Larry and Tom interviewed: prostate cancer, clinical trials, and our book

We were interviewed by the blog JoinClinicalTrials.com a while back.  Here we share the interview with you:

1. How did the two of you become colleagues/friends and what was the inspiration behind your blog? 

We met in the prostate cancer clinic as patient and physician and forged a friendship over the years.  The blog, along with the book was inspired by a strong desire to share knowledge about clinical trials with people who are living with cancer and who are called upon to make decisions about their cancer care. 

 2.  You are co-authors of the book Cancer Clinical Trials. Please tell us about it and what prompted you to write a book about clinical trials?

For 15 years now I have been deeply involved in clinical trials.  I have talked to thousands of cancer patients about hundreds of clinical trials.  Despite the fact that we spend a lot of time with each potential participant, I frequently had the nagging feeling that in the course of a clinic visit, or even several, we could never quite do a good enough job sharing all the knowledge I wanted to share with my patients.  The book was the only way to get this done.

 3. Dr. Beer, could you please address some of the common misconceptions and fears that people have in regards to clinical trials?

Well, there are many, and we cite examples throughout the book of misconceptions we have run across.  I think the first thing people worry about is that they will get a placebo and not a real drug.  We talk a lot about the way placebos are used in research in the book.  I think that is the area where there are the most misconceptions. 

There are many other areas.  For example, many people think that clinical trials are only appropriate when all other options have been exhausted.  That is not true at all.  Clinical trials are seeking to improve care across the entire spectrum of the disease and may be worthy of consideration at various points in the battle with cancer.

 4.  (Dr. Beer) Many people think that clinical trials are an option only after they have tried every other treatment for their cancer; however, is that really the case? Is it possible for patients to participate in trials in different stages of their disease?

No question about it.  Clinical trials seek to improve care in all situations including front line care.  The trials may be different in patients that have good standard treatment options.  For example, the standard treatment may be included for all patients and the new drug is added to it. 

But without clinical trials that test even the most fundamental cancer treatments, we would not have made the advances we have.  For example, breast cancer is often treated with surgery that removes only the cancerous lump and spares the breast.  Clinical trials that proved this was a sound approach are responsible for women being able to keep their bodies intact through cancer treatment.

More of our interview in the next post.

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2013 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Taking stock - how are we doing on the cancer clinical trials blog

Recently, we got a nice review from the Journal of Clinical Research Best Practices and got selected for their "Bookshelf."  It's not the first nice review, but the first one in a little while after the initial reviews that come at the time of publication. Seeing this review got me thinking that it might be a good time to take stock of how we are doing.   In short, pretty well.  Our blog has been up and running since the beginning of the year and our book was published in May.  The book has been doing well with total sales approaching 10,000 copies.  Several partners have purchased the book in quantity to distribute to cancer patients as an educational resource.  In addition to that, regular folks are buying the books at bookstores at a good clip.  Our hope for the book was not to necessarily sell a lot of copies right away, but to establish the book as the go to resource for folks interested in clinical trials, a resource that will be an enduring one for years to come.  Time will tell, but we are off to a good start.

The blog recently crossed 20,000 page views.  A blip when compared to the giants, but a pretty good showing for us.  The most popular part of the blog...by a mile...Larry's cartoons.

Recently we launched a new effort.  It's a little ways away from being realized, but we are working on a pediatric version of our book.  It won't really be a kids book, but more a book for parents of kids with cancer.  Clinical trials are a part of cancer care for nearly 2/3 of kids diagnosed with the disease.  The principles are similar, but many things are a little different.  Not a lot of kids insured by Medicare, for example...  We are fortunate to have recruited Dr. Stacy Nicholson, Physician-in-chief at the Doernbecher Childrens' Hospital to help us refashion our book for the world of pediatric oncology.
So thank you for visiting our blog, considering our book and being a part of our community, focused on sharing knowledge about cancer clinical trials.


To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

What are cancer clinical trials about: a webinar for you

Today, Larry and I were joined by Evan Denhart in presenting a webinar about clinical trials.  In the two part discussion we talked about clinical trials, what they are, how they work, and what it is like to participate.  Then we discussed the AFFINITY study, a newly launched phase III clinical trial for advanced prostate cancer.  We took questions and had a great time.  See and hear it all here.  This presentation takes a while, so you can preview it quickly, but you will need to set aside a bit of time to get the most out of it.  Hope you enjoy it.

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.

(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

An invitation to a reading at Powell's

If you are in Oregon, you surely know Powell's, our signature book store.  The largest independent bookstore in the country, I heard.



Larry and I will be visiting Powell's on Wednesday, September 12 at 7 P.M. for a reading and conversation about clinical trials

This is at the Cedar Hills Crossing Powell's store at 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd (not at the downtown store).

