Oh, for the Good Old Days!

...could these be the good old days?

As time goes by it seems that I associate with more and more old people (at least what most of society defines as old). All my friends from school and college are now septuagenarians (I always wanted to use that word in a sentence). Even the new friends I meet through travel and clinical trials mostly fall into that category.

Although 70 years may sound like a long time, it really isn’t. And I consider myself extremely fortunate to be alive and active and even able to reminisce (or ramble incoherently) after all these years. The technology in my life has run the gamut from that tiny farmhouse with no electricity, no plumbing, and a small two-seater outhouse just out of sight to wifi, 50 inch plasma TVs, iPhones, and blogs!

Like me, most of my fellow oldsters are living with at least one medically challenging condition. Be it heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, one of the many types of cancer, crippling arthritis, hearing loss, and more. Yet I hear very few complaints (maybe my hearing is worse than I thought and I just don’t hear them). Certainly advances in medicine account for some of that. But I like to think the biggest part is the grit and determination of these people living their lives. “I can—probably.” “I will.” “Just do it—only slower this time.”

Life is great and there is no doubt in my mind that the good old days are now!

axman

Tapping into Your Own Immune System

Is that the best answer for incurable prostate cancer?

A rather new approach in treating prostate cancer is to use vaccines. The only prostate cancer vaccine to be approved so far is Provenge (sipuleucel-T) which was approved in 2010 to treat late stage prostate cancer and it is now being tested in trials to see if it can help at earlier stages (when your immune system is stronger).

A unique feature of vaccines is that they often use your own cancer cells to stimulate your immune system to identify and kill cancer cells. And the side effects are usually less severe than with other treatments. Cancer vaccines (immunotherapy) work much the same as the vaccines you have had for smallpox, measles, and other diseases, except it has been far more difficult with cancer. Unlike infections, which are caused by foreign organisms invading your body, cancer comes from within and therefore is much better at evading your immune system.

Some patients respond successfully to vaccines and others do not. Why that happens is still a mystery and the focus of research.

There are other vaccines being tested to find out if they might be effective in slowing or stopping prostate cancer. If you think a vaccine sounds like a good approach, here are a few names to check out at the National Cancer Institute.

·       Provenge (sipuleucel-T) already approved for late stage treatment, but new trials for earlier stage treatment use are being conducted.

·       Yervoy (ipilimumab) already approved for metastatic melanoma and in trials for prostate cancer.

·       Cabozantinib (XL184) in trials for thyroid cancer and recently for prostate cancer.

·       Dendritic Cell Vaccine Study DC/PC3 currently in phase I (safety) and phase II studies.

Progress is slow and the cost of using these vaccines has been very high. But the progress has been consistent and that’s always a good result when you’re looking for your own magic bullet or maybe just to slow down that damnable rising PSA.

axman

My 100th Prostate Cancer Blog Entry! Big Deal or What?

Why would anybody in their right mind do this?

It took me three and a half years to get to 100 blogs. Others write that many entries in a few months. So speed wasn’t my strong suite.

I started out to provide short articles with the newest prostate cancer information, share my experiences with medications, side effects, and clinical trials. And I added a cartoon to almost every one to add a touch of humor—not necessarily politically correct. A few times I published a guest blog. Sometimes I summarized new information from cancer research. Most of the blog entries related at least partly to me, my life experiences, my friends with prostate cancer,  and I must confess to the odd complaint (some side effects really suck).

By the time I started the blog I already knew my prostate cancer was incurable. I had just published a book about prostate cancer and my ongoing story. Writing and drawing cartoons has long been a good outlet for me. It has helped keep me positive and focused (most of the time) for the nine years (so far) of my journey.

I had few expectations when I launched the blog (launched may be pretentious—mostly I chose a name and clicked on an icon).

·       I assumed not many people would read it—true, but the numbers are getting better.

·       I assumed it would be fun for me to do—true, and it has continued to be.

·       I assumed it wouldn’t make me rich or famous—true (so far) and I have no illusions of future fame or fortune.

·       I assumed there would be breakthroughs in cancer treatment—true, and that’s good news for me and a couple million other men.

My expectations have changed a little. With my slowly growing knowledge of Internet technology I found ways to share information with more people. I even know what tweet and text mean. So, in the near future here’s what’s going to happen:

·       My book, Real Men Get Prostate Cancer Too, is being updated (2nd Ed.) and will be republished soon. A lot has happened in the prostate cancer world (and mine) in four years. I even added some new cartoons.

