2020 - Ronny Allan - Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

31Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan Newsletter – 1st January 2021

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Happy new year everyone! OverviewJust when things couldn't get weirder, they get weirder. At the beginning of the year, I started as I meant to go on, more advocacy work, more support for patients, grow my pages, grow my website, grow my private group. I achieved most of it (and then some). In February/March, it became obvious things were happening that would have serious consequences. Nonetheless, I think most people thought it would all be over in a few months. We got that wrong......Where I live, December just got worse, we are in a very serious second wave of the virus and it could even turn out to be more…

30Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

A 2020 blog review (RonnyAllan.NET)

Awareness

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Click picture to view the A to Z of Neuroendocrine Cancer by Ronny Allan I should be happy with just over a third of a million views in 2020 but I'm not! I had a target to beat 370,500 from 2019 but fell short by 35,000 (an average month). However, you can see from the chart below, I was on track in Jan/Feb but knocked sideways by the COVID pandemic in March to August. I never got back above 30k in one month (my average) until November. December is traditionally quieter. Hopefully 2021 will be a better year. Facebook is a prime outlet for my blog views (by a country…

23Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Genome methylation accurately predicts neuroendocrine tumor origin – finding Neuroendocrine Neoplasms of unknown primary

Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy

It's estimated that around 5-10% of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs) have an unknown primary - what that means is cancer cells have been found in the body but the place cancer began remains unknown. I wrote about this issue in more depth in my article "Needle in a haystack" - you can read that here. In that article, you will note that NET specialists through their knowledge and understanding of the behaviour of these comped tumours, can often drill down and gather various pieces of evidence to help narrow down the primary location. However, this new study would indicate they could have access to a new tool to be able to home in on a particular location.DNA methylation-based profiling is now routinely used in the diagnostic workup of brain tumors but…

21Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Somatostatin Receptor Positive Advanced Bronchial Neuroendocrine Tumors – PRRT vs Everolimus

Clinical Trials

When I see a trial for Gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEPNETs), I know that BP (Bronchopulmonary) NETs (includes Lung) are not included. When you look at the approval wording for the major treatments in use (PRRT Lutathera, Lanreotide), they appear to use the term GEPNETs making BP NETs the poor relative. Clearly there's highly complex reasons why NETs react differently in different parts of the body. I can see that BP NET patients were involved in clinical trials for both of the mainstream treatments listed above. The drug approval process is also highly complex, and I can see from the wording that functional BP NETs with carcinoid syndrome can qualify at least for somatostatin analogues (Lanreotide and Octreotide). That is not to say BP NET patients cannot get access to these treatments,…

17Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

The other Big C can be dangerous too

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

I managed to avoid a C-19 infection all the way through several lockdowns, and I deployed a rigorous protection regime throughout. Ditto for Chris. I have a chest infection history, so for me, it was a no-brainer to take advantage of the vaccines on offer.July 2022 - boom! It slipped through the net (no pun). I have to say it was not an enjoyable experience and I would not like to repeat it. Today I received my 4th vaccine and am very happy to do so. If it offers any protection from serious illness, I'll gladly take it. Read my post on that here or click the photo below.[caption id="attachment_33846" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Click on the photo to read more[/caption]My covid experience is ongoing as a CT scan picked up ground…

15Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Neuroendocrine Tumours – now you see them, now you don’t!

Treatment

In my post entitled "If you can see it, you can detect it", I listed the different types of scanning techniques and technology to find evidence of disease in Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs). Of course, while scans, blood and (current) marker tests can give some pretty big and important clues, "tissue is the issue" to determine type.Even after formal diagnosis, seeing all the tumours can be a challenge with NETs. In the article I quoted above, I indicated that scans for NETs can be analogous to picking 'horses for courses'. For example, most NETs have somatostatin receptors and can often be seen better on functional scans e.g. somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) or somatostatin receptor PET (SSTR-PET), combined with the use of radionuclides designed specifically for this purpose e.g. In111, Tc99m, Ga68,…

13Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Selecting patients and the Challenges of Evaluating Response to PRRT in GEPNETs: The Present and the Future

Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy, Treatment

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Fascinating article from the Italian NET scientific community. This article is more than just what the title says, it provides overviews on many facets of NETs including markers, scans and PRRT itself. It covers how to select patients for PRRT in the first place, i.e. who is most likely to get a good response to this treatment and then look at how to track and assess that response. The important thing I gathered from reading is that none of this is a precise science, there are too many variables. And while this article focusses on the clinical factors, there can of course be non-clinical factors in play in different countries…

08Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Lanreotide: Eleven more years please!

