Simply Oncology

Episode 121: In the Clinic - The Acute Oncology Service - Cancer's Front Door Heroes with Dr Caroline Wilson

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back - today we are discussing Acute Oncology Services and how they have evolved over the last 15 years. Why were they set up ? To give cancer patients support and care when they need it most - when they are admitted to hospital with problems. Do you know your type 1 from your type 2 or 3 Acute oncology patient? We talk all things AOS with the wonderful Dr Caroline Wilson from The Christie Hospital in Manchester. What would your ideal Acute Oncology Service look like? Caroline tells us how she is building her new service. Is yours the same as ours - probably not? Do we need to loosen the oncology strings on SACT toxicity and encourage this to be a general medical issue. All this and more - Enjoy!

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Episode 120: In the Clinic: Part 2 of the INTENSIFY trial with Professor Simon Crabb and Dr Sarah Chamberlain

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to part 2 of our 2 part special on the INTENSIFY trail in metastatic prostate cancer study. We welcome back the wonder Professor Simon Crabb and Dr Sarah Chamberlain from the University Hospital Southampton where they work n the medical oncology department treating urological cancers. If you haven’t listened to part 1 please go check it out now where we set the foundations of the INTENSIFY trial. Now lets get in to the science behind the INTENSIFY study looking at eh DECIPHER score and pTEN.

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Episode 119: In the Clinic - Discussing the INTENSIFY trial in metastatic prostate cancer with Professor Simon Crabb and Dr Sarah Chamberlain

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Simply Oncology Podcast. Today we are focusing in on the prostate cancer trial called INTENSIFY. This is a trial where we will look at intensifying metastatic prostate cancer patients. Those patients established on combination LHRHa and ARPi therapy could then be randomised at 6months to adding chemotherapy or not if they don't have an optimal PSA tumour marker improvement. We have brought the wonderful Professor Simon Crabb, and Dr Sarah Chamberlain from the oncology team at Southampton. They are part of the leadership team for the trial. This trial is already running in some centres and we discuss why it is happening and how it would be delivered.

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Episode 118: Levelling the playing field in MIBC with Dr Mohini Varughese

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to part 2 of this episode on radiotherapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer where we explore the challenging questions of equitable access to neoadjuvant and adjuvant novel therapies in patients not suitable for cystectomy. We welcome back the brilliant Dr Mohini Varughese, fighting the good fight for bladder preservation treatment!

Episode 117: Bladder cancer- Systemic therapy and Radiotherapy with Dr Mohini Varughese

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back! 🎙️We dive back in to the exciting and dynamic world of systemic therapy in localised muscle invasive bladder cancer 🔦Shining a spotlight on bladder preservation treatment ie: radiotherapy with a radiosensitiser, a key player in the curative treatment of this cancer. 🤷Is Radiotherapy at risk of being left behind with recent trials improving neoadjuvant and adjuvant systemic therapies with trials that have focussed exclusively on cystectomy. 🎙️We welcome back Dr Mohini Varughese from Royal Devon University Hospitals to take on this important topic in a 2 part episode! 🎙️What is the Real World Landscape like and how many people are having radiotherapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer?? All this and more!

Episode 116: Fundamentals - Nutrition in Cancer - Tackling the Myths with Chloe Nottingham, Dietitian

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️Join us as we return with the excellent Chloe Nottingham to tackle some cancer diet myths. ❌Fasting ❌Alkali diets ❌No sugar diets 🥗Every year there is a new ‘Must Try’ diet to control your cancer. 🔎We look at the Social Media impact on what cancer patients are eating and the potential pitfalls of that. ‼️Nearly 40% of patients are following diet advice from social media that could be doing them harm!! 🤔Does a clever meme make you a good source of safe info??? 😫We also look at the ‘Feeding Pressure’ that some patients feel from loved ones who are trying their best to help. 🎙️Chloe talks so much sense we almost think it should be on another podcast!!! 👍Dietitians are an amazing resource to help support patients support themselves. 🥗Healthy eating 🍎alongside exercise 🏃‍♂️remain the best platform for a body to tackle cancer. 📢A must listen for anyone tackling cancer or their loved one. Enjoy and share!!!

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Episode 115: Fundamentals - Nutrition in Cancer with Chloe Nottingham, Dietitian Part 1

Send us Fan Mail We are what we eat. Join us as we discuss with the excellent Chloe Nottingham, a specialist cancer dietitian with years of experience. Malnutrition can lead to worse outcomes in cancer care. Depending on the cancer type between 40-80% of patients suffer from malnutrition. Why is that so important; - Lower treatment tolerance - Lower treatment completion and doses - More delays getting onto treatment - Lower survival rates - Reduced wellbeing and energy - Longer hospital stays Getting good nutrition support and eating well can massively impact your cancer journey. If food was a drug we would pay a fortune for it !!!! Chloe helps us plan a route to healthy and sensible ways of keeping our body weight and muscles working. Enjoy!!!

