Category: Guy’s Cancer Centre

Cancer Beat

Posted in Cancer, Guy's Cancer Centre, NHS, Prostate Cancer2 Comments

I’m fully aware there is something a bit performative about writing a cancer blog, I knew it from the start, and I know it now. Look at me banging on about my prostate cancer. It’s very self-regarding, but all writers like a subject and from the day in November 2017 when I received news of an unwelcome guest inhabiting my insides it’s been my subject. Or rather it used to be.

Looking back at this blog’s content you’ll see there hasn’t been much activity of late. This has been entirely intentional. I used to write and get paid for my musings by a US cancer website. I’d read every article I could find on the subject to see what new treatments might be on the way. I was a close watcher of other cancer blogs and substacks. I was a walking talking cancer commentator. After a while, and with my cancer in something of a rout and retreat I decided to walk away, enough cancer for a while. Frankly I was sick of it. Seven years was more than enough.

As readers will know I’ve always thought my cancer would likely return. Perhaps this is just another way of dealing with the superstition that if you say you’re cancer free then cancer would probably sidle up to you one day and say: Really? Yah think so?

All of which has probably got you thinking that Jim’s cancer has returned, but I’m here to tell you that so far it hasn’t.

Last year, having been free of the little bastard for five years, my treatment was passed back from Guy’s Cancer Centre to my GP. I now get a PSA test every January to see the state of play. The current reading, which I got yesterday, is a healthy 0.48 a little down from last year when it stood at 0.51. Only when it exceeds 2.0 do the alarm bells start to ring.

I always get a little nervous at this time of year with what I’ve previously described at Stats Angst. I was pondering this over the weekend. If the result was saint style as Bridget Jones used to say, then my life would wander on as it has been for the last year or so with the major worry being that I’m not practising the piano enough. If, however, the number was a shocker then things would look very different indeed. This is of course a statement of the entirely bleeding obvious, but it still had the ability to occupy my mind.

For a year I shall endeavour to worry about other things but not cancer. I still think it’s entirely possible that I’ll be back on the cancer beat at some point in the future but not today you little bastard, not today.

Jim gets good news

Posted in Guy's Cancer Centre, NHS, Prostate CancerLeave a comment

It’s been more than six years since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And if you’ve been keeping up with this blog you will know I’ve had a bunch of treatments over the years. Well very good news came yesterday from Julie at Guy’s Cancer Centre. She told me that as I’d been cancer free for five years I was now discharged from Guy’s and my care handed back to my GP. Every January I’ll have a PSA test and as long as it remains below 2.0 then I’m in good shape. For the last two years my PSA has steadied to around 0.5. (Yesterday it was 0.51) Another reason why they felt comfortable discharging me.  

I still think the little bastard could make a comeback but by any reckoning this is good news. Last night, Mrs Preen and I drank champagne.

Climbing the Cancer Mountain

Posted in Cancer, Guy's Cancer Centre, Mental Health, Prostate Cancer, Radiotherapy, St Thomas' HospitalLeave a comment

We’ll get to the cancer mountain in a moment but first let’s examine ignorance. Ignorance among men about prostate cancer is widespread. A UK cancer charity, Prostate Cancer UK, recently set about unearthing the problem. They discovered many men assumed if they had prostate cancer they would present with symptoms. Most had no idea where the prostate is located or what function it performs.

Answers to common prostate cancer questions

In short order here are some answers to common questions:

*You can contract prostate cancer and have no symptoms.

*Your prostate is located just below your bladder. It is described as being the size of a walnut.

*The prostate generates fluid that is part of semen.

*The average age at the time of diagnosis is 66 years. It is rare in individuals under 40, though can happen.

*Black men are at higher risk for developing and dying from prostate cancer.

*A family history of prostate cancer can also put an individual at greater risk.

READ ON

Unwelcome guest update

Posted in Cancer, Guy's Cancer Centre, Hormone therapy, NHS, Prostate Cancer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

It’s 9th August 2023 and once again good news comes from the Oncology department at Guy’s Hospital. 

Six months ago my PSA level stood at a commendable 0.50 and I’ve just been told by my contact Jenneh from radiology that it now lists at 0.52.

As ever I was a little nervous before the call but can now sit back and relax for another six months.

I was diagnosed in November 2017, and all treatment was completed in August 2020. Having climbed to Annapurna Basecamp in April of this year things could be a whole lot worse. Still part of the NED Squad and thankful for it.

Picking the right treatment

Posted in Cancer, Cryotherapy, Guy's Cancer Centre, Hormone therapy, Prostate Cancer, Radiotherapy, TomotherapyLeave a comment

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men in the United States. As a result, there has been a lot of research into prostate cancer treatments.

When your doctor tells you you’ve contracted this malicious disease and you’ve picked yourself off the floor, there are many therapies for you to consider. At the risk of telling readers what they already know, among the options are prostatectomy, where the prostate is removed; hormone therapy, which depletes testosterone on which the cancer thrives; and radiotherapy, which fires beams of energy at the cancer cells. There are other options such as cryotherapy as well.

How I selected a treatment

When I was diagnosed, I remember a nurse telling me that ultimately when I had all the facts, I’d have to decide between a combination of hormone and radiotherapy or having my prostate removed. I remember being bemused by this responsibility. Not being a doctor, how would I know what the best treatment would be? It was such a huge decision that was about to be taken by someone intrinsically involved, but without any of the insight required.