Inspiration, Treatment

Back in February 2015, I wrote an article called "Four more years" and the title came from an election campaign happening at the time when I had been on Lanreotide for approximately four years. Inspired by this campaign slogan, I too wanted four more years and crafted the blog post. However, I was underselling myself as I've now hit 11 years of Lanreotide on 9th December 2021. On that day in 2010, I was still recovering from major surgery and hadn't had any somatostatin analogues since leaving hospital on 26th Nov. Prior to surgery, I had been taking daily shots of Octreotide which did have the effect of reducing the symptoms of (so called) carcinoid syndrome. I was also administered peri-operative octreotide to de-risk the chances of a hormonal crisis…

01Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 15 Comments

2 Million!

Awareness, General, Humour, Inspiration, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship

Today, 27th October 2022, I can confirm the 2 million views milestone has been reached. I was totally astonished to have been able to accumulate a million views of my blog around the middle of June 2019 and in December 2020, a Christmas present of one and a half million! Fast forward to November 2021 and it's one and three-quarters million.That is THANKS to you guys for reading and sharing. When I first set up this blog in Apr 2014, it was just to help spread awareness (and collect a few pennies) whilst I was walking the 84 miles of Hadrian's Wall with my wife Chris. I never thought for one minute I would reach a thousand hits let alone 2 million: whilst accumulating around 20,000 followers across all my social media…

01Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan Newsletter 1st December 2020

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email This newsletter covers a busy November with a look ahead for December and beyond. October 2020 was manic, but November was just as manic but in a different way. It was also a better month in terms of growth (increased viewing statistics etc).In UK. most of November had been under new COVID restrictions but due to the weather this time of year, I was not able to exploit that as much as the first lockdown in April/May. Despite that, I'm built for lockdowns due to a 'regimented' upbringing in the military, so was able to stay busy and relaxed when needed. Still managed to get a few walks and cycles now…

15Nov 2020 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

If it’s not raining, it’s not training! (part 2)

Inspiration, Survivorship

As someone who was born and raised in the Scotland, and lived most of my life in the UK, I'm no stranger to inclement weather. In my 29 years years in the military, the weather was no excuse to do nothing, whether it was training or the real thing. They gave us wet weather clothing after all! There is a saying in the UK army and it goes like this "If it's not raining, it's not training". In classic British pragmatism, it decodes to "raining is normal so get on with it". In fact, one of my oldest army friends cannot wait for the torrential rain, he much prefers it to the sun! Read his blog here. We've been caught out over the years, for example back in 2016, a…

01Nov 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

Ronny Allan Newsletter 1st November 2020

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email This newsletter covers a busy October with a look ahead for Nov/Dec. September 2020 was manic but October, although slightly less busy, has been a mix of activity, much of it devoted to personal pursuits. The end of October in UK has arrived and an announcement of another nationwide COVID lockdown. his will keep me low profile in November but as I've said before, I'm built for lockdowns as long as I can get a walk or cycle in the woods now and then!The newsletter is divided into a number of sections:1. External news of interest. A shortlist of things I picked up on my social media travels.2. A bit of…

30Oct 2020 by Ronny Allan 9 Comments

Piss off cancer – I’m 67.5

Awareness, Inspiration

I started doing the “Piss off cancer” series when I got to 65, mainly because I initially thought I wouldn’t make that age. I was 54 years and 9 months old at diagnosis on 26th July 2010. For the first few months, I had no idea what the outcome would be. What I did know at the time, given the final staging, grading, and other damage that was accumulated via various tests, checks, and scans; is that my body had been slowly dying. Without intervention I may not be here now to tell you this tale and who knows what would be listed on my death certificate. It's amazing to think something that would eventually kill me without intervention, didn't have a much grander announcement than the one presented to…

22Oct 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Early diagnosis of late stage cancer!