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Episode 114: Testosterone replacement therapy in Prostate cancer with Dr Samantha Strumeier

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back for our second of this 2 part special on testosterone in cancer with the excellent Dr Samantha Strumeier from Barts health NHS trust. Did you know that 10% of patients can end up with ongoing testosterone suppression after completing a course of androgen deprivation therapy. How do we tackle theses cases? What is the evidence. Sam marks john's strategy out of 10 with surprising results.

Episode 113: In the Clinic - Managing Low Testosterone in Cancer with Dr Samantha Strumeier

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we cover the effect of cancer and its treatment on Testosterone levels in cancer. We are joined by the amazing Samantha Strumeier, nurse consultant and nursing lead for urological cancers at St Barts Hospital London. Having experience in testosterone replacement therapy at Memorial Sloane Kettering Hospital New York she shares this with us and what she is doing now. We explore the impact of low testosterone in men on cancer treatment. One major area where this impacts the most is prostate cancer where we cause low testosterone with androgen deprivation therapy. What happens if testosterone stays low after the treatment finishes. We set the scene for how we can help patients with low testosterone. All this and Samantha tries not to be too disappointed by Mike and John!!!

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Episode 112: Prostate Cancer, Exercise and lifestyle with Dr Lucy Gossage

Send us Fan Mail Lifestyle and patient choices in Prostate Cancer Prostate cancer has been part of a revolution in terms of treatment options and improved outcomes for our patients. How can we make that improvement in numbers on survival curves match the goals and needs of our patients? Join us in this second of 2 special live episodes of the Simply Oncology Podcast on Patient Choices and Lifestyle in Prostate Cancer. We talk to patient expert Tony Collier, Dr Lucy Gossage - an oncologist involved with Move Against Cancer and Professor Alison Birtle an oncologist with extensive experience treating prostate cancer. In this Episode we focus on Dr Lucy Gossage and her experience of supporting cancer. patients through exercise Lucy Gossage has a background in international level sport alongside being an oncologist, so it seemed natural for her to be involved in Move Against Cancer. We discuss the massive positive steps that giving patients permission to move and exercise can have for their health -both physical and mental. Recapturing some normality amongst the backdrop of cancer and its treatment can only be a good thing for patients. We hear about the huge positive impact that maintaining exercise has had on Tony’s life with cancer. We hope you enjoy! *This is a non-promotional podcast episode organised by Bayer PLC in partnership with Simply Oncology (Dr John McGrane and Dr Michael Rowe) to highlight the importance of holistic care in managing patients with prostate cancer. Bayer provided honoraria to the speakers of this podcast. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of Bayer PLC or Simply Oncology. This content is for educational purposes only and should not replace clinical judgement.*

Episode 111: Prostate Cancer through a patient Lens with Tony Collier BEM

Send us Fan Mail Lifestyle and patient choices in Prostate Cancer Prostate cancer has been part of a revolution in terms of treatment options and improved outcomes for our patients. How can we make that improvement in numbers on survival curves match the goals and needs of our patients? Join us in this first of 2 special live episodes of the Simply Oncology Podcast on Patient Choices and Lifestyle in Prostate Cancer. We talk to patient expert Tony Collier, Dr Lucy Gossage - an oncologist involved with Move Against Cancer and Professor Alison Birtle an oncologist with extensive experience treating prostate cancer. In this Episode we talk to Tony Collier about his experience of being a prostate cancer patient. We hear how the focus on treatment led him to have to advocate his quality of life and life goals himself. We hear how clinicians could align with patients’ goals with just a few simple questions. We hear about the huge positive impact that maintaining exercise has had on Tony’s life with cancer. Hearing Tony’s live experience of some very personal aspects of a cancer diagnosis and treatment is hugely moving and powerful. We hope you enjoy! *This is a non-promotional podcast episode organised by Bayer PLC in partnership with Simply Oncology (Dr John McGrane and Dr Michael Rowe) to highlight the importance of holistic care in managing patients with prostate cancer. Bayer provided honoraria to the speakers of this podcast. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of Bayer PLC or Simply Oncology. This content is for educational purposes only and should not replace clinical judgement.*

Episode 110: Part 2 of Managing Menopause in Gynaecological Cancers with Dr Shibani Nicum

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we finish our discussion on managing menopause in gynaecological cancers with the wonderful Shibani Nicum. Shibani works as as Associate Professor in Medical oncology treating gynaecological cancers at UCL Hospitals London. Shibani helped se up the meno.pause app in conjunction with the British Menopause Society to help guide clinical teams to support patients with menopause issues as part of their gynae cancer treatment. We look at setting up a complex menopause MDT and what lifestyle factors can help in this setting. As we see ongoing improvements in survival outcomes maintaining quality of life is so important and managing menopausal issue is a big part of that quality of life. Enjoy

Episode 109: In the Clinic - Managing Menopause in Gynae Cancers with Dr Shibani Nicum

Send us Fan Mail Menopause in Gynae Cancer patients is a major issue. If you struggle when to advise patients in this space. Join us as we discuss management of menopause in gynae cancer patients with excellent Dr Shibani Nicum from UCL hospitals London. Menopause across all cancer affects up to 60000 patients per year! In Gynae cancers such as ovarian cancer we can make someone menopausal immediately after surgery so that person is coping with menopause alongside surgery and chemotherapy side effects. Shibani has helped to develop the Meno.pause app to support healthcare teams with menopause treatment in cancer. It’s not just HRT - how best can we help support patients. - Oxybutynin - Neurokinin inhibitors - Lifestyle We discuss this and more Enjoy!

