Dr. Mark Scholz to speak to The Prostate Forum of Orange County Feb. 24 on Zoom

Be there. Or be square. k?

By Howard Wolinsky

When I went on active surveillance (AS) in December 2010, I felt I was on my own.

I heard the word “CANCER,” and that’s pretty much all I heard. No support. No direction other than a slew of treatment choices—not including AS.

There were no support groups in the U.S. then for men on Active Surveillance (AS) for low-risk prostate cancer. I made a call for AS-only support groups in my column “A Patient’s Journey” in MedPageToday in 2017. And it would a couple of more years until I helped start Active Surveillance Patients International and then the AS weekly virtual support group on the AnCan platform.

But back in 2010, I had found a friend in Mark Scholz, MD, Medical Director, Prostate Oncology Specialists, Marina Del Rey, California (https://www.prostateoncology.com/ )

I read his then newly published book with Ralph Blum, “The Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers: No More Unnecessary  Biopsies, Radical Treatment or Loss of Potency .” (The book was reissued in 2021.)

It was my companion as I navigated the then lonely waters of AS.

A major advocate of AS, Scholz helped build my skepticism about the value of random (shot-in-the-dark) biopsies and my confidence in AS. Thank you, Dr. Scholz.

He is the rare medical oncologist who advises patients about AS and low-risk prostate cancer. He once told me he decided to focus on AS and low-risk because he didn’t want to see men undergo unnecessary surgery and maintain their potency rather than give it up as a side effect from a bloody prostatectomy.

Scholz, past president and co-founder of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute  (PCRI), a non-profit organization dedicated to patient education and research, holds the middle ground in the pissing match between surgery and radiation.

He is in the ideal position to offer advice to men like us. He doesn’t have a dog in the fight, though he leans objectively more in the direction of AS and then radiation, if treatment is necessary, because of the recent improvements in radiation therapy.

The Prostate Forum of Orange County scored a home run because they recruited Dr. S. as a speaker on Thursday, February 24, at 7-8:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Join Zoom Meeting:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89064797038 

Meeting ID: 890 6479 7038 

One tap mobile 

+16699006833,,89064797038# US (San Jose) 

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www.ProstateForum.org  Phone 714-459-2058 eMail: ProstateForumOC@gmail.com

PCRI has been a leader in prostate education, holds the best patient-oriented meetings, and screens educational videos run by Alexandra Scholz, EVP of PCRI and the doctor’s daughter-in-law.

Scholz also is the author of The Key to Prostate Cancer:  30 Experts Explain 15 Stages of Prostate Cancer.

(I will be moderating an AnCan webinar with Scholz tentatively scheduled for September 29—as it happens, my 75th birthday. Details to come. Make a donation to your favorite prostate cancer support group.)