Awareness

OPINION: What a strange title for a cancer blog post! However, what a strange cancer I have. Let me explain - I was really confused in 2010 as to how I could suddenly become a stage 4 Neuroendocrine Cancer patient even though I didn't feel ill enough to see a doctor. To cut a long story short, you can read about me here."The cancer has been growing for years"One of the common stories I hear from other patients is they were told their cancer had been growing for some years, up to 10/11/12 in most cases. I'm fairly certain my surgeon once said something similar. Clearly doctors are 'guesstimating' so these comments must be considered anecdotal rather than scientific fact - there's simply no surveillance records to prove it in individual…

20Oct 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Serotonin – it’s a no-brainer!

Patient Advocacy

OPINIONThere is constant discussion about the effects of serotonin-producing tumours and issues of depression, anxiety, and 'rage'. However, it's a really complex issue for laypeople and I have no intention of trying to resolve it in this article. However, it's clear to me from listening and reading these discussions in patient forums for many years, that most of the discussion appears to be based on years of unsubstantiated and unmoderated debate inside patient forums without professional input. This is not an attempt to bash patient leaders and forum administrators, because a full understanding of these issues needs a much wider moderation. I've spent a considerable time researching and analysing what science is known and I can tell you now that the behaviour of serotonin in the human body is not…

09Oct 2020 by Ronny Allan 5 Comments

Paul Hunter Tribute – Snooker champion and Neuroendocrine Cancer patient

Awareness, Inspiration

Paul Hunter, three-time Masters snooker champion was just 27 when he fell victim to Neuroendocrine Cancer at the peak of his powers and popularity. At just 25, he'd won the third Masters title, a feat which, at the time, had been achieved by only two other players in the world. He was dubbed the "Beckham of the Baize" because of his chiselled good looks and long, blond hair (a reference to famous footballer David Beckham). The Masters Trophy is one of the prestigious titles in the international snooker world and it was a belated honour that the trophy was renamed "The Paul Hunter Trophy" in 2016 at the 10th anniversary of his death from Neuroendocrine Cancer. This young age is unlike the majority of Neuroendocrine Cancer patients who are diagnosed…

30Sep 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan Newsletter 1st October 2020

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email September 2020 has been another very interesting month and I'm still trying to work out how I've been able to pack it all into 30 days. It's a month full of personal 'cancerversaries', things that have inspired me to do more and signs of normal life returning (well at least a new normal). The newsletter is divided into a number of sections: 1. External news of interest. A shortlist of things I picked up on my social media travels. 2. A bit of inspiration. Something which was very popular with my following and I wanted to share with you this month. 3. External projects - what I've been up to…

18Sep 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

Clinical Trial: Phase II CLARINET FORTE Somatuline Autogel (Lanreotide) increased dosing frequency

Clinical Trials, Treatment

CLARINET FORTE is a prospective single-arm, open-label, exploratory, international Phase II study to explore the efficacy and safety of an increased Somatuline® Autogel® (lanreotide) dosing frequency (120 mg every 14 days) in patients with metastatic or locally advanced unresectable pancreatic NETs or midgut NETs, with centrally-accessed progression within the last two years while on a standard lanreotide regimen (120 mg every 28 days) for more than 24 weeks.Data announced in September 2020 at the 2020 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), indicated the phase 2 results support a clinically meaningful benefit to a population of patients with high unmet medical need by potentially delaying escalation to more toxic treatments. This means patients with progressive NETs are able to remain on a more tolerable first-line standard of care for longer,” said Professor…

16Sep 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

I don’t look sick enough, sorry not sorry

Inspiration

Despite earlier diagnoses via more technology and screening, many people have a perception about people with cancer, it includes many things including but not limited to, lack of hair, ill in bed and being infused regularly with chemotherapy. Another perception is they die. All of that is clearly terrible but it's not the norm. Many people live with cancer, many people with cancer go to work many people go on holiday, many people with cancer do normal stuff. The crazy thing about this perception is that the cancer story is changing, more and more of us are going to come into contact with cancer, either through our own experience or the experience of a close relative or friend. We live longer nowadays and as cancer is essentially (but not always)…