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Episode 108: In the Clinic - The Revolution in Platinum resistant Ovarian Cancer with Dr Rowan Miller

Send us Fan Mail Join us for this special episode where we look at the recent major changes in the Platinum resistant ovarian cancer space . For so long this has been a treatment area with limited options and poor outcomes. Now we have ; - New Drugs - New targets - Better outcomes So much to discuss. We talk to the brilliant Dr Rowan Miller who specialises in gynaecological cancers and is based at UCL & St Barts Hospitals in London. Straight after her presentation on B7-H4 ADCs at the British Gynaecological Cancer Society meeting in Bristol we look at the new options and where they might sit in our treatment pathway? Will they all get funded? Can we manage the new side effects? Could they work in sequence or together?? A 'Must Listen' if you are involved in Ovarian Cancer. Enjoy

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Episode 107: How do we explain risk to patients with Professor Mark Beresford

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we return with the wonderful Professor Mark Beresford from United Hospitals in Bath. We discuss how we as clinicians describe risk to our patients ans we look at some of the pitfalls of using relative risk, overcomplicated statistics with our patients. If we cannot explain risk to patients how can they ,make informed decisions. Mark moves into 'T-shirt Territory' by being our most frequent flyer on the podcast which earns him a coveted Simply Oncology Podcast T-Shirt.

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Episode 106: In the Clinic - The Part 2 of the ADePT trial in Glioblastoma brain tumours with Dr Faye Robertson

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we return to our discussion on the fascinating ADePT trial in Glioblastoma brain tumours with the wonderful Dr Faye Robertson from the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh. We discuss how TGX-007 developed with TROGENIX with its super enhancers, dual payload and delivery system hopes to bring a break through in High grade Gliomas. We talk about how could this technology be 'rolled out' if successful. What level of success would be needed to develop the specialism for this kind of treatment. Could this therapy be adapted to be used in other cancer types such as pancreatic cancer etc ? With only 1 human trial patient clearly this is early days but we hope to follow this trial's progress on The Simply Oncology Podcast. Even if the survival outcomes of the trial were negative this trials move the dial in terms of what is possible from drug development and delivery.

Episode 105: In the Clinic - the ADePT Trial in Glioblastoma - dual payload gene therapy - with Dr Faye Robertson

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes we hear about a vision for a trial that is so novel and exciting that it takes you back a bit. This is one such moment. Join us as we talk to the amazing Dr Faye Robertson from the Edinburgh cancer Centre about the ingenious ADePT trial. DUAL PAYLOAD GENE THERAPY. Led by Trogenix and the University of Edinburgh, it tests a breakthrough "Trojan horse" gene therapy designed to destroy cancer cells and stimulate the immune system. TGX-007 is a drug developed with Tregonix that: How it Works: It uses dual-payload technology to deliver two distinct therapeutic agents: HSV-tk: Converts an orally administered antiviral drug (valaciclovir) into a toxic agent that directly kills proliferating tumour cells. IL-12: Acts as an immune-stimulating cytokine that turns the tumour into an in-situ vaccine, training the body's immune system to attack the cancer and prevent recurrence. We have had many false dawns in GBM trials but we are very excited by the results so far with TGX-007. Part 1 of 2 and this is a trial story we want to follow through. Enjoy!!!

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Episode 104: In the Clinic - Future directions in Pancreatic Cancer Radiotherapy with Dr Ganesh Radhakhrishna (part 2)

Send us Fan Mail We return to discuss the role of radiotherapy in the management of Pancreatic Cancer. What are the side effects of pancreatic radiotherapy and SABR? Do we need an MR Linac to deliver pancreatic SABR Where might pancreatic RT sit alongside new RAS inhibitor therapies? Enjoy

Episode 103: In the clinic - Radiotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer with Ganesh Radhakhrishna

Send us Fan Mail Today we are talking about the role of radiotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer with the superb Dr Ganesh Radhakrishna from the Christie Hospital in Manchester. Radiotherapy may play an increasing role in pancreatic cancer. Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) is helping to get excellent control rates in localised pancreatic cancer and may play a role alongside surgery in pancreatic cancer. Will radiotherapy ever replace surgery in select cases?

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Episode 102: Fundamentals - Immunotherapy and Kidney Cancer: One Woman’s Story with Annie Anderson

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we talk to Annie Anderson to get a patient view on advanced kidney cancer and its treatment. Annie was diagnosed with stage IV Kidney Cancer in 2022 which had spread to liver, bone, brain. She went from climbing and running 18 miles to struggling to function. She describes the choices she made and how immunotherapy with has controlled her cancer and allowed her to continue her normal life. A really powerful thing to hear how Annie has tackled her diagnosis and aimed to take positive steps every day. She describes how continuing the things that give her joy like family, cold-water swimming and climbing have allowed her retain her sense of self along the way. You cannot help but be inspired. Enjoy