Key points from today’s guests:
Gary Shorman, prostate cancer survivor
- Four years ago, Gary received a call from Dr. Parker at The University of Kansas Cancer Center that his tests came back positive for prostate cancer.
- A radio host, Gary first learned about getting PSA levels checked from a guest who was a doctor. Gary started getting his PSA levels checked after that, which led to an early diagnosis of cancer.
- Gary had relationships with some people at the Mayo Clinic, so he sought a second opinion. The doctors there were supportive of what was going on at the KU Cancer Center and Dr. Parker.
- He opted to continue to get the best care closest to home with the Cancer Center.
- After having his prostate removed, Gary ended up going back and had a second procedure done which dropped a PSA next to close to zero again
- Every three months he has a PSA check just make sure that it is staying in remission.
- He founded a group called Alive to Ride to encourage other men, especially in his motorcycle club, to get their PSA checked. Because the sooner you get a check, the sooner you can get care, the better your treatment options are going to be. The better you have a time to be out and in his case, alive to ride.
Dr. William Parker, urologic oncologist, The University of Kansas Cancer Center
- PSA is a normal protein. It's a reproductive enzyme that's created by the prostate so it's something that we actually make a lot of, but it should not end up in the bloodstream, which is why we use it as a marker for prostate health.
- If the PSA is elevated, we can get an MRI look in the prostate which is most commonly what we end up doing. And then if there is a level of suspicion, the next step is doing a biopsy.
- After surgery to remove the prostate, the only source of PSA that should be remaining would be any cancer cells somewhere. So we need to find that source and treat it.
- If you're facing a medical decision – it doesn't matter if it's prostate cancer or something else -- the important thing is getting all the right information. And if you don't feel like you're getting all the information you need, seeking out that second opinion or whatever you need to get the information to make that decision is important.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, infection prevention and control, The University of Kansas Health System
- The Health System has 15 patients with active COVID infections this week, down slightly from 17 patients last week.
- A new drug is available – not in the U.S., but in Japan – that helps people with COVID recover their sense of smell and taste.
- This has been identified as a common symptom since the pandemic began.
- There is an FDA fast track now to review all the data, maybe get more data and maybe allow it to be prescribed in the U.S., but as of right now, it's not available here.
Wednesday, Nov. 8 is the next Open Mics with Dr. Stites. A unique brain implant is helping one man reclaim his life from epileptic seizures.
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