Good Pca Website for Docs -- and Ordinary Folks

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callalily - 11 Jan 2007 03:37 GMT

Hello All,

I would like to recommend to you all a really good website that I came
across. It is called:

Endotext.org

I would give it about ****1/2 stars because I found it to be extremely
useful. (5-stars is reserved for God.)

This site deals with "Male Endocrinology" in general and is intended
for medical prof'ls. However, if you look under the topic "The
Endocrinology of Male Reproduction" you will find an excellent, lucid,
comprehensive discussion of both Pca and ED. Here is Endotext's
"mission statement":

"Our goal in developing ENDOTEXT.ORG is to make needed information on
endocrine disease *immediately accessible* to practicing physicians and
trainees. We concentrate on *clinical disease, its diagnosis and
treatment*. Our site can not be all inclusive, and for additional
material not found in this clinically related site we refer our readers
to outstanding texts..."

Well folks, take advantage. There is a great deal of complex
information on this site which has been "distilled" in order to be of
"immediate" use to practicing physicians. I must say I found reading
the info on this site a lot easier than reading articles from medical
journals.

I think this is because the authors do not have space constraints and
so they are able to lay a foundation about a paricular subject and
build up from there and then everything seems to develop logically.
And you have in front of you all the background info you need (e.g.,
charts and graphs) . I was actually able to understand some of the
molecular biology of pca and found it really interesting.
I
This site also includes the latest info. Forex, in the chapter in
"Diagnosis", I came across a discussion of "free" psa and the DD3/RNA
test done by Bostwick Labs. I hadn't seen any of this in the
"standard" books. I was relieved to finally know what people here are
talking about all the time. This info is especially useful to me
because I am in the process of gathering all of my husband's clinical
data, biopsies, and path. reports (if only the doctors would
cooperate!!). I think we are finally ready to do the (dreaded)
nomograms.

Before I read the info here I had found myself confused about such
basic terms as "organ-confined" disease, "extracapsular penetration",
"localized" v. mets, etc. This really helped.

Anyway, check out this site if you want good, reliable information
about pca.

Best to you all,

Leah

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I.P. Freely - 11 Jan 2007 05:05 GMT

> Hello All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Endocrinology of Male Reproduction" you will find an excellent, lucid,
> comprehensive discussion of both Pca and ED.

Thanks, Leah; great site. I love it already, and haven't gotten to the
male part. The section on carcinoid tumors caught my attention first,
with these comments, because my colon cancer is neuroendochrine:

"The incidence of metastases [with carconoid colon cancer] is less than
15% with a carcinoid tumor smaller than 1 cm but rises to 95% with
tumors larger than 2 cm."

Mine was 3.6 cm. If it returns it's likely to be fatal well before I
need to worry about PSA again.

"The average time from onset of symptoms attributable to the tumor and
diagnosis is just over 9 years, and diagnosis is usually made only after
the carcinoid syndrome occurs."

OTOH, my prostate cancer led to the discovery of my colon cancer before
I got the carcinoid syndrome.

Now, about that male part . . .

I.P.

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callalily - 11 Jan 2007 14:32 GMT

Hello IP,

> > > > I would like to recommend to you all a really good website that I came
> > across. It is called:
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> male part. The section on carcinoid tumors caught my attention first,
> with these comments, because my colon cancer is neuroendochrine:

I am not sure if you're serious about "love", considering the topic,
but I think you are. Also, BTW, there are chapters on female issues,
too. A friend of mine, a doc, had recommended that i read a med text.
I thought he was crazy but as it turned out he wasn't. I think this
site will really help me.

> "The incidence of metastases [with carconoid colon cancer] is less than
> 15% with a carcinoid tumor smaller than 1 cm but rises to 95% with
> tumors larger than 2 cm."

Mine was 3.6 cm. If it returns it's likely to be fatal well before I

> need to worry about PSA again.
>
> "The average time from onset of symptoms attributable to the tumor and
> diagnosis is just over 9 years, and diagnosis is usually made only after
> the carcinoid syndrome occurs."

How far out has it been? Anyway, averages are just. People beat
averages.

My brother was diagnosed with colon ca at Mr. Sinai hosp. here in NYC
last year (a very good gastro facility) only after the doctors at his
local hosp. couldn't figure out what was going on, even after doing all
types of invasive tests. He was having miserable symptoms for a
*year*. When he got to Msin, they figured out what was wrong and had
operated on him within a day. They gave him some drugs and I am told
he is doing fine now.

> OTOH, my prostate cancer led to the discovery of my colon cancer before
> I got the carcinoid syndrome.
>
> The canary in the mine?
>
> Leah.

Reply to this Message

I.P. Freely - 12 Jan 2007 03:53 GMT

> quoting cancer article:
>> "The average time from onset of symptoms attributable to the tumor and
>> diagnosis is just over 9 years, and diagnosis is usually made only after
>> the carcinoid syndrome occurs."
>
> How far out has it been?

I never had definite symptoms, so that clock didn't start.

> My brother was diagnosed with colon ca at Mr. Sinai hosp.

I hope his isn't carcinoid. That is a very rare cancer, and is often not
diagnosed until the liver is involved and frequently inoperable.

> The canary in the mine?

No, unrelated and blind luck. They discovered the carcinoid tumor while
looking for PC mets.

I.P.

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