Read on

Putting the Freeze on Cancer With Cryotherapy

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A case study about a friend of mine

During the summer of 2022 I learned my friend Les had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Eagle-eyed readers of this website may remember I wrote an article titled “A Friend Phones With Bad News” where we left Les considering either brachytherapy or cryotherapy to treat his condition.

To refresh your memory, his prostate cancer was discovered relatively early. He had been on active surveillance, so when the bad news came, the cancer had not spread outside the prostate. His PSA stood at 5, and his combined Gleason was 7.

To cut to the chase, Les decided to go with focal cryotherapy, so a brief look at this not-so-well-known treatment seems in order.

What is cryotherapy?

There are two types of cryotherapy: whole prostate and focal. As the names suggest, the former targets the whole prostate and the latter just the cancerous area. Both take place under general anesthesia. Cryotherapy is generally offered if the cancer has not spread outside the prostate. This treatment tends to be less invasive than others, such as surgery

Read on…

Calling time

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It’s annoying when they don’t call on time. Yesterday, at 4pm, I was expecting my six monthly check up call from the oncology department at Guys. A week ago, my blood had been drawn at the Cancer Centre to check my PSA level. Having been off any form of treatment for 18 months, was my PSA set to rise?

Following three years of hormone therapy and two months of radiotherapy my PSA had stood for more than a year at a highly acceptable 0.02. My prostate cancer was barely detectable. At 3.55 I was in a mildly anxious state waiting to find out my fate. By 4.40 no one had called so I took the dog out for a stroll to alleviate the stress.

Walking up the road, the phone goes, and I duck into a side road pulling Bucket after me to find out the latest instalment of Jim’s cancer capers. In short, the news is good. My PSA has increased, a small amount, and now stands at 0.23. The lady from the Cancer Centre described this figure as ‘magnificent’ which rather surprised me but hey, I now have magnificent cancer or rather lack of cancer. At diagnosis my PSA was 5.03.

This time they also measured my testosterone level which is not something I’d had done before. The hormone therapy reduces testosterone in men to something like zero which as you can imagine produces some irritating side effects. (hot flushes and loss of libido etc.) Testosterone is like catnip to cancer, hence the need to irradicate it for a while.

My testosterone level is now a plucky 18.6 which meant absolutely nothing to me until I learnt that in men the range is generally somewhere between 9 and 30. Of course I’ve no idea what my level was prior to my treatment but it seems to be in a relatively good place.

The brutal reality is that my PSA level will probably continue to rise, but it’s impossible to say how far and how fast. Once it hits 2.0 some of the dreary treatments may have to recommence but now, I have another six months until my next call and I’ll be putting cancer to the back of my mind. It’s something I’ve become rather good at. But next time Cancer Care at Guy’s, can you please respect the calling time.

Prostate Cancer Screening At A Supermarket

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It sounds like science fiction, but according to Mark Emberton, Professor of Interventional Oncology at University College London, prostate cancer screening could be coming to a supermarket near you.

10-minute scans

Professor Emberton is in charge of a clinical study which he’s hoping will transform prostate cancer screening. The $6.5 million trial, which started in August of 2019, stalled in the spring because of covid, but is now back on track. His team is looking at scans that take only ten minutes, which could potentially be rolled out to the general population.

I sat down with Mark to hear about his work.

Prostate cancer screening difficulties

In the UK, there are only a few nationwide screening programs, including breast cancer for women and bowel cancer for men.1 Prostate cancer is now the most-commonly diagnosed cancer in England, but nationwide screening has proved elusive, as it has such a poor diagnostic record.2

Traditionally, tests start with a digital exam followed by a PSA blood test, neither of which are particularly accurate or trustworthy. Around 75% of men with high PSA levels don’t have cancer, but about 15% with normal PSA levels actually do.3,4 I should know: when I was diagnosed with a malignant tumor, my PSA stood at just 5.03.

Read on.

Zoom call with the grim reaper

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Well of course it wasn’t with the grim reaper, death is always reluctant to take calls, but it was with a friend who before too long is booked in for a consultation with the scythe-wielding, black-cloaked spoilsport. I may be pushing the analogy a little far, but you could say the grim reaper was hovering in the background.

An honest conversation with a good friend

My friend, an artist who I’ve known for many years, isn’t sure how long he’s got but isn’t expecting to host a birthday party next year. At 88 he’s in pretty good spirits and has enjoyed a full and vigorous life. Make no mistake though, his departure will leave a big hole in the lives of many. Shakespeare has a line in Anthony and Cleopatra: “Make death proud to take us.” Death should be honoured to take this proud man. Read on.

Proton Beam Therapy: A Survivor’s Story

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Proton beam therapy is a hot discussion topic in this community and when I received an interesting note from Vickie about her partner’s proton experience, I knew I wanted to dig in and find out more.

What is proton beam therapy?

In very simple terms proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy that uses targeted beams of high-energy particles. It’s used to combat various forms of cancer particularly in children where cancer is located close to vital organs. The claims made for it are that it’s less likely to damage other organs and produces fewer side effects.

At first glance, it looks like a no-brainer, what could be better than a treatment that whacks the cancer and leaves the healthy organs intact?Unfortunately, it’s not that simple and the jury is out as to how effective proton therapy is at combatting prostate cancer. Read on…