12Sep 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

Clinical Trial of Tidutamab in Neuroendocrine Cancer (DUET-1)

Clinical Trials

UPDATE: 13th July 2022Xencor halted this clinical trial due to disappointing results. Click here to read moreXencor, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced that initial data from its ongoing Phase 1 dose-escalation study of tidutamab (XmAb®18087), an SSTR2 x CD3 bispecific antibody, in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) will be presented during the upcoming North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society’s 2021 Multidisciplinary NET Medical Virtual Symposium (note - it was also presented at NANETS 2020). What are monocloncal antibodies? See here About Tidutamab Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced molecules engineered to serve as substitute antibodies that can restore, enhance or mimic the immune system's attack on cancer cells. They are designed to bind to antigens that are generally more numerous on…

10Sep 2020 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

“I’m vertical” – Steve Jobs announces to Apple staff after a liver transplant

Patient Advocacy

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email A lot had been written about Steve Jobs, some good, some bad, some inaccurate - the latter is mostly about the cancer he had. I came across this clip published by an Apple Mac publication and it contained a video of Steve the day he returned to Apple after having a liver transplant and had recovered from the procedure. In it he said "I'm vertical" in classic Jobs language and positive outlook. Watch the clip here:https://youtu.be/BNv2lH225Ko The article is a good one except it falls for the usual trap - that he had Pancreatic Cancer. I made a comment of course - you might like to too. It's probably too…

05Sep 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Flower power and the happy hormones

Inspiration, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

A sunflower picture from 2015 which I planted with my own hands, and it grew taller than me (not difficult), even taller than my garden fence (more difficult). Of course, I have to mention my wife Chris because she does infinitely more gardening than I do, and she would have nurtured the sunflower from start to finish after I planted it. Nonetheless, I still felt a remarkably close association with the outcome! My most liked Facebook posts in 2020 (the year of COVID) related to plant and forest pictures and there is a reason flowers proved to be more popular than my other posts. Flowers, particularly with vibrant colour, stimulate our happiness hormones, including serotonin. Now, serotonin has a bad press in the Neuroendocrine Cancer world, but it's a really important…

02Sep 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

1.4 million thanks!

Awareness, Patient Advocacy

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Just registered the 1,400,000th view of my blog site. So grateful for the support!Last 12 posts going back to 28th June - feel free to read and share. Each one has a share button for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, WhatsApp and Email (as has the entire post).You can also catch up on other points of interest and some of my lockdown activities on my Facebook pages Ronny Allan and Neuroendocrine CancerMany thanksRonny

31Aug 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

RonnyAllan.NET – Newsletter 1st September 2020

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email External news of interestNot surprisingly, news about Neuroendocrine Cancer has been a bit slow but I sense that things are starting to pick up. Here's a few items I picked up during August from my google alerts, from direct contact or from twitter (the latter is a key source for me to hear about what's happening).1. The Middle East Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (MENETS) will hold their first World NEN Lives 2020 Congress this September 23-24 virtually via Zoom. This congress is designed to showcase treatment options and ways to live better with and around NENs. The speakers include some of the top NEN world specialists as well as patients and…

18Aug 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Small intestine, large surgery

Patient Advocacy, Treatment

My own experienceAt my diagnostic consultation, the Oncologist told me I had Stage 4 metastatic Small Intestine NET (SI NET). He also told me that surgery would almost definitely be on the cards and would be referring me to an experienced surgeon in a different hospital for assessment. I was assured this surgeon was one of the most experienced in the south of England for NETs. This was before the current multi-disciplinary team was set up, but it did all seem so very organised and I felt comfortable, albeit apprehensive. Worth pointing out that surgery is not normally offered in cancer at Stage 4 but the slow-growing nature of most NETs allows for some leeway here. Statistics indicate that around 50% of SI NET present as metastatic cases, I'd like…

