Words are very important to cancer patients, some people hang their hats on them and put their feet up, and some people google them until they are tied in a knot, still fraught with worry. Why can’t doctors just tell me in layman’s language? Easy answer ……. because it is not an exact science. Doctors are not robots (…… yet!), they are human beings just like us. Doctors have different views and they can have different interpretations of long standing terms ingrained in the annals of medicine. Some doctors have better patient communication. They don’t have crystal balls, but they do really care and sometimes that’s what matters more.  One of the other issues I find is that ‘cancer language’ has fallen behind science. People live longer with cancer nowadays with some cancers being described as having a chronic illness. But the words used to describe the effect of treatment or prognosis seem to not be able to catch up. In the context of NET, I tried to analyse and decode that – read my post “Cure vs Remission vs No Evidence of Disease (NED)“. I stuck to the ingrained words I referred to above.
I then started to write about words that have been used by my own oncologist – “stable” which was later described as “reassuringly stable“. The addition of that adjective is meaningful, perhaps more than ‘stable’. But the kicker to some might be that he also talked about ‘evidence of disease’ which threw some of the readers who perhaps thought it an oxymoron – a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction, i.e. How can I be stable but with evidence of disease (ED)?  The easy answer is because the disease which is evident is not doing much. The hard bit is finding the right medical term which people understand. It was validation of the “Cure vs Remission vs No Evidence of Disease (NED) blog as the answer is probably in there but with a pragmatic approach to interpretation – Remission means that the signs and symptoms of your cancer are reduced. Remission can be partial or complete and Partial remission means the cancer is still there, but your tumour has gotten smaller, or you have less cancer throughout your body. A lot of people use NED (no evidence of disease) but when you look at Full Remission definition you can see complications there, albeit it does look like they are synonyms. And clearly, NED is not a match for ‘evidence of disease but stable’.
Perhaps my Oncologist read my blog and decided to spice it up a bit. In 2024, he then awarded me with the accolades of “No evidence of progressive disease” and “reassuringly stable” Now we’re talking as those means a lot to me!
One day, medical parlance ingrained in the annals of medicine might actually catch up with the reality of cancer in 2026.
Finally, don’t interpret this post as ‘gung ho’ on my part. My situation might change tomorrow or at my next surveillance checkpoint. I’ll cross that bridge if and when I get to it.
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I am not a doctor or any form of medical professional, practitioner or counsellor. None of the information on my website, or linked to my website(s), or conveyed by me on any social media or presentation, should be interpreted as medical advice given or advised by me.
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- Cancer: Words are important but so is context
Words are very important to cancer patients, some people hang their hats on them and put their feet up, and some people google them until they are tied in a knot, still fraught with worry. Why can’t doctors just tell me in layman’s language? Easy answer ……. because it is not an exact science. Doctors… Read more: Cancer: Words are important but so is context - Newsletter covering January and February 2026
Overview Many thanks for the support in January and February 2026. This is a double month newsletter due to my 27 day holiday! 2026 Blog Activity for January and February Actually, despite my holiday figures are pretty much normal. I had a great month in December 2025, perhaps I was overperforming as I was anticipating… Read more: Newsletter covering January and February 2026 - Neuroendocrine Tumours (NET) – Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Vitamin B12 deficiency is demonstrably more common in people with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) – what that means is there is a chance your deficiency as a NET patients may not be related to your NET. However, it’s a fairly common comorbidity reported in NET patients and it’s important to note the mechanisms differ by primary… Read more: Neuroendocrine Tumours (NET) – Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) - Sometimes you gotta climb that bridge!
When I was a young lad, I didn’t seem to have a fear of heights, not that I got many chances to test it but a couple of things springs to mind. As a ‘feral youth’ I once climbed to the top of a factory building without fear. I won’t divulge any further detail, just… Read more: Sometimes you gotta climb that bridge! - 50 years of marriage – in sickness and in health
When I was diagnosed with metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer in 2010, there’s a lot of milestones I doubted I would reach. One is today and I can now tick off another and be thankful for reaching it. I have been married to a kind and beautiful lady for 50 years on – 29th March 2025. I’ve… Read more: 50 years of marriage – in sickness and in health - Zanzalintinib Versus Everolimus in Participants With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (STELLAR-311)
A Phase 2/3, Multicenter, Randomized Open-Label Study of Zanzalintinib vs Everolimus in Participants With Previously Treated, Unresectable, Locally Advanced or Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.  The primary purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of zanzalintinib compared to everolimus in participants with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic neuroendocrine tumors. Zanzalintinib (XL092) is an investigational,… Read more: Zanzalintinib Versus Everolimus in Participants With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (STELLAR-311) - Next Generation Total-Body PET/CT: Challenges and Opportunities
Long-axial field-of-view (LAFOV) systems have changed the field of molecular imaging. Since their introduction, many PET centres have installed these next-generation digital systems to provide more detailed imaging and acquire PET images in a single bed position. Indeed, vertex to thigh imaging for oncological indications can be obtained in most of the population with the… Read more: Next Generation Total-Body PET/CT: Challenges and Opportunities - Phase 1/2 Trial Evaluating CRN09682 for the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumors and Other Somatostatin Receptor 2-Expressing Tumors
Crinetics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1/2 Trial Evaluating CRN09682 for the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumours and Other Somatostatin Receptor 2-Expressing Tumours Read the news – click here Clinical Trial Document – click here Limited to US (6 locations) (so far). CRN09682, a first‑in‑class non‑peptide drug conjugate (NDC) developed by Crinetics Pharmaceuticals. The company… Read more: Phase 1/2 Trial Evaluating CRN09682 for the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumors and Other Somatostatin Receptor 2-Expressing Tumors - Ronny Allan – a review of my blog activity December 2025
Here is the monthly summary of December 2025 on RonnyAllan.NET – Every share helps someone understand or even work towards a diagnosis, discovery of the best doctors and treatments. December is normally a quiet month, often the quietist month of the year. However, this year, it was the best figures for the whole of 2025. … Read more: Ronny Allan – a review of my blog activity December 2025 - A review of 2025 on RonnyAllan.NET
Summary of 2025 from Ronny It was a good year for my advocacy work but a difficult year personally which had some impact on my advocacy work. I had to spend quite a bit of time looking after my brother’s affairs when he was diagnosed with dementia and is now living in residential care. That… Read more: A review of 2025 on RonnyAllan.NET - 15 years of Christmas!
15 Christmas celebrations since diagnosis. A thankful statement My Facebook memories today are full of Christmas activities including my first Christmas following diagnosis of advanced Neuroendocrine Cancer. I had been out of hospital for only 4 weeks following major surgery in 2010. I remember the whole of my own family attended, my son and daughter’s… Read more: 15 years of Christmas! - Another Next Generation PET/CT is coming soon. The Omni 128cm Total Body PET – Small Australian trial at Peter Mac
A Global first for NET. Omni 128cm Total Body PET at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne Australia. According to Professor Michael Hofman, they have been using the camera for a couple weeks and it is exceeding their expectations. They’re running a short trial comparing results against regular PETs. The great news is that… Read more: Another Next Generation PET/CT is coming soon. The Omni 128cm Total Body PET – Small Australian trial at Peter Mac
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