, PSA testing is all we heard. Important, yes, but so are we. Almost never mentioned were men like us. What do you do with men who are destined to die from prostate cancer? Over 27,000 of us will die and no mention about helping us beat our cancer.
That is it gentlemen. Don’t expect any additional help from congress. It was a bad day.
Joel T Nowak, MA, MSW
