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A strong support system can make a world of difference when someone is battling cancer. Just having the right people and volunteers in someone’s corner cheering them on can elevate their spirits and help them push through their grueling treatments.

 Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with Brandon Stevens, a testicular cancer survivor who chronicles his experience and how those around him helped him get through his grueling chemotherapy treatments.

Stevens, who was originally diagnosed not long following his high school graduation, is now a student within the professional pilot program at Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus training for his pilot’s license.

After positive experiences with therapy dogs during his treatment, Stevens decided to use his training to become a pilot to give back to dogs in need and is volunteering for Pilots N Paws, a nonprofit organization that facilitates transportation for rescue animals and animals in need. Stevens also said he hopes to start a nonprofit of his own for children with cancer.

“I think it's just a natural psychological thing that happens and for me, I just think everyone has done so much for me and I see a lot of the good people who are going out of their way, not getting paid to help you, and they genuinely want to help and I think it's natural in us to want to do that and I can't think of better ways to give back to the community.”

In this episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with a testicular cancer survivor who is using his love of flying to give back to the community, including volunteering for Pilots N Paws, a nonprofit organization that assists in the transportation of rescue animals and animals in need of medical treatment.
 

A Cancer Survivor's Love of Flying Propels a Passion for Volunteering

Fifteen years ago, at the age of 31 and just married about a month prior, Scott Petinga and his wife had discovered he had stage 1 testicular cancer — a disease he was severely overtreated for.

After 16 rounds of radiation, Petinga was left with one less testicle, infertile and unable to properly produce hormones — all things that affect him still today.

As a result, Scott has become a patient advocate and philanthropic entrepreneur to help raise awareness for others by founding organizations like the TH!NK DIFFERENT Foundation, the Fairy Foundation and the Center of Advocacy for Cancer of the Testes International (CACTI).

 spoke with Petinga about his journey with testicular cancer, why getting a second opinion is key and how community can help patients and their loved ones navigate the new normal after a cancer diagnosis.  

In this episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with Scott Petinga, who was diagnosed with and overtreated for his stage 1 testicular cancer, about his journey and how he now advocates for other patients.

Live for Today: One Testicular Cancer Survivor's Journey to Advocacy

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be terrifying—Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton knows that firsthand. However, after the shock wears off, it’s possible to use cancer as a motivation to do better in the world. That’s what Scott Hamilton did by starting the Scott Hamilton CARES foundation, which is dedicated to improving the future of cancer care.

In this week’s episode, we spoke with Hamilton about his personal bouts with testicular cancer and a brain tumor, as well as losing his mother to breast cancer. The former professional ice skater also touches upon why he wanted to be involved in CURE’s 2018 MPN Heroes event.

For this episode of the CURE Talks Cancer podcast, we spoke with Scott Hamilton, an Olympic gold medalist, cancer survivor and founder of the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation

Scott Hamilton: When Fear Flips

Talks Cancer, we spoke with blogger, advocate and 

 contributor, Justin Birckbichler. Justin has managed to mostly steer clear of doctors' offices until a few years ago when he found a lump on his testicle, and heard the words, "you have testicular cancer."

Shocked to receive a cancer diagnosis in his mid-20s, Justin, a schoolteacher, turned to writing as an outlet to document his journey, as well as advocate for men's health. Now, he is conducting a study to see how frequently testicular health is discussed at medical appointments.

It's time we talk about men's health, says Justin Birckbichler.

Getting "Ballsy" During Men's Health Month

I’m a testicular cancer survivor diagnosed at 20. My story is about finding strength, building routines, and sharing hope for those facing cancer.

Your Story Isn’t Over; Start Each Day With Hope and Purpose

As July concludes, new treatments offer advances across kidney and bladder cancer, with breakthroughs in personalized vaccines and non-surgical therapies.

July GU Cancer Highlights: Top 5 Updates Patients Should Know

New treatment combinations are transforming genitourinary cancer care, improving survival and quality of life while personalizing patient outcomes.

Rapid Developments to Enhance Patient Experience in GU Cancer

Maria, my oncology nurse, inspired lasting change in my life through compassion, wisdom and faith during my cancer surgery and recovery.

What I Learned From My Cancer Nurse Maria

The FDA has approved Zynyz as a first-line treatment in combination with chemo and as a single-agent following progression in advanced anal cancer.

FDA Approves Zynyz Treatment Regimen for Advanced Anal Cancer

April serves as Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, which is the most common type of cancer in men aged between 15 and 44 years old.

Early Detection Critical for Testicular Cancer in Young Men 

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, according to the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation, and because testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer in men aged between 15 and 44 years old, it is important to help raise awareness for ways to address this disease.

