NCCN guidance on initial management of low-risk, localized prostate cancer (redux)

In late October, we had commented on the then-latest revision of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)’s guidelines on the initial management of men with low-risk forms of localized prostate cancer. Specifically we had protested the removal of any suggestion that this form of prostate cancer should — preferably — be managed using active surveillance. The NCCN has now released a new revision to the guidelines that has modified the prior suggestion. … READ MORE …

NCCN guidance on the initial management of low-risk, localized prostate cancer

As many readers will already be aware, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has recently removed the word “preferred” from its statement regarding the use of active surveillance (AS) as an appropriate form of management of men with low-risk forms of localized prostate cancer. A broad swath of specialists in the initial management of low-risk disease, as well as many in the patient advocacy community, have been highly critical of this change to the NCCN guidelines. … READ MORE …

Helpful upcoming webinars this week

Three more upcoming webinars this week will deal with (a) the work-up of men with prostate cancer prostate cancer who progress after first-line therapy (such as surgery, radiation, etc.); (b) whether Gleason 6 disease should really be defined as “prostate cancer”; and (c) an update on the most current information related to the evaluation and management of men with prostate cancer appropriate for active surveillance. … READ MORE …

Research on AS in management of prostate cancer: your input is important!

A diverse group of patients, patient advocates, patient spouses/supporters, physicians, and other researchers has come together, with funding support from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), to plan a virtual conference for the fall of 2021. At that conference, we intend to discuss and identify new and evolving opportunities for research into the most appropriate, high-need, high-impact topics affecting the use of active surveillance (AS) for the management of favorable-risk forms of prostate cancer (i.e., low-risk and “favorable” intermediate-risk disease). … READ MORE …

Patient survey re active surveillance

AnCan, UsTOO, and Active Surveillance Patients International (ASPI) are working together to conduct a survey of the experiences of men who are on active surveillance (AS), have ever considered AS, or were at one time on AS. Spouses/partners of such men are also able to participate. … READ MORE …

Active surveillance and related research: a new research initiative

As some of our readers will already be aware, Prostate Cancer International has been working in concert with Dr. M. Mihaj Siddiqui at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the PATIENTS program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy to put together a grant request for funding for a program to identify evidence gaps to guide future research on the use of active surveillance to monitor low-risk prostate cancers. … READ MORE …

Major new survey on active surveillance and prostate cancer

In February, a group of researchers initiated a major new survey of patient knowledge about active surveillance as an initial management option for men with lower risk forms of prostate cancer. … READ MORE …

AS and management of Grade Group 2 prostate cancer

The abstract of a presentation to be given by Egan et al. — from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at Bethesda, MD — at the upcoming, virtual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium has indicated that active surveillance (AS) seems to be a very reasonable option for first-line management for compliant patients initially diagnosed with Grade Group 2 prostate cancer. … READ MORE …

Mediterranean diet, active surveillance, and low-risk prostate cancer: the details

As we advised readers yesterday, a newly published study by Gregg et al. from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has given some clear indications that men diagnosed with lower-risk forms of prostate cancer who are initially managed on active surveillance (AS) can benefit — in terms of time to disease progression — from what is known as the Mediterranean-type diet. … READ MORE …

Mediterranean diet, active surveillance, and low-risk prostate cancer

The abstract of a newly published study on the use of the Mediterranean diet (MD) by men on active surveillance (AS) for management of low-risk, localized prostate cancer states that … READ MORE …

“Doctor, where did my cancer go?”

Some 18 months ago we had written about the possible occurrence of spontaneous remissions in men on active surveillance (AS) for low-risk forms of prostate cancer. We were therefore very interested in a recent article closely related to this topic. … READ MORE..

AS for lower-risk forms of prostate cancer needs celebrity endorsement

The following article was written by two of the founders of Active Surveillance Patients International (ASPI) under the title “Al Roker’s forecast: rising PSA and a radical prostatectomy” and distributed largely by e-mail. It is re-posted here with the permission of the authors. … READ MORE …

Long-term use of 5-ARIs in low-risk men on AS

Perhaps unsurprisingly, your sitemaster was a little distracted on March 9 this year (by both the start of the COVID-19 chaos and by his birthday) and so he utterly missed what appears to be a rather important paper on the use of 5α-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) in men on active surveillance (AS) for management of low-risk forms of prostate cancer.

… READ MORE …

Webinar 2 on “Active Surveillance & Beyond”

At the end of this month, on Tuesday, September 29, at 8:00-9:30 p.m. Eastern time (to be precise), there will be a second webinar in the series on the role of active surveillance in the management of favorable-risk forms of localized prostate cancer, coordinated by our good friend Howard Wolinsky and others. … READ MORE …

Risk calculators for men already on active surveillance

The Prostate Active Surveillance Study (PASS), initially funded by the Canary Foundation, is a multi-center research study for men  with low-risk disease who have chosen active surveillance (AS) to manage their prostate cancer. Active surveillance in PASS means closely monitoring men with prostate cancer and offering treatment if test results show the cancer is getting worse. … READ MORE …