Does everyone with prostate cancer need genetic testing? No. Many men are diagnosed with low-risk or intermediate-risk localized cancer, cancer that may not need to be treated immediately or maybe even ever. But as we discussed in Part 1 of my discussion with Oregon Health Sciences University medical oncologist Alexandra Sokolova, M.D., some men […]
https://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Germline-part-2-VJ-e1756403029262.jpg200300Janethttps://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vital-jake-logo3-300x146.pngJanet2025-08-28 10:49:242025-08-28 10:49:24Germline Genetic Testing for Prostate Cancer and You, Part 2
Does Cancer Run in Your Family? If you have high-risk or metastatic prostate cancer, you may have been born with a faulty gene, and you should strongly consider “germline” genetic testing, testing of the genes you were born with. In my work for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, I recently interviewed an expert on germline genetic […]
https://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Germline-testing-for-VJ-e1756396132641.jpg200300Janethttps://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vital-jake-logo3-300x146.pngJanet2025-08-28 08:49:552025-08-28 08:49:55Germline Genetic Testing for Prostate Cancer and You, Part 1
Lessons from a Prostate Cancer Survivor Ric Siler fought prostate cancer twice, both times with doctors who were going for a cure. Today, five years out, he’s cancer-free and sharing his message of hope with other men and their families. You’re minding your own business and happily living your life, as most of us […]
https://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Ric-Siler-Italy-photo-for-VJ-e1750715950266.jpg200300Janethttps://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vital-jake-logo3-300x146.pngJanet2025-06-23 15:01:032025-06-23 15:01:03Lessons from a Prostate Cancer Survivor
New research opens up a whole new avenue for treating advanced prostate cancer. One of the best things about working as a writer for the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is that I have gotten to interview scientists doing some of the most promising research on prostate cancer, a disease that I can’t seem to get […]
https://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Alternate-LLobet-photo-for-VJ-e1749673711101.jpg200300Janethttps://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vital-jake-logo3-300x146.pngJanet2025-06-11 13:09:462025-06-30 11:13:14Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Astonishing Improvement and a Landmark Case
Heartburn, also called GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease), is miserable. To review what causes it, see this post. Now, let’s talk about how to make it better. I know this subject better than I’d like to, and if you suffer from heartburn, I feel your pain: I, too, am a reluctant member of the GERD herd. So. […]
https://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Revised-VJ-heartburn-e1747518466325.jpg200350Janethttps://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vital-jake-logo3-300x146.pngJanet2025-05-17 15:57:502025-05-17 15:57:50Help for Heartburn
Roadblocks to Combination Therapy, and Paving the Way for Success As we discussed in Part 1, the year 2015 was a milestone in treatment of early metastasis (metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, or mHSPC). For the first time, the CHAARTED study showed that men with mHSPC who began ADT (androgen deprivation therapy, which shuts down […]
Do you have prostate cancer? Answering that question is usually a multi-step process, with each step bringing another key piece of evidence to the puzzle. Step 1 is the screening PSA test, which may or may not be accompanied by a rectal exam (we can call that Step 1a.) The trouble with the rectal exam […]
https://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Prostate-MRI-for-VJ-e1745441684250.jpg190400Janethttps://vitaljake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vital-jake-logo3-300x146.pngJanet2025-04-24 10:12:382025-04-24 10:12:38Prostate MRI: What Does My PI-RADS Score Mean?
Germline Genetic Testing for Prostate Cancer and You, Part 2
Does everyone with prostate cancer need genetic testing? No. Many men are diagnosed with low-risk or intermediate-risk localized cancer, cancer that may not need to be treated immediately or maybe even ever. But as we discussed in Part 1 of my discussion with Oregon Health Sciences University medical oncologist Alexandra Sokolova, M.D., some men […]
Germline Genetic Testing for Prostate Cancer and You, Part 1
Does Cancer Run in Your Family? If you have high-risk or metastatic prostate cancer, you may have been born with a faulty gene, and you should strongly consider “germline” genetic testing, testing of the genes you were born with. In my work for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, I recently interviewed an expert on germline genetic […]
Lessons from a Prostate Cancer Survivor
Lessons from a Prostate Cancer Survivor Ric Siler fought prostate cancer twice, both times with doctors who were going for a cure. Today, five years out, he’s cancer-free and sharing his message of hope with other men and their families. You’re minding your own business and happily living your life, as most of us […]
Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Astonishing Improvement and a Landmark Case
New research opens up a whole new avenue for treating advanced prostate cancer. One of the best things about working as a writer for the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is that I have gotten to interview scientists doing some of the most promising research on prostate cancer, a disease that I can’t seem to get […]
Help for Heartburn
Heartburn, also called GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease), is miserable. To review what causes it, see this post. Now, let’s talk about how to make it better. I know this subject better than I’d like to, and if you suffer from heartburn, I feel your pain: I, too, am a reluctant member of the GERD herd. So. […]
Don’t Undertreat Metastatic Prostate Cancer! Part 2
Roadblocks to Combination Therapy, and Paving the Way for Success As we discussed in Part 1, the year 2015 was a milestone in treatment of early metastasis (metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, or mHSPC). For the first time, the CHAARTED study showed that men with mHSPC who began ADT (androgen deprivation therapy, which shuts down […]
Prostate MRI: What Does My PI-RADS Score Mean?
Do you have prostate cancer? Answering that question is usually a multi-step process, with each step bringing another key piece of evidence to the puzzle. Step 1 is the screening PSA test, which may or may not be accompanied by a rectal exam (we can call that Step 1a.) The trouble with the rectal exam […]