Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

10 things a pediatric oncologist wants you to know

Wendy A. Rhoades, MD
Conditions
September 17, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

1. Cancer is not rare.  Technically, childhood cancer is rare compared to adult cancer, but it’s not as rare as you think.   Outside of my work, I can think of 3 people who I know personally that had a childhood cancer.  A teammate on my high school basketball team, my sister-in-law, and a high school debate teammate.   My guess is that you also know someone from church, a coworker’s kid, or one of your kids’ classmates who has been affected by this disease.

2. Curing cancer and preventing cancer is not the same thing.  We do have a cure for the majority of childhood cancers.  Nearly 90 percent of children diagnosed with cancer will survive. We are not done.  The treatments stink.  We can do better.  10 percent still die from cancer or from the effects of their treatment.  This is why we advocate.  We advocate for better and more effective cures.  We will not rest until we have it perfect.

3. I know my drugs have side effects.  Trust me.  I know.  See above.

4. With the above #2 statement in mind, put sunscreen on yourself and your children.  Teach them about the dangers of tobacco and lifestyles of excess (i.e., food, alcohol, stress).  Take care of yourself and teach them how to take care of themselves. These are preventative measures.

5. Vaccines save lives.  Some of my patients lose the immunity that they once had from their vaccines.   Until they are strong enough to receive vaccines again, they are at risk from dying due to vaccine-preventable illnesses.  You picking up what I’m putting down?  It’s a fact that for some patients, vaccines can be dangerous. This includes cancer patients. The vaccines can be dangerous for them and the vaccine-preventable diseases are definitely dangerous to them.  We rely on the immunity of the community to protect our most vulnerable.  (P. S. HPV vaccine prevents against cervical and head and neck cancers later in life.)

6. In spite of what you see on the news, good people abound.   Come to the cancer clinic.  Meet the nurses.  Meet the doctors, the social workers, the kids, their families–heck meet everyone.  Come to the medical school – it’s brimming with bright young minds that will be the leaders of the next generation.   Everyone you meet will inspire you.

7. I believe in miracles. I don’t believe they come with a cash price tag.   Be wary of “miracle cures.”    We aren’t hiding anything.  If I think it will help you, I will tell you.  If I think it will hurt you, I will tell you.   If I think I can cure you, I will tell you.   If I think I can’t cure you, I will also tell you that.

8. I am not against all things natural. However, natural does not imply safe.  Tell your doctor what you are taking.  I just want you to be safe.

9. Healing and curing can be mutually exclusive.  It depends on the situation. I became a doctor to heal and sometimes that doesn’t include a cure.

10. I know it’s uncomfortable to see children in the midst of cancer therapy.  Sometimes I feel it too.   It hits me at the most unexpected moments. The moments when my children are sleeping peacefully, and I’m stroking their soft hair, when they dash out into the rain to taste the sky with upturned faces, or when they nuzzle up against me and tell me I’m their favorite mama.   I think, “what if cancer happens to my child?” It’s a nauseating gut punch, followed by the feeling of your heart being drug to the ground and shredded until it is no longer recognizable.  You realize ‘that could be my kid‘ when you see one of my bald-headed patients.   I get it.  It’s uncomfortable.  It’s terrifying.  Turning a blind eye will not decrease the chance that someone you love will be diagnosed with cancer.   1 in 3 people will develop cancer in their lifetime.  1 in 285 children will develop cancer before the age of 18.   Ignoring the facts will not make them go away.  Help us advocate for our children.

Wendy A. Rhoades is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist who blogs at Beyond the Coat.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Attention PCP colleagues: We can do better with referrals

September 17, 2018 Kevin 6
…
Next

Physicians need to learn to avoid moral errors

September 18, 2018 Kevin 5
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Oncology/Hematology, Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Attention PCP colleagues: We can do better with referrals
Next Post >
Physicians need to learn to avoid moral errors

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Wendy A. Rhoades, MD

  • The financial hole for patients begins on the first day of diagnosis

    Wendy A. Rhoades, MD

Related Posts

  • Observing the effects of COVID-19 on the pediatric population

    Amy Cox and Rachel Kalthoff
  • 10 tips for delivering difficult pediatric diagnoses

    Laura Spiegel
  • Are pediatric hospitals ready to embrace value-based payment models?

    Johanna Vidal Phelan, MD, MBA
  • How COVID-19 will close pediatric practices

    Nidhi Kukreja, MD
  • School vaccine exemptions must be for medical conditions only

    Shetal Shah, MD
  • The basics of the MMR vaccine from a pediatrician

    Roy Benaroch, MD

More in Conditions

  • Earwax could hold secrets to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease

    Sandra Vamos, EdD and Domenic Alaimo
  • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

    Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
  • Why health care must adapt to meet the needs of older adults with disabilities

    Lynn A. Schaefer, PhD
  • 4 traits every new attending physician needs to thrive

    Sarah Epstein
  • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

    Pearl Jones, MD
  • Why local cardiac CT scans could save your life

    Benjamin Cohen, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

10 things a pediatric oncologist wants you to know
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...