Details here

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.

(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Our book explained - in a 3 minute video

If you were wondering what our book is really about, this short video will reveal all:

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.

(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Myths and realities in cancer clinical trials: an interview with Dr. Luke

Click to listen

Interview with Dr. Luke about cancer clinical trials.  We touch on some common misconceptions and point the listeners towards resources that they will find helpful.  The original program aired on KFAB 1110AM on Sunday July 5 and is available at Dr. Luke's website.



To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.

(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Dr. Beer's radio interview: clinical trials and advances in prostate cancer

UPDATE:  the interview is now available online as a podcast.  Click here.

Dr. Luke Nordquist, who has quite a following in the heartland of the country, will be interviewing Dr. Beer this weekend.  The show will air Sunday August 5^th at 9:30-10 AM CST (7:30 AM PST) on 1110AM KFAB (www.kfab.com).

It can also be heard over the internet on www.iheartradio.com (Omaha, 1110AM KFAB), so you can catch it online even if you are out of the listening area.

We will be talking about cancer clinical trials:  what they are, how they work, and how one might learn more about experimental therapy.  It will be a fun show and all about helping people living with cancer make informed decisions about their cancer care. Tune in if you get a chance or check it out online.

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Clinical trial phases from the participant's point of view

There are many types of clinical trials.  Most commonly, they are divided into phase I, II, III, and sometimes IV.  The phases refer to the phases of testing of a new drug in humans. Some our previous posts describe the various phases and discuss phase I trials and phase III trials in more detail.  Here we would like to share with you page 47 from our book, where we provide a succinct summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each trial type, from the perspective of trial participants.  The table shown below may not apply to every single trial, but it does give you a quick and straight forward basic guide.

If you would like to download a PDF of this page you can do so here.  Feel free to share it.

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.

To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Dr. Beer interviewed about clinical trials

A few weeks ago, at the 2012 ASCO meeting, I had the privilage of being interviewed about about clinical trials by Andrew Schorr, Founder of Patient Power.


You may also wish to visit the Patient Power website, which is a wonderful resource.


To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.

To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Our book has made it into the 21st century!

In addition to the print edition, we are now an eBook!  We've had a number of folks ask us if we will be on Kindle and, as of today, we are.  We should be coming to the Nook and the Apple iBookstore soon as well.


If you've been waiting for the electronic version, it's here now!  We are excited about another milestone in our book journey.

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.

To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Answers to questions you always wanted ask - an interview with Dr. Barken

Dr. Israel Barken runs a wonderful site called Ask Dr. Barken.  He was kind enough to interview Dr. Beer about clinical trials.  This was an interview that asked the questions you would want to ask.  Unlike some of our other videos...this one is not packed with technical terms and "medicalese" language.  We hope you enjoy this interview.  The original is available on Dr. Barken's site.




To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.

To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Our book is on sale now...finally!

After a year of writing and re-writing and months of editing, refining, correcting, and reviews, and more, Amazon.com starts shipping our book May 7.


We are thrilled to see it come out.  We will of course continue to blog about clinical trials.  For those interested in a more in-in depth discussion of the topic and a more comprehensive resource, we hope the book will fit the bill.  If you are so inclined, order the book below:




(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Guest Post: Clinical Trials Are a Perplexing Issue for Many Patients

We asked a number of thoughtful people to read a pre-publication copy of our book and give us some feedback.  We are incredibly fortunate to have the counsel of Dan Zenka.  After looking at the book, Dan posted the following on his blog and allowed us to re-publish his thoughts here to share them with you.

Dan Zenka is senior vice president of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world’s leading private supporter of research for a cure. Two years after joining PCF, Dan was diagnosed with his own case of prostate cancer. Following a radical prostatectomy, it was determined that he had metastatic disease. He has undergone seven weeks of radiation therapy and is currently on two to three years of hormone deprivation therapy. Just days after his diagnosis, Dan started his own cancer blog, www.mynewyorkminute.org where he discusses a range of issues related to navigating prostate cancer and is read by a growing audience of men and their caretakers around the world.  What follows are Dan's words:

Despite the prospect of receiving one of the latest new drugs that might extend survivorship, a lack of understanding and access, among other issues, leave many saying “I’ll pass.”

Clinical trials are a crucial component of a drug’s development and ultimate approval by regulatory agencies. On the upside is the chance that a participant will benefit from the therapeutic effect of a new compound that can add months if not years to their life. On the downside, a patient might delay more immediate, already-approved treatments only to find out that they were in the placebo arm of the study and are left to resume their original plan. And then there is the real bonus–finding yourself in a Phase III trial in which the drug meets the study’s pre-specified interim efficacy stopping criteria, demonstrating a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement in overall survival compared to the placebo. In that case, something called the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) recommends that the