Dr. Nick Vogelzang, top figure in advanced prostate cancer research, dead at 72 from lymphoma
His bout with cancer as a teen prompted him to become a cancer doctor and researcher
By Howard Wolinsky
Medical oncologist Nicholas “Nick” Vogelzang, MD, FASCO, FACP, 72, a leading figure in genitourinary cancer research, especially in prostate cancer, died Sept. 20 from complications from lymphoma in Las Vegas.
As a teenager he contracted lymphoma and attributed his decision to become a cancer doctor and researcher to his experience as a cancer patient, said his long-time patient, co-researcher and friend Tony Crispino, a long-time advocate for patients with prostate cancer.
“Nick was very unlike other prostate cancer docs as he was accessible, knowledgable, and very involved with his patients. His main research was in advanced prostate cancer but also led teams in bladder and renal,” Crispino told me.
Crispino broke the news to me Wednesday about Nick’s death. He knew I had been a friend of Nick’s from his early days as a faculty member at the University of Chicago in the 1980s. At the time, I was a young medical reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times,
Dr. Vogelzang was part of the urology cancer dream team at U. of C. that included 1966 Nobel Prize winner Charles Huggins, MD, who proved that cancer cells were not autonomous and self-perpetuating, as previously believed. Instead, they were dependent on chemical signals, such as hormones to grow and survive, and that deprived cancer cells of those signals could restore the health of patients with widespread metastases.
Dr. Huggins provided an immense stimulus to research cancer chemotherapy.
Vogelzang followed that line and became a major medical oncology researcher. He dedicated his professional life to researching and treating rare forms of cancer.
He revolutionized mesothelioma treatment by discovering the first life-extending treatment for the disease. The chemotherapy drug combination of ALIMTA and Cisplatin continues to be the standard of care today.
His son Nicholas is a leading mesothelioma attorney bringing suits related to this asbestos-related lung cancer. I would think of Dr. Vogelzang whenever I see his son’s billboard near O’Hare International in Chicago.
Crispino said: “Nick is best known for his research in prostate cancer. But he was extraordinary with any of the GU cancers.”
Through NCI, Crispino said Vogelzang helped bring to market a long list of medicines to treat prostate medicine: Taxotere Jevtana, Zytiga, Xtandi, Xofigo, Olaporib, PSMA, Apalutimide, and TAK-700.
Another member of the U. of C. team and friend of Vogelzang’s was the late Gerald Chodak, MD, a urologist who established the theoretical framework for active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer and help start the UsTOO support group. I recruited Chodak, as the first medical advisor for Active Surveillance Patients International, which in 2021 created an award in his name for pioneering doctors.
Crispino said Vogelzang, who moved to Las Vegas in 2005, persuaded him to start an Us TOO chapter. “Nick noticed I was running online prostate boards early on and encouraged me to run UsTOO in Las Vegas,” Crispino said.
Vogelzang also got Crispino involved as a patient representative and advocate with the National Cancer Institute and the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG).
“It was Nick who treated me, then pulled me along for all the great research he did. A great friend, foremost,” said Crispino.
Vogelzang was co-founder of the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA), from which he retired in March because of his illness. Vogelzang had served on the KCA’s board since its founding in 1990.
I remember how he encouraged me to write about kidney cancer.
He was a true patient advocate. I remember him as a warm human being, the smartest guy in the room. He made a difference in cancer care and the lives of his patients.
Vogelzang spoke often about the importance of putting key resources into the hands of patients and providers alike, knowing that they must work together to solve problems.
“My dad was a pastor and my mom a teacher, so service to others was a big part of my family,” Vogelzang said. “Church was a big part of our lives, academic excellence was strongly emphasized, and curiosity was always encouraged. My siblings and I share a deep commitment to service to others.”
Vogelzang received his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and did a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Minnesota. As kidney cancer has evolved from a largely fatal diagnosis to one where patients have seen increased survival rates and can benefit from a variety of treatment options, multiple clinical trials, and a far greater understanding of kidney cancer biology and genetics, he had been a consistent voice of advocacy, education, and inspiration, KCA said.
Crispino said, “ Even in 1990 Nick was already known in research with hormone therapies and the use of radiation. At the time the only treatments known to extend lives were castration related. Huggins of course proved this and got a Nobel. (Paul) Corn (formerly of U of C) and Vogelzang worked on clinical castration methods and the search for better chemo. Corn heads up the medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Nick went to NCI and US Oncology.”
Crispino said his last publication with Vogelzang appeared here:
https://www.swog.org/news-events/news/2022/05/02/metastatic-prostate-cancer-os-up-markedly
Crispino said, “ I remember talking to Nick, and we agreed, men were living longer than ever with advanced prostate cancer and we proved it here.”
Crispino and Vogelzang hung out as friends and attended local sporting events together.
Crispino recalled how Vogelzang and he got to throw out the first pitches when the Chicago Cubs came to Las Vegas in recent years for Big League Weekend.
“That was an event (Cubs’ fan) Nick didn’t miss. He even threw better than (Anthony) Fauci, (President Biden’s chief medical advisor), Crispino said.
Active Surveillance 101 course launches at ASPI meeting
ASPI will be premiering the first of a new video series named "Active Surveillance 101" at 12-1:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, September 24, 2022.
Like 101-level courses in colleges, AS 101 is aimed at teaching the basics. In this case, it's the basics of active surveillance, close monitoring of low- to favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer.
The program features conversations between actual patients and their partners/spouses and leading experts. The goal of this series is to reach all AS candidates, including those who have not yet been diagnosed with prostate cancer but have rising PSAs (prostate-specific antigen) blood levels and offer them an introduction to AS and help them formulate questions when they go to their family doctors, urologists, or oncologists.
Register here: ASPI SEPTEMBER ZOOM MEETING
The first episode features a couple , Nancy and Larry White in a simulated office visit with Dr. Steve Spann, a top family physician and dean of the University of Houston College of Medicine. They discuss Larry's rising PSA and what it may mean.
In subsequent episodes, the couple visits Dr. Laurence Klotz, of the University of Toronto, the "father of active surveillance." Other episodes of AS 101 are being developed on biopsies, imaging, and DNA testing.
AS 101 is sponsored by the Active Surveillance Coalition, which includes Active Surveillance Patients International, the AnCan Virtual Support Group for Active Surveillance, Prostate Cancer Support Canada, Prostate Cancer Research Institute, and TheActiveSurveillor.com newsletter. We encourage you to share this series with anyone who you know who is dealing with this issue, including your family physician.
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