madman
Super Moderator
Loved this one!
True Warrior!
“If we continue to do the same things, we will get the same results.”
“If BAT can be used to sensitive Xtandi/darolutamide ad infinitum, prostate cancer becomes a treatable condition like diabetes.” – Russ Hollyer
Meeting Summary
Advanced prostate cancer patients who are failing the standard hormone (androgen) deprivation therapy (“castrate resistant”) are interested in finding new options. Bipolar Androgen Therapy (BAT, where high doses of testosterone are alternated with androgen deprivation therapy-ADT) potentially offers a number of unique benefits.
It aims to:
- Control disease progression (as measured by prostate specific antigen/PSA and PSMA PET scans) for a sustained period
- Restore sensitivity to androgen therapies (e.g., Xtandi)
- Improve quality of life and also improve other health markers.
The clinical evidence supporting BAT is small-scale, and only for a portion of patients. It isn’t included early in the standard of care. It doesn’t have any pharmaceutical companies promoting its use since it depends on easily available, relatively inexpensive testosterone. Yet many advanced prostate cancer patients in our community who don’t have time to wait are trying BAT or seriously considering it.
We have had three previous discussions of adaptive therapy (where treatments are tuned to a patient's biomarkers, e.g., PSA level) and BAT.
Bob Gatenby, MD, from Moffitt Cancer Center, introduced adaptive therapy -- using evolutionary and game theory to inform cancer treatment strategy.
Advanced prostate cancer patient Bryce Olson shared the story of his exceptional response to BAT and then Bob Gatenby commented on Bryce’s experience and strategy.
Emmanuel Antonarakis, MD, spoke about using BAT for advanced prostate cancer.
What Does It Take to Choose BAT?
1st, most patients and oncologists are not aware of or considering BAT as an option. Pharma won’t fund trials for this treatment because they would not return a profit.
2nd, the patient has to be brave enough – we have been taught for years that taking testosterone can be like throwing gasoline on the fire, feeding cancer growth.
3rd, the patient must find a doctor who is willing to support it or be willing to self-administer (typically with monitoring by an MO).
About Russ Hollyer
Super patient Russ Hollyer is uniquely qualified to share a patient's view on BAT. He has been self-administering BAT and has written a book about his experience. Russ is a "citizen scientist", applying his expertise in science (reviewing research papers, running experiments, accessing drugs, testing, monitoring progress) to his own treatment.
Russ has advanced prostate cancer, Gleason 9, and was diagnosed in 2018. He had a radical prostatectomy (RP) later that year, estrogen/Zytiga ADT in 2019, followed by high testosterone, followed by do it yourself BAT. Each BAT treatment involves the self-administration of hormonal ablation or hormonal extremes.
During his work career, Russ worked as an electrical engineer for a medical company, an aerospace engineer for the government and contractors, and as a hedge fund manager. Most of his work was in the medical technology area and involved data gathering, quality screen design, computer programming, and test screening. Because of this he became very data-driven. He determined from experience that theories and hypotheticals are very frequently proven to be incorrect.
Discussion Agenda
- Description of BAT
- Russ's experience
- How to improve BAT
- Description of BAT
True Warrior!
“If we continue to do the same things, we will get the same results.”
“If BAT can be used to sensitive Xtandi/darolutamide ad infinitum, prostate cancer becomes a treatable condition like diabetes.” – Russ Hollyer
Meeting Summary
Advanced prostate cancer patients who are failing the standard hormone (androgen) deprivation therapy (“castrate resistant”) are interested in finding new options. Bipolar Androgen Therapy (BAT, where high doses of testosterone are alternated with androgen deprivation therapy-ADT) potentially offers a number of unique benefits.
It aims to:
- Control disease progression (as measured by prostate specific antigen/PSA and PSMA PET scans) for a sustained period
- Restore sensitivity to androgen therapies (e.g., Xtandi)
- Improve quality of life and also improve other health markers.
The clinical evidence supporting BAT is small-scale, and only for a portion of patients. It isn’t included early in the standard of care. It doesn’t have any pharmaceutical companies promoting its use since it depends on easily available, relatively inexpensive testosterone. Yet many advanced prostate cancer patients in our community who don’t have time to wait are trying BAT or seriously considering it.
We have had three previous discussions of adaptive therapy (where treatments are tuned to a patient's biomarkers, e.g., PSA level) and BAT.
Bob Gatenby, MD, from Moffitt Cancer Center, introduced adaptive therapy -- using evolutionary and game theory to inform cancer treatment strategy.
Advanced prostate cancer patient Bryce Olson shared the story of his exceptional response to BAT and then Bob Gatenby commented on Bryce’s experience and strategy.
Emmanuel Antonarakis, MD, spoke about using BAT for advanced prostate cancer.
What Does It Take to Choose BAT?
1st, most patients and oncologists are not aware of or considering BAT as an option. Pharma won’t fund trials for this treatment because they would not return a profit.
2nd, the patient has to be brave enough – we have been taught for years that taking testosterone can be like throwing gasoline on the fire, feeding cancer growth.
3rd, the patient must find a doctor who is willing to support it or be willing to self-administer (typically with monitoring by an MO).
About Russ Hollyer
Super patient Russ Hollyer is uniquely qualified to share a patient's view on BAT. He has been self-administering BAT and has written a book about his experience. Russ is a "citizen scientist", applying his expertise in science (reviewing research papers, running experiments, accessing drugs, testing, monitoring progress) to his own treatment.
Russ has advanced prostate cancer, Gleason 9, and was diagnosed in 2018. He had a radical prostatectomy (RP) later that year, estrogen/Zytiga ADT in 2019, followed by high testosterone, followed by do it yourself BAT. Each BAT treatment involves the self-administration of hormonal ablation or hormonal extremes.
During his work career, Russ worked as an electrical engineer for a medical company, an aerospace engineer for the government and contractors, and as a hedge fund manager. Most of his work was in the medical technology area and involved data gathering, quality screen design, computer programming, and test screening. Because of this he became very data-driven. He determined from experience that theories and hypotheticals are very frequently proven to be incorrect.
Discussion Agenda
- Description of BAT
- Russ's experience
- How to improve BAT
- Description of BAT