·       My other book (sounds impressive, eh?) with co-author Dr. Tom Beer, Cancer Clinical Trials, will also be published soon.

Both books should be available by mid-April.

If you are reading this on my blog site, you can look to the left and become a ‘follower’ by clicking on the ‘Join this site’ icon. Then you’ll get a notification whenever a new blog entry appears. Or not.

axman

Some Days are “Less Better” Than Others

Or maybe it just seems that way

Is it better to know or not to know? That, of course, is part of the great PSA debate I’ve talked about before, but also a question for those of us who are five or 10 years down the prostate cancer pike.

For the past nine years I have had a PSA exam at least once every three months. After surgery it told me that they didn’t get it all. My PSA doubled every three months for the year after surgery. Then there was radiation therapy and the same thing happened. Two possible cures that weren’t...It happened and I adjusted.

Since then I have tried experimental drugs (Clinical Trial) and a bunch of hormone therapy drugs—pills and injections. My PSA has slowly gone up and slowly gone down—generally within the rather small range of 2.5 to 4.8. Not bad as far as I’m concerned. So when there was a bigger increase over a short period of time it was a bit unusual.

My last PSA jumped (almost doubled over six weeks) a bunch. It was already on the rise so I shouldn’t have been surprised (but of course I was). I know some meds work for years, some for months, and some not at all. I really did know that. I also know that there are more meds to try and surely one will bring my PSA back down and my comfort level back up.

Would I have been better off had I not known all those numbers? Would I have been more comfortable just assuming all was well? Not a chance. Ignorance is not bliss. What do you think?

axman

Marketing 101 - The Prostate Cancer Way

Crass commercialism, prostate cancer, and selling books...

In a recent blog entry I shamelessly advertised the new book, Cancer Clinical Trials. That's the book Dr. Tom Beer and I wrote.

This entry will focus on my old book (2008), Real Men Get Prostate Cancer Too. I don’t seem to be able to find enough to do in retirement, so updating the older book seems like a good thing to do. And I can avoid my wife’s “honey do” list.

By 2008 I had been living with prostate cancer for five years and had gone through a few treatments and follow-ups. Now, four years later, there have been changes in prostate cancer treatment and a lot of changes in my treatment and experiences.

My main focus in the update is to be sure all the information about prostate cancer is correct—some “facts” from 2008 are no longer considered true. New treatments and types of treatments offer more hope to more men with incurable prostate cancer. In the past four years I have participated in two clinical trials, tried several different medications, and have managed to stay alive, active, and sometimes alert. I’ll tell you here first when the new (2^nd) Edition is actually ready. I’m even adding some new (and better?) cartoons.

axman

Cancer Clinical Trials are Going to the Dogs

Can that help you? It just might!

This isn’t specifically about prostate cancer but the process might be beneficial to us PC survivors in the future as well as a lot of others with cancer. If that happens, we may be thanking Max, Queenie, or Pal.

A team of scientists at the National Cancer Institute is conducting canine cancer clinical trials. Cancer is a leading cause of death in dogs. Why is this unusual‑‑aren’t animals used to test drugs all the time?

• The dogs are family pets diagnosed with cancer by their vets and referred to the clinical trials. More than a million dogs are diagnosed with cancer every year—and that’s just in the U.S.
• Some cancers in dogs are very similar to cancers in humans.
• Experimental medicines can be started sooner than in humans, if the owners agree. And results are known sooner because cancers grow more rapidly in dogs.
• Many owners are happy to get the newest experimental treatments for their beloved pets.
• The dogs that get treatment with experimental drugs are often helped and able to live a longer and healthier life with their human families.
• Unlike many animal trials, no dogs are purposely infected. These dogs are treated after they naturally contract cancer.

Canine trials have focused on bone cancer, lymphoma, and melanoma—also common cancers in humans. These trials have the potential to help both dogs and humans—a win-win if there ever was one.

axman

Good News for Men with Late Stage Prostate Cancer

An experimental drug—MDV3100—that has been in trials for several years has shown very positive results. There has been a significant survival benefit demonstrated in phase III studies. Nearly 1200 men who had undergone late stage chemotherapy participated in the double blind study—nobody knew who was getting the experimental drug and who was getting the placebo (neutral substance).