01Aug 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

RonnyAllan.NET – Newsletter 1st August 2020

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email External news of interest Not surprisingly, news about Neuroendocrine Cancer has been a bit slow but I sense that things are starting to pick up. Here's a few items I picked up during July from my google alerts or from twitter (a key source for me to hear about what's happening). 1. 64Cu DOTATATE PET scans. This is an alternative scan that's been in use in Europe but is undergoing trials in US - it has some advantages in particular a more logistically efficient generator system than the Ga68 PET. There's been an announcement of an expanded access program in US providing access to nuclear PET scans for NET patients…

28Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

Paraneoplastic endocrine syndromes – the NET effect

Patient Advocacy, Survivorship

Kaltsas, G., Androulakis, I., de Herder, W., & Grossman, A. (2010). Paraneoplastic syndromes secondary to neuroendocrine tumours, Endocrine-Related Cancer, 17(3), R173-R193. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020, from https://erc.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/erc/17/3/R173.xml Neuroendocrine Tumours (NET)Paraneoplastic syndromes are a group of rare disorders that are triggered by an abnormal immune system response to a cancerous tumour known as a "neoplasm." Paraneoplastic syndromes are thought to happen when cancer-fighting antibodies or white blood cells (known as T cells) mistakenly attack normal cells in the nervous system. These disorders typically affect middle-aged to older people and are most common in individuals with lung, ovarian, lymphatic, or breast cancer. Neurologic symptoms generally develop over a period of days to weeks and usually occur prior to the tumor being discovered. These symptoms may include difficulty in walking or swallowing, loss…

26Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan 7 Comments

10 years, I’m still here

Awareness, Inspiration

I finally made 10 years since I was diagnosed on 26th July 2010. A milestone I was not certain at the time I would reach. However, as things progressed, as treatment was administered, as I got used to living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, I eventually became more confident this was a possibility. I was fortunate that my cancer was not that aggressive although it was aggressive enough over an unknown period of time (probably years) to have grown inside my small intestine and mesentery, reached an army of lymph nodes and settled in my liver and beyond including, strangely, in my left armpit. It was incurable. And, unique to serotonin secreting Neuroendocrine Tumours, it had caused a dense fibrotic reaction in the general area of the mesentery and in the retroperitoneal…

24Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan 10 Comments

Don’t be cavalier with a cancer diagnosis

Awareness, Inspiration

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email [caption id="attachment_19230" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Denial[/caption]I talk often about my diagnosis but not about an 'incident' which occurred almost immediately prior to being formally told. In fact it happened on 24th July 2010, 10 years to the date this post was published. (Spoiler alert - I'm still here).I was well into the 'diagnostic phase', having had all sorts of tests including a liver biopsy. I vividly remember thinking these tests were a 'nuisance', I was far too busy and I didn't even feel ill. In hindsight, I was fortunate to have had such a thorough bunch of physicians who diagnosed me with metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer in about 6 weeks 'flash to bang'. I…

19Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – no sweat!

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

I see so many questions and comments in my private group about sweating, in particular, 'night sweats' and it's prompted me to dig deeper, thus this article. When I look at a dozen decent sources of medical info, they all seem to bring up several common causes appearing on the different lists on each website I look at. I do see (so-called) carcinoid syndrome come up infrequently and perhaps the authors are lumping that in with hot flashes/flushing etc. But on authoritative NET sites (i.e. written by the NET scientific community), I do not see 'sweating' come up in the list of known symptoms directly attributed to any of the syndromes except for the group of catecholamine secreting tumours known as Pheochromocytoma and ParagangliomaI decided to extend it to diet…

17Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

After lockdown – the new normal is not normal

Inspiration

The new normal is not normal This new normal just isn't normal! I'm lucky to have beautiful forests to my east and west but to my south is probably the best beach coastline in UK. We decided to walk along a section of that award winning 7 mile bay. But we went via a shop. I had to return something purchased shortly before lockdown and like most shops which shut, this one extended the returns period due to COVID-19. The shop was a big one and easy to distance, but the preparations were very good indeed. I donned a face covering and upon entering, I was instructed to wash my hands with sanitiser before proceeding to the right department - they had a non-contact sanitising facility with a foot pump…

13Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 12) – a story of surviving, cycling, Scottish holiday memories including the ‘Fairy Pools’

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Episode 12 of my Living under COVID-19 series. A story of surviving, cycling, Scottish holiday memories including the 'Fairy Pools'7th JuneNational Cancer Survivors Day was on 7th June. It's a celebration of life and if you're reading this, you're surviving. Share and let people know you're still here. Or just tell me below!I'm still here!#NationalCancerSurvivorsDayA wee story to finish off #NationalCancerSurvivorsDay22 miles of cycling today to celebrate life. A story about woods, animals, a long straight road with an interesting history and a bombing range.We had already cycled and walked parts of this route but our new e-bikes mean we can go further in a shorter space of time - i.e. we…

11Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan 5 Comments

The NETest® – a Chromogranin A replacement and more?

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy

Tumour Markers General For some years the gold standard tumour marker for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs) has been and remains today, Chromogranin A (and for certain scenarios Chromogranin B and C can provide some additional clues). Pancreastatin, which is actually a molecule of Chromogranin A, is another marker touted but appears to be limited to USA. Its main advantage is the ability to better handle the effects of Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) use which is prevalent in the general population. As we move to a new era of molecular/genetic tumour markers, there's a danger that NENs will be left behind, stuck with diagnostic tools not capable of meeting new demands. I see a lot of public criticism of Chromogranin A, but it's mainly directed at the problem of being skewed by…

30Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

RonnyAllan.NET – Newsletter 1st July 2020

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Coping with lockdownDuring June, I decided I continued to be active outside despite the fact I see myself as someone at risk, not just because of the Neuroendocrine Cancer but also due to a history of chest infections and mild asthma. Mental health can be as important as physical health in times of stress and anxiety so I took to the outdoors to tell my story of how I was coping. Of course the outdoors is also a garden (yard) and so that counts too! Back in March I told the story of my own symptomatic period and perhaps one day I might find out if I have antibodies when I'm…

28Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

SSTR PET – Ga68-DOTA-JR11 vs Ga68-DOTATATE

Clinical Trials

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Headline - 68Ga-DOTA-JR11 was found to detect significantly more liver lesions than 68Ga-DOTATATE; however, 68Ga-DOTATATE detected more bone lesions than 68Ga-DOTA-JR11.Although it had been in trial use for some years in Europe and elsewhere, the formal approval of 68Ga-DOTATATE has led to an increase in the development of other radionuclides, some in conjunction with therapeutic options (i.e. PRRT) making a 'theranostic' approach to diagnosing, treating and surveillance Neuroendocrine Cancer patients with somatostatin receptor positive tumours. I also wrote last year about another option called 64Cu, something already available in Europe, in particular Denmark.In another development which has been running for some time, a Ga68 variant called 68Ga-DOTA-JR11 has been in trial…

26Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 11) – a story of Walking the Wall, coping strategies and the London Ga68 PET

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Episode 11 of my Living under COVID-19 series. A story of Walking the Wall, coping strategies and the London Ga68 PET 30th May 2020 Still recovering from the long walk .... if you missed it it's here. We have another 3 or 4 days of hot weather so it's bikes again soon. Today my Facebook memory reminded me of finishing our 84 mile walk along Hadrian's Wall on 31st May 2014. We were so happy and relieved to finish - went straight to the only pub in the village of Bowness for a pint of well earned beer Lead picture is the view we had towards Scotland where we stayed that…

24Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Targeted Therapy for Neuroendocrine Cancer – Sunitinib (Sutent)

Clinical Trials, Treatment

Click here to see the A to Z of Neuroendocrine Cancer What is Sunitinib (Sutent)? Manufactured by Pfizer, this is a targeted biological therapy or more accurately, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). You may also see it described as an anti-angiogenic agent on the basis that these tumor types are highly vascularized and show high expression of something called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key driver of angiogenesis in neuroendocrine tumors. Because NETs are generally hypervascularized tumors, treatment with antiangiogenic drugs seems a rational approach. A complex process but in the simplest of terms, sunitinib blocks a particular enzyme and keeps tumors from making their own blood vessels, which are needed to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to help them survive and grow. In clinical trials, SUTENT was…

22Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Targeted Therapy for Neuroendocrine Cancer – Everolimus (Afinitor)

Clinical Trials, Treatment

Click picture to read the A to Z of Neuroendocrine Cancer What is Everolimus (Afinitor)? Manufactured by Novartis, this is a targeted biological therapy or more accurately, a mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor. It works by stopping some of the signals within cells that make them grow and divide. Everolimus stops a particular protein called mTOR from working properly. mTOR controls other proteins that trigger cancer cells to grow. So everolimus helps to stop the cancer growing or may slow it down. The drug is also approved for Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) and hormone-receptor-positive advanced Breast Cancer.The drug is administered in oral form (tablet). The recommended dose for AFINITOR® (everolimus) Tablets is one 10-mg tablet once daily but lower doses of 7.5-mg tablets, 5-mg tablets, and 2.5-mg tablets are…

19Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during lockdown (Episode 10) – A story of the Wall, Swans, Dundee and New Forest History

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Episode 10 of my Living under COVID-19 series. A story of the 'Wall', Swans, Dundee and New Forest History26th May 20206 years ago today, Chris and I set off an a 6 day hike across the 2000 year old world heritage site of Hadrian's Wall in northern England. It was an experience we'll never forget, not just for the long 84 mile slog but the natural beauty, the interesting places we visited and the people we met. We were raising funds for the local NET guys PLANETS Charity - co-founded by my surgeon (Neil Pearce) and interventional radiologist (Brian Stedman) and brilliantly ran by our friend and NET Patient Layla Stephen. I think we raised just over £4000 on that walk, more than expected. Plus it was the only reason at the time…

18Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

My interview with ITM – I’m still here!

Awareness, Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email I was delighted to be contacted by ITM AG, a Germany based pharmaceutical company specialising in targeted radionuclide technology in precision oncology (e.g. Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy - PRRT). The company is formally known as ITM Isotopen Technologien München.One of their pipeline developments is 177Lu-Edotreotide / Solucin® in patients with neuroendocrine tumors of gastroenteric or pancreatic origin (GEP-NET). The development is via the COMPETE Phase III Clinical Trial which is being conducted worldwide in 11 countries at 33 sites and is open for recruitment. I actually wrote about this trial after attending a workshop at the annual ENETS conference in 2018.I was delighted when they wanted to interview me to…

09Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan 6 Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 9) – a story of cream teas, peaks and blue sky

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Episode 9 of my Living under COVID-19 series. A story of cream tea, peaks, blue sky and more peaks! 19th May 2020 [caption id="attachment_18552" align="aligncenter" width="640"] In Brockenhurst, a New Forest town where animals mix freely with humans![/caption] Figure of eight bike ride yesterday around the outskirts of my town. 9 miles (still feeling the 23 miles from Saturday!). No photos, just a quick spin session. However, one of those Facebook memories came up from last year where we visited a nice town called Brockenhurst in the New Forest. Lovely little place smack bang in the middle of the National Park. The reason it caught my eye was a picture…

01Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

RonnyAllan.NET – Newsletter 1st June 2020

Newsletters

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Newsletters have returned! I ceased publication of monthly newsletters over a year ago, mainly because they were time consuming to compile and the impact was less then my average post in terms of feedback. However, since going into COVID-19 lockdown, I've given that some more thought. Going forward, I'll be sending you out a newsletter each month including an email version as soon as I can get my mailing system software up and running (I've been busy during lockdown!) Coping with lockdown During April and May, I decided I wasn't going to hide away during lockdown despite the fact I see myself as someone at risk, not just because of…

28May 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 8) – a story of nurses, trees and Canada

Survivorship

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email 12th May 2020I had minimal exposure to nurses throughout the first 55 years of my life. I did spend a night in hospital when I was 16 having been knocked unconscious in the boxing ring (….you should’ve seen the other guy). Bar the odd mandatory injection, I avoided nurses (….and boxing) for many years after that. But now ……Today is international nurses day. These guys have hit the headlines recently and many of us are dependant on them for ongoing care etc.I'd like to publicly thank all the nurses and healthcare assistants who helped me get better and brought me here today - and who continue to watch my back!Always thank…