It is important to note that early detection of testicular cancer is key, and with early detection, patients often have the opportunity to eliminate the need for additional surgeries, chemotherapy or radiation. The Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation website also notes that early detection impacts financial toxicity and can, in turn, ease both financial and emotional burden on patients faced with this disease.

“Testicular cancer is scary. Cancer is scary. Cancer is a charged term. However, this is one that's highly curable,” Dr. Benjamin Garmezy emphasized in an interview with CURE.

In the interview, he discussed the importance of early intervention for the best possible outcomes in patients with this disease.

Garmezy is a medical oncologist and the assistant director of Genitourinary (FU) Research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, as well as the co-chair of the GU Research Executive Committee at SCRI Oncology, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Testicular cancer is scary. Cancer is scary. Cancer is a charged term. However, this is one that's highly curable. We say every patient diagnosed with this disease has a chance of cure, and a highly likely chance of cure. Over 90% of these men are going to get cured. What I tell my patients is this is hopefully just going to be a bad dream in your life's rearview mirror, and we're going to get you through it. But even if that frontline chemo doesn't work, there are other options. We can do transplant. We can do higher doses of chemotherapy and still cure patients with those salvage options.

Sarah Cannon Research Institute — where I work — has a whole host of clinical trials available for patients with novel cellular therapies, where we're genetically engineering white blood cells to go into a patient and try to directly attack the tumor, or we have a molecule that will grab onto your own immune cells and bring them into the tumor, called a T-cell engager. We have all sorts of really cool technology as well that can really help, I think, extend life and perhaps achieve more cures in patients with testicular cancer. So, that's the big picture. Understand that this is scary, but also understand that there's a lot of help out there.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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Dr. Emre Yekedüz discusses his top 3 key takeaways from attending the 2025 ASCO Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium.

Top 3 Takeaways From ASCO GU 2025

Ensuring optimal treatment strategies for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains a key focus in oncology, particularly in the second line and beyond for metastatic disease. According to Dr. Emre Yekedüz, recent data from the 

2025 ASCO Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium

 highlighted several promising developments in kidney cancer treatment.

During the meeting, investigators presented findings on the combination of Lenvima (lenvatinib) and Welireg (belzutifan), a regimen showing potential in metastatic clear cell RCC. Additionally, research on the kidney injury molecule-1 biomarker suggested its role in predicting prognosis and survival for patients receiving nivolumab plus ipilimumab.

In the interview, Yekedüz also discussed early-phase data on a novel HIF-2α inhibitor, which demonstrated a 30% objective response rate as a single agent in the second-line setting. Ongoing phase 3 trials will further evaluate this agent’s potential in RCC treatment, he explained in an interview with CURE.

The first one is actually the combination regimen the [Lenvima], which is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is used in our [patients with] kidney cancer. And another one, [Welireg] is a HIF-2α inhibitor we can use in our [patients with] kidney cancer. The combination of these two regimens is promising in the second line of treatment and beyond in [patients with] metastatic clear cell RCC.

The second one, the kidney injury molecule-1, is a promising biomarker for evaluation of prognosis and also predicting survival in [patients with] metastatic clear cell RCC receiving [Opdivo (nivolumab) plus [Yervoy (ipilimumab)]. These are the immune checkpoint inhibitors in that we use in our [patients with] kidney cancer.

The third one is a novel HIF-2α inhibitor, which is a target for our [patients with] kidney cancer. Casdatifan is on the way. So the early phase 1 trial was presented by Dr. Toni Choueiri, and with 30% objective response rate as a single agent in the second line and treatment and beyond in [patients with] metastatic clear cell RCC. So actually, we are waiting for other combinations with the phase 3 trials. So this is a novel and promising agent for our [patients with] kidney cancer. I can say these [are] three important topics, from ASCO GU 2025.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness

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Conference

Dr. Emre Yekedüz highlighted strategies that may improve patients' quality of life and mitigate treatment-related side effects in renal cell carcinoma.

Investigating Quality of Life and Treatment Adherence in Kidney Cancer

Ensuring treatment adherence while minimizing side effects is a critical component of effective cancer care, specifically in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a kind of kidney cancer. According to Dr. Emre Yekedüz, side effect management remains a priority in kidney cancer care following data read-outs at the 

During the meeting, investigators shared information on a novel health-related quality-of-life questionnaire which was designed to assess functional well-being, emotional health, physical symptoms and treatment-related side effects in patients with localized RCC. Tools like these may help optimize symptom management, Yekedüz emphasized in an interview with CURE.

