There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for men weighing their options for prostate cancer treatment. That can make it hard for men and their loved ones when navigating all the various options for treatment, whether it is the initial treatment for prostate cancer, cancer recurrence after treatment, or even those with advanced disease. It’s good to know that we continue moving the field forward to more personalized care for prostate cancer and assisting men with those difficult decisions. 

We are excited today to introduce you to Dr. Felix Feng, a radiation oncologist. Following undergraduate training at Stanford University and medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, he completed a research fellowship and residency in radiation oncology at the University of Michigan, where he subsequently joined the faculty. He then got recruited to join the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco, where he currently serves as a professor of radiation oncology, urology, and medicine, Vice-Chair for Radiation Oncology, and Director of the initiative of Prostate Cancer Research. He is a prostate cancer expert who specializes in the treatment of aggressive, high-risk, and oligometastatic prostate cancers. Dr. Feng is nationally known for his approaches in molecular biomarkers to help guide or personalize radiation therapy for patients. Be sure to listen in today, as Dr. Feng gets you up to speed with the personalization of the care for men with prostate cancer.

Disclaimer: The Prostate Health Podcast is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be construed as medical advice. By listening to the podcast, no physician-patient relationship has been formed. For more information and counseling, you must contact your personal physician or urologist with questions about your unique situation. 

Show highlights:

  • Dr. Feng explains what a radiation oncologist is, and the role they play in the multidisciplinary prostate cancer team.
  • Dr. Feng explains what personalized therapy entails and what one could expect from it.
  • What the difference is between a prognostic biomarker and a predictive biomarker.
  • What the rationale is behind why hormonal endogen deprivation therapy is given in conjunction with radiation treatments.
  • Dr. Feng explains what he uses to determine how long to keep men on hormonal therapy.
  • Dr. Feng discusses what his research group has been working on recently when it comes to deciding which patients may benefit from endogen deprivation therapy or who have their PSA come back after having had their prostates removed.
  • The recent advances that Dr. Feng has seen in helping to personalize the treatment approaches for men who have metastatic prostate cancer.
  • Dr. Feng discusses the exciting time we are in, in the context of advances in prostate cancer treatments, and how the field as a whole is moving towards the individualization of therapy.

Links and resources:

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Go to the Prostate Health Academy to sign up for the wait-list for our bonus video content. 

About Dr. Feng