24May 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during lockdown restrictions (Episode 7) – A story of swans, cycling, VE Day and my 124th monthly cancer treatment

Survivorship

In the first update of this series, I explained that I kept my diary going, but again, only on my public Facebook page, so I was prompted to document these on my blog site to cater for those not on Facebook who only see what I produce in blog format. But it’s my intention to also post these on my other public Facebook sites. Because I was self isolating, Chris was also isolating under the rules and she was also feeling under the weather. During our self isolation period, the government ordered a “lock-down” (a bit like the shelter in place term used in USA) but out of self isolation, we were still allowed out for some exercise and other essential trips such as doctors appointments and shopping for essential items. See all…

17May 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during lockdown restrictions (Episode 6) – A story of footpath etiquette, sheep, donkeys and dopamine

Survivorship

In the first update of this series, I explained that I kept my diary going, but again, only on my public Facebook page, so I was prompted to document these on my blog site to cater for those not on Facebook who only see what I produce in blog format. But it’s my intention to also post these on my other public Facebook sites. Because I was self isolating, Chris was also isolating under the rules and she was also feeling under the weather. During our self isolation period, the government ordered a “lock-down” (a bit like the shelter in place term used in USA) but out of self isolation, we were still allowed out for some exercise and other essential trips such as doctors appointments and shopping for essential items. See below…

13May 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during lockdown (Episode 5) – A story of greenery, sun, adventure and Irrfan

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

This is the fifth part of a new series entitled: Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions – A story of greenery, sun, adventure and Irrfan During my self imposed isolation of 14 days after developing "a new and continuous cough", I documented almost daily during this period but only on my public Facebook page entitled "my 14 day self isolation diary" - I compiled it here - click here to read. In the first update of this series, I explained that I kept my diary going, but again, only on my public Facebook page, so I was prompted to document these on my blog site to cater for those not on Facebook who only see what I produce in blog format. But it's my intention to also…

11May 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 4) – A story of bikes, ponies, wisteria and Vitamin D

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email This is the fourth part of a new series entitled Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions.During my self imposed isolation of 14 days after developing "a new and continuous cough", I documented almost daily during this period but only on my public Facebook page entitled "my 14 day self isolation diary" - I compiled it here - click here to read.In the first update of this series, I explained that I kept my diary going, but again, only on my public Facebook page, so I was prompted to document these on my blog site to cater for those not on Facebook who only see what I produce…

04May 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 3) – An injection, hair cut and a broken tooth

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email [caption id="attachment_17894" align="aligncenter" width="623"] Aged 18 - that's me on the left. My hair is currently as long as it's been since then![/caption]This is the third part of a new series entitled Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions. During my self imposed isolation of 14 days after developing "a new and continuous cough", I documented almost daily during this period but only on my public Facebook page entitled "my 14 day self isolation diary" - I compiled it here - click here to read.In the first update of this series, I explained that I kept my diary going, but again, only on my public Facebook page, so…

25Apr 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 2) – the bench walk

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email This is the second part of a new series entitled Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions. During my self imposed isolation of 14 days after developing "a new and continuous cough", I documented almost daily during this period but only on my public Facebook page entitled "my 14 day self isolation diary" - I compiled it here - click here to read. In the first update of this series, I explained that I kept my diary going, but again, only on my public Facebook page, so I was prompted to document these on my blog site to cater for those not on Facebook who only see what…

23Apr 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Ronny Allan: Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer during COVID-19 restrictions (Episode 1) – out of isolation

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

It's been over a week since I came out of my self imposed isolation of 14 days after developing "a new and continuous cough". Although I'm much better now, nothing has really changed in that I'm sticking to my own property pretty much all of the time. In case you missed my 14 day self isolation diary - I compiled it here - click here to read.Since coming out of isolation, we've been for a couple of government mandated walks from our house (max 1 hour) - it's fairly easy to find empty streets and lanes around here, so we're quite lucky. I did notice people keeping a wide berth of each other - very sensible.In UK, we're worried about our Prime Minister, no nation likes their leader being ill…