The principal investigator said that the MDV3100 study ‘exceeded our expectations’. Men taking the experimental drug lived significantly longer, had lower PSA scores, and the side effects were ‘well tolerated’ or what we’d call not so bad. Just about all cancer medications have side effects so a successful drug with moderate side effects is considered good. The trial was so successful it was stopped early and those men who were receiving the placebo were offered the MDV3100.

It has to be approved by the FDA before it can be prescribed by doctors. Many drugs never make it through the clinical trials process so this is seen as very important.

If you have prostate cancer, watch for further news. By the time it is approved it will likely have a new (and better) name.

axman

Cancer Clinical Trials - the book

In just a couple of months, the book Dr. Tom Beer and I have been working on for the past two years will be published by DiaMedica Publications.

Cancer Clinical Trials is a comprehensive guide for anyone considering a Clinical Trial for any form of cancer. It is focused on the information the person with cancer needs to know in order to make the best decisions about their care and the possibilities of new and promising treatments.

It will help you understand the experimental drug approval process (that's what clinical trials are for - no new drugs can be approved without the clinical trial process).

It will tell you how clinical trials are developed and managed.

It will help you  find and enroll in a clinical trial.

It will help you decide if a clinical trial might help you.

Cancer Clinical Trials will be officially published in April, but pre-orders can happen at any time.

Check out the Publishers Website - Cancer Clinical Trials.
Check out our Facebook page .
And check out our Cancer Clinical Trials Blog.

axman
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How Your Mind Can Play Tricks on You

At least mine does—all the time

For almost nine years I have dutifully gone to see my oncologist every three months to assess my prostate cancer condition. And I always experience a little dread (maybe my PSA has gone hog wild—hasn’t happened so far) but there is also that glimmer of hope that it has gone to zero and I’ll live happily ever after (of course that hasn’t happened either).

The PSA isn’t even all that accurate, but for those of us with ongoing prostate cancer, it’s the best measure we currently have. The week before the oncologist appointment there are blood tests and sometimes other tests as well. No problem. It’s finding out the results that’s brings on the anxiety. In my case, my blood pressure spikes every time.

Worse yet, many of us guys (including me) probably put too much stock in the results of those tests—an increase in PSA is discouraging and a decrease is encouraging. That makes sense except for the times it’s not logical. E.g. if a PSA score goes from 5.1 to 5.5 (not even statistically significant) it feels like bad news. If the PSA goes from 91 to 89 (again, not statistically significant) there is a feeling of new hope. So the numbers don’t seem to be as important as whether they trend ever so slightly up or down.

My PSA scores have had ups and downs like a mini roller coaster over the years. Except for a brief time after surgery and radiation (when it was nearly zero) it has fluctuated from two to four to three to five and back and forth depending on the current treatment and how long I’ve been on it. No treatment has helped for more than a year or two. Some new medications help immediately and some don’t help at all. There are many, many meds yet to try so this situation is likely to go on and on and on...

I don’t think about these things very often and most of the guys I know who are in my condition (just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in) say the same thing. 99% of the time I’m positive or oblivious, and then there’s that 1% of the time when I fall prey to mind tricks, emotional reactions, and the failing logic of ‘what if’. But this won’t be a problem for another three months, so let life go on.

axman

2012—Will THIS be the Year of the Prostate Cancer Cure?

Probably not, but...

For several years now, there has been progress in finding treatments that lengthen life and reduce side effects for guys with prostate cancer. Much of the research has focused on late-stage cancer. The improvements have been positive--but modest.

There will be an increased focus on a relatively new approach‑‑cancer vaccines‑‑in 2012. These are targeted injections that stimulate your own immune system to identify and kill specific cancer cells. The new vaccines will work much like the vaccines you have already had for smallpox, measles, and other common diseases. Some new vaccines in clinical trials have worked pretty well for some people with some cancers and a new vaccine, Provenge, has been approved to treat late-stage prostate cancer. There is a proven survival benefit—it’s not a cure.

Historically, some major treatments for prostate cancer have depressed (weakened) the immune system—radiation and chemotherapy are good examples. They are also known for their unpleasant side effects. A successful prostate cancer vaccine would do the opposite—strengthen your immune system and build antibodies that would be protective in the future. There would probably be few side effects. Sounds good, doesn’t it! Want to know more about cancer vaccines? Check out the National Cancer Institute.

But there’s a long way to go; even the successful vaccines don’t help everybody equally. I’m optimistic! Good luck to all us guys!

axman