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NCCN adds transdermal estradiol to its prostate cancer ADT guidelines
Transdermal estradiol (tE2) is an alternate ADT that has been found to have equivalent safety and efficacy as traditional ADT, but it comes with a better quality of life. Most patients and their doctors have not seriously considered tE2, however things are about to change.
NCCN has included tE2 in its guidelines for prostate cancer ADT care a few days ago.
This inclusion represents a monumental shift in the standard of care, signaling that the highest clinical authority in the United States recognizes the evidence from recently published trials as definitive.
More info: https://estradiolinitiative.org/ The Estradiol Initiative (E2-I) is the organization that formally presented the latest studies to NCCN asking for this decision.
Richard Wassersug, one of the founders of E2-I, has been on tE2 for more than 20 years. He was interviewed on the Dr. Geo podcast recently:
Paul Schellhammer, a former President of the American Urological Association, highly regarded urologist, who also is one of the founders of E2-I, has been on tE2 almost as long. He was interviewed by Mark Moyad on P.C.R.I. recently:
tE2 patch products are most commonly prescribed to women as hormone replacement therapy during menopause. Since the FDA removed its outdated "black box" warning from the tE2 label, demand from women has skyrocketed, causing a national shortage. It is possible that increased demand from men that has not been anticipated by FDA or manufacturers may worsen the situation.
Estradiol Initiative is working on how to improve things. Its just a few former patients and people who care. They could use donations.
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I have been on the patch since mid-June along with Abiraterone/prednisone. Per the PATCH trial, the original dose was 4 patches twice a week; it is now 3, since my T hit <3 and PSA was <0.006.
I chose it over “traditional” ADT because the trial showed it was equally effective, with fewer side effects. Since I bike a lot, I liked that it strengthens--as opposed to weakens--bones. Also, it made it more likely I could live my life normally (I am now finishing a 2-week trip in Egypt).
I have nipple tenderness if someone hugs me too hard and slight breast growth, but no big deal. CVS always has had patches in stock when I needed refills. Richard has quickly responded to my emails, although I imagine he is pretty busy now. I just made a second donation to the Initiative.
I feel adding the patch to the guidelines vindicates my decision to go on the patch, especially after my “second opinion” doctor in Sloan Kettering refused to support patch use since it wasn’t in the guidelines.
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4 Reactions@bikeman1
Hey Bikeman : )), thanks for the update - much appreciated 👯♀️ !
I hope that you are enjoying your trip to the max : ))) !
Are you biking down the dunes ??? THAT would be amazing photo opportunity 🤩 for an amazing Avatar.
Wishing you super fun on your vacation : ))) and I am so happy to hear that you are doing great on Estrogen ADT : ))) and once again - thanks for keeping us posted 💗.
Do you happen to have a link to this, either through the NCCN site, or some other reputable web site? I have yet to verify it on my own via NCCN, and every search I do, including with Dr. Gemini, just cites the postings on this forum and parrots them back.
Thanks very much.