In the interview, he also discussed key findings from ongoing studies shared at the meeting. Yekedüz, a medical oncologist and research fellow in medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, also highlighted strategies that may improve patients' quality of life and mitigate treatment-related side effects.

Treatment adherence is essential in cancer care, so we must always consider side effect management and quality of life for our patients. A novel questionnaire was presented at the 2025 ASCO GU Symposium, [evaluating] novel health-related quality-of-life [measures]. This [tool] aimed to assess the functional well-being and emotional health in patients with localized RCC, as well as their physical symptoms and treatment side effects. Health-related quality-of-life tools can enhance symptom management, allowing us to optimize treatment strategies and assessments. 

Additionally, an abstract … evaluated Bavencio [avelumab] plus Inlyta [axitinib] — a combination commonly used for patients with clear cell RCC. According to the study design, if a response was observed with this combination, Inlyta could be discontinued while continuing Bavencio. However, if the disease progressed, Inlyta could be reintroduced. The study demonstrated a 50% partial response rate with the reintroduction of Inlyta, warranting further investigation. 

By [implementing] this strategy, we can [improve] patients' quality of life, reduce side effects during treatment, and enhance adherence throughout the treatment course. 

Dr. Guru Sonpavde emphasized the importance of better understanding how genetic mutations influence the treatment of cancer care, particularly GU cancers.

Better Understanding Genetic Mutations Influence in Cancer Care

, Dr. Guru P. Sonpavde sat down for an interview with CURE® to discuss genetic testing and the importance of precision medicine in cancer care.

Sonpavde, the medical director of Genitourinary Oncology, an assistant director of the Clinical Research Unit, and the Christopher K. Glanz Chair for Bladder Cancer Research at the AdventHealth Cancer Institute, located in Orlando, Florida, emphasized the importance of better understanding how genetic mutations influence the treatment of cancer care, particularly in GU cancers, and went on to discuss the potential of precision care.

Precision medicine still has a ways to go. As we know, we use biomarkers in prostate and bladder cancer; obviously genomic or germline alterations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 has had a big impact on the use of PARP inhibitors. Of course, we also know that the tumor agnostic approval of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) based on microsatellite instability does have an impact across most cancers; in prostate cancer, that does apply.

In bladder cancer, at this time, the FGFR3 mutations/fusions that allows us to give Balversa [erdafitinib]. We are also looking for HER2. With HER2 [positivity], Enhertu [fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki] is approved as a pan-tumor approval label. Therefore, we look for those biomarkers in bladder cancer.

In renal cell carcinoma, it's a little unclear at the moment. The one biomarker that's looking interesting is the KIM-1, the circulating proteomic biomarker, which could be a reasonable biomarker for minimal residual disease. It seems to correlate with the recurrence of tumor post-operation. It also seems to correlate with long-term outcomes in the immune checkpoint inhibitor setting, as shown at the ASCO GU Symposium, [with the use of] Yervoy [ipilimumab] and Opdivo [nivolumab]. [Therefore], I think that biomarkers are emerging.

To add, I will say the minimal residual disease informs circulating tumor DNA [ctDNA] to select patients for adjuvant Opdivo. [On that note], immune checkpoint inhibition is being used in the community, however, prospective validation is still ongoing. For example, the IMvigor011 trial used ctDNA data to guide adjuvant therapy, as well as [guide] therapy at the time of transforming from ctDNA-negative to ctDNA-positive… Hopefully more data will come out from the IMvigor011 trial to further guide [this treatment].

There is a trial ongoing that allows patients to be de-intensified or intensified in terms of adjuvant therapy for high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer based on ctDNA-positive or -negative [status]. Overall, I think that all of these studies, when they mature, will bring precision medicine based on tumor alterations as well as MRD information to guide therapy.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.

Precision medicine in genitourinary (GU) cancers is advancing through the use of biomarkers and genetic testing. Key developments include the impact of BRCA1/2 mutations on PARP inhibitor use, and the tumor-agnostic approval of pembrolizumab for microsatellite instability. In bladder cancer, FGFR3 mutations and HER2 positivity guide treatment with erdafitinib and fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki, respectively. Emerging biomarkers like KIM-1 in renal cell carcinoma and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are being explored for guiding adjuvant therapy and immune checkpoint inhibition, with ongoing trials expected to refine precision medicine strategies.

Dr. Park sat down for an interview with CURE® to discuss the key takeaways from the 2025 Annual ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

An Expert Highlights His Key Takeaways From The 2025 ASCO GU Symposium 

2025 Annual ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium

, Dr. Chandler Park sat down for an interview with 

® to discuss the key takeaways from the meeting. One of the key messages that he highlighted was the importance of genetic testing.

