ASPI premiering Active Surveillance 101 Program on prostate imaging
'ASAdvocate' Newman: Down, but not out
Andres Correa, MD, urologic oncologist, assistant professor of surgery, Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, is an Active Surveillance (AS) super-hero.
I’ve worked with him on a patient program previously for AnCan and will be collaborating with him and Joe Gallo on some research he is doing on AS.
Now he is doing his bit in the next program on imaging in the AS 101 series. The free program is on at noon Eastern, Saturday, May 27. REGISTER
Unfortunately, Dr. Correa will NOT be available after the video to answer questions.
If you have questions, send them to Mark Lichty at mlichty@aspatients.org
The AS 101 series was created to provide newbies with video covering the basics of AS when no other help is available. Patient Larry White and his well-informed spouse Nancy will interview Dr. C. about mpMRIs and microultrasound, an emerging imaging technology.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
The full AS 101 series to date may be viewed at: https://aspatients.org/a-s-101/
AS crusader Harry Newman is down, but far from out
By Howard Wolinsky
Harry Newman is an old friend—and a super-advocate for Active Surveillance.
His nome de social media “ASAdvocate” (secret identity—revealed), Harry, who has been on AS for 14 years, like a caped superhero, patrolsFacebook groups and other corners of the cyber-verse, to keep the record straight on the benefits of AS. It’s can be a thankless job but Harry has played this role with patience and his just-the-facts ‘tude.
He directly addresses misinformation online. He truly is a pioneer.
Some misinformed and possibly regretful patients, who have been treated with surgery or radiation and experiemnced life-changing side effects, sometimes spread misinformation about AS being dangerous.
Harry in his gentle fashion lets them know AS is safe. Research shows consistently that longevity is about the same with AS as with aggressive treatments, which can be accompanied by incontinence and impotence.
Well, Harry has had a prostate setback. Maybe, not what you think.
(Harry Newman)
Like many prostate cancer patients, he also has problems with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and just underwent successful treatment. And he held on to his prostate.
BPH is not always benign. It produce symptoms by obstructing the flow of urine through the urethra. Symptoms related to BPH are present in about one in four men by age 55, and in half by 75. However, treatment is only necessary if symptoms become bothersome. BPH often shows up in men with prostate cancer—it’s just part of this age. Technically, PCa and BPH are unrelated, but some men find out in pathology reports following BPH surgery, they also have PCa. Surprise.
The good news.
Harry is still on AS and will continue traversing the internet to correct inaccuraies and injustices.
Here’s what I wrote previously about Harry:
Here’s what Harry wrote me about his current situation. He added all emoticons.
ASAdvovate still advocates for AS
By Harry Newman,
I have had some serious issues with my prostate blocking my urine flow and had to make some decisions and take action.
A point that you may note is that my experience shows that a man with lower-risk cancer but BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) issues does not have to choose surgery to try to fix both problems. With these new BPH procedures, you can keep your prostate, fix the BPH, and have no side effects, as you continue to live normally.
Fourteen years into my active surveillance, my “benign” prostate problems recently became serious with acute urinary retention, and I needed to clear the blockages.
I chose a one-two protocol of Prostate Artery Embolization [PAE] followed five days later by aquablation. While PAE will significantly shrink the prostate, and is its own BPH treatment, it was used here to reduce the bleeding from the aquablation and speed my recovery. Aquablation does what TURP does, using a transurethral water jet. New studies show it compares very favorably against TURP.
The aquablation was two days ago, and I am feeling and functioning great. No pain, no blood. Very pleased.
And, all the ablated prostate tissue, or “chips,” were sent to pathology to analyze the known prostate cancer.
The report was on MyChart last night, with no cancer found. That matches my last needle biopsy at Johns Hopkins two years ago.
It also reinforces the point that Gleason 6 PCa can be minimal and not show up on biopsy, and/or can simply disappear over time.
Now, I have both the physical BPH relief and the mental relief of the pathology report to celebrate
Keep up the good fight, Howard.
Thanks, Harry. Best wishes as you heal. Keep the faith. Please send best wishes to Harry: harrynew@cox.net as he continues his fight for Truth, Justice, and the AS Way.
Here’s an article I did on the technique Harry underwent: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/969052
My NPR moment—sorry, no tote bags
I ran an appeal the other day for paid subscribers to TheActiveSurveillor.com. I was cringing as I presented my case for paid subscriptions. It felt like a telethon for public TV or for a local NPR station, I cringe when I hear that stuff, too.
I am grateful to eight of you who kicked in to help me offset a $2k loss in 2022. The $450 helped me step a bit out of the red. Sorry, no fabulous tote bags or vegan cookbooks.
Substack, the developer who provides software to run the newsletter, has declared this little enterprise “a bestseller.” I now have 108 paid subscribers.
My goal is to break even.
Another testimonial just in. This one from Ericka Johnson, author of “A Cultural Biography of the Prostate” and professor of gender and society, Linköping University, Sweden.
Ericka Johnson: "The Active Surveillor brings a critical eye to science, while also bringing the critical science to people with prostate cancer who need to understand what study results mean for them and their prostate health. This newsletter keeps readers abreast of the most recent developments in AS prostate care in a probing but digestible way. And it is often funny."
Meanwhile, Ericka is studying artificial intelligence, a subject increasingly close to our prostates and everything else in society.
Here she is with a robot buddy named Pepper.