In the interview he stated: “I would highly encourage that whenever you see an oncologist… ask for genetic testing — not just germline testing, but somatic.”

In the interview, he went on to highlight the importance of precision medicine, as well as discuss key trials in genitourinary cancers to come out of the ASCO GU Symposium. Read here for more of our interview with Park, a medical oncologist of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, at the Norton Healthcare Institute, in Louisville, Kentucky.

One key [takeaway from the ASCO GU Symposium] is for patients that have prostate cancer [or those with] family and loved ones [with prostate cancer]. It is important to [speak with] your oncologist. I help out at the medical schools, and I can sense that certain people go into oncology because they love people, and [these people] are open to feedback. Therefore, I would highly encourage that whenever you see an oncologist, if you have a history of prostate cancer in the family, ask for genetic testing — not just germline testing, but somatic.

[Speaking to] bladder cancer, there was another study that was updated, and this is something that all patients and their family members should know about, and that's called the phase 3 NIAGARA study. This is something that's applicable today. So, what's the NIAGRA study? The NIAGRA study evaluated patients in which we want to get a high cure rate. Previously, for patients that had cystectomy, the standard of care was chemotherapy, surgery and then afterwards was to watch followed by consideration of immunotherapy, but there was no overall survival.

However, based on the ASCO GU update, if a patient received chemotherapy with an immunotherapy called Imfinzi (durvalumab), they had a much higher chance, that after surgery, they would remain cured. Everybody today that has stage 2 bladder cancer and received treatment before the surgery should ask their medical oncologist for chemotherapy and an immunotherapy. Then, after surgery, maybe even consider immunotherapy afterwards. That's something I would encourage.

An Expert Highlights His Key Takeaways From The 2025 ASCO GU Symposium

Dr. Chandler Park discusses the importance of genetic testing and personalized care in patients with genitourinary cancers.

Personalized Medicine Makes Strides Across the GU Oncology Treatment Space

Patients with genitourinary cancers such as kidney, bladder or prostate cancer should ask their doctor about precision medicine, which tailors treatment based on genetic testing, according to Dr. Chandler Park.

For example, some patients with kidney cancer with specific gene mutations may benefit from targeted therapy, while those with stage 4 bladder cancer should check for FGFR3 or HER2 mutations to see if they qualify for more effective treatments. In prostate cancer, genetic testing for BRCA and other mutations can help guide treatment choices. In an interview with CURE®, Park discusses the importance of genetic testing and personalized medicine, as this approach ensures patients receive the most effective and personalized care.

Park is a medical oncologist of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, at the Norton Healthcare Institute, in Louisville, Kentucky.

One of the things about genitourinary cancers is every patient — whether you have kidney cancer, bladder cancer or prostate cancer — needs to be evaluated for precision medicine. This is something I would share with my patients and their family members: ask for precision medicine. For example, let's say a patient has kidney cancer and they have specific gene mutations, such as von Hippel Lindell (VHL) germline mutations. If they do, I would consider them for evaluation by a genetic counselor to see if they have a condition called von Hippel Lindell disease, and in the future, I would consider them for treatment with a medication called Welireg [belzutifan]; that's a precision medicine now.

In bladder cancer… there has been an explosion of precision medicine. There are three highlights that I would talk about with somebody with bladder cancer to chat with their oncologist about. First — specifically in stage 4 disease — do I have a gene mutation? Do I have a gene mutation called FGFR3, because if you do, you can receive a medication called Balversa [erdafitinib]. [This agent] has a strong 40% to 45% response rate and is better than chemotherapy. The second thing that's emerged in the last six months is asking your oncologist, if you have a gene mutation called HER2. HER2 is something that oncologists know in terms of the breast cancer world, but if a patient has stage 4 bladder cancer and they have a HER2 gene mutation, there's a 60% to 65% chance that if they receive a medication called Enhertu [fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki], that it would work. I would ask if they have a HER2 gene mutation.

In terms of prostate cancer and precision medicine, we have to check for BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, CDK12, [and others]. I would ask, in terms of, when you see the oncologist, whether you have prostate, kidney or bladder cancer, ask that oncologist about the role of precision medicine and the role of next-generation sequencing. This way, you are or your family member is receiving, precision medicine, which is the best treatment for their specific cancer.

Dr. Guru P Sonpavde discusses updated data from studies like EV-302 and CheckMate 274 for patients with urothelial cancer at the 2025 ASCO GU meeting.

An Expert Explains Updated Data For Patients With GU Cancers

Updated data from studies like EV-302 and CheckMate 274 were presented at the 

Genitourinary Cancers

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