Oncology and hematology

Surviving medical residency: the untold story of resilience and hope

July 10, 2024Jul 10, 2024

Working as a resident in medicine can be tiring. You are expected to study, pass exams, take care of your patients without making any mistakes, keep your seniors happy, have friendly ties with your co-workers, work extremely long hours, and avoid conflict at all times. No one will ever think of your well-being or happiness. You’ll be blamed and criticized even when your work is exceptional. You have to deal …

Health policy

Toxic energy: Confronting the carcinogenic risks of fossil fuels

Elissa Klein

July 7, 2024Jul 7, 2024

The evidence is clear: Proximity to fossil fuel infrastructure poses a significant cancer risk to millions of Americans. Studies consistently link exposure to pollutants like benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and particulate matter from fossil fuel facilities to elevated rates…

Alarmingly, 17.6 million Americans live in close proximity to active oil and gas wells, transportation pipelines, and processing facilities, …

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Battling aplastic anemia: my journey with ATGAM equine therapy

Deborah C. Smith, RN

July 3, 2024Jul 3, 2024

This paper is written from the author's perspective after receiving ATGAM equine immunotherapy for the treatment of aplastic anemia. This journey began in 2017 with the diagnosis of T-cell lymphocytic leukemia without having achieved remission. The author experienced extreme fatigue…

This paper is written from the author’s perspective after receiving ATGAM equine immunotherapy for the treatment of aplastic anemia. This journey began in 2017 with the diagnosis of T-cell lymphocytic leukemia without having achieved remission. The author experienced extreme fatigue and shortness of breath. A full cardiac and pulmonary work-up was completed, and all findings were within normal limits. A CBC revealed a hemoglobin level of 4.4! Thus, the journey …

Minority representation in clinical trials [PODCAST]

June 25, 2024Jun 25, 2024

Join Ananth Ravi, a health care executive dedicated to democratizing health care through innovative image-guided therapeutics. In this episode, we delve into the persistent issue of racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes, exploring how women of color are disproportionately affected…

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How oncologists and patients build lifelong connections

June 21, 2024Jun 21, 2024

Oncology is a kind of specialty in medicine that involves seeing the same patients for many years. This can be beneficial when your patient is cured in cases of limited-stage disease or if the disease is stable on treatment for a long period of time in cases of advanced disease. In both scenarios, you follow the patient closely regularly and form a strong bond with them, even if you don’t …

Sean McBride, MD & Shannon MacDonald, MD

Why saving interstate telehealth should matter to you

June 16, 2024Jun 16, 2024

As cancer clinical trialists with sub-specialized practices, we treat patients from across the country. But while they must travel for treatment, there are clear occasions where we recognize that advice and consultation by telephone, video, and patient messaging are perfectly…

Telemedicine across state lines was the legal norm during COVID-19. Patients and practitioners quickly recognized that Americans deserved access to physicians unencumbered by …

A day in the life: the unseen struggles of an oncology resident

Anonymous

June 15, 2024Jun 15, 2024

Yesterday, I couldn't get up in time in the morning and had to rush to the hospital without breakfast. I was just afraid of getting noticed by anyone from my department that I was a little late. When I reached…

Yesterday, I couldn’t get up in time in the morning and had to rush to the hospital without breakfast. I was just afraid of getting noticed by anyone from my department that I was a little late. When I reached the outpatient department (OPD), I just got a text from my consultant that he was not feeling well, and I had to see all the patients in his absence. In …

A modern tale of thyroid cancer: AI, haikus, and healing

Isabelle Tran

June 14, 2024Jun 14, 2024

AI Ally Hangs up. Phone drops. Thud. She blinks back, tears, and looks up. Thyroid cancer, huh … Typing, click clack … thud. She sighs in relief. Texts friends, invites family over for comfort. The next day, she calls her…

AI Ally

Hangs up. Phone drops. Thud.
She blinks back, tears, and looks up.
Thyroid cancer, huh …
Typing, click clack … thud.

She sighs in relief.
Texts friends, invites family
over for comfort.

The next day, she calls
her doctor ready to talk,
ready to listen.

Behind the poem: not your typical haiku

…

A story of liver cancer and diabetes [PODCAST]

June 13, 2024Jun 13, 2024

Join us for a discussion on the critical intersection of diabetes and liver disease. Our guest, Sarah Bauer, a pediatrician, shares her personal journey and insights into the recent screening guidelines released by the American Diabetes Association. From the importance…

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Why doctors rely on nurses more than you think

June 7, 2024Jun 7, 2024

I think we spend more working hours with nurses than with any other colleagues. They not only solve the problems of the patients, but most of the time, they even know more than doctors about the progress of every patient. I really rely on their assessment, and sometimes we make better decisions with a little discussion about the situation with each other. We have the same problems, we hate the …

Navigating the challenges of breast cancer-related lymphedema

Steven L. Chen, MD, MBA

June 5, 2024Jun 5, 2024

As advancements in breast cancer treatments have led to improved patient survival rates, the focus has begun to shift to addressing the significant long-term side effects, particularly lymphedema. This condition, often resulting from cancer therapies, presents substantial health care challenges and negatively impacts patients’ quality of life. With a staggering up to 82 percent of breast cancer patients having a risk factor for developing limb lymphedema due to treatment, …

Costly care vs. cutting-edge treatments: the state of cancer today

Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD

June 4, 2024Jun 4, 2024

For decades, many patients, their children, and grandkids have strived to answer, "What is cancer?" As a doctor and scientist, over the past 16 months, I have learned the latest cancer information from experts at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and…

For decades, many patients, their children, and grandkids have strived to answer, “What is cancer?” As a doctor and scientist, over the past 16 months, I have learned the latest cancer information from experts at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and MD Anderson in Houston. With that, I have also become aware some patients are either denied state-of-the-art care or just kept in the dark about potential treatment because it is …

Geriatric oncology: challenges and rewards of treating elderly cancer patients

June 2, 2024Jun 2, 2024

If anyone asks me, "What part of oncology do you hate the most?" I would definitely answer without much thought, "geriatric oncology." I think that's the most difficult specialty because it needs extraordinary skills and patience to deal with elderly…

If anyone asks me, “What part of oncology do you hate the most?” I would definitely answer without much thought, “geriatric oncology.” I think that’s the most difficult specialty because it needs extraordinary skills and patience to deal with elderly patients dealing with cancer. Although cancer is much more prevalent in the elderly, their needs are quite different compared to other adult patients. They are mostly very weak and malnourished, …

Hemophilia treatment: new hope with gene therapy and other advancements

Akshat Jain, MD

May 31, 2024May 31, 2024

Hemophilia and other bleeding disorders are rare genetic conditions that affect the body's ability to properly form blood clots. People with these conditions often face challenges in accessing appropriate care and treatment. This is true not only in developed countries…

Hemophilia and other bleeding disorders are rare genetic conditions that affect the body’s ability to properly form blood clots. People with these conditions often face challenges in accessing appropriate care and treatment. This is true not only in developed countries but also in low- and middle-income countries around the world.

One of the biggest access to care issues for people with hemophilia and bleeding disorders is the availability of specialized treatment …

Lung cancer in Asian American women: Don’t be a statistic (never smoked)

Alice S. Y. Lee, MD

May 28, 2024May 28, 2024

May is AANHPI Heritage Month so it's a good time to share again my journey from nonsmoker to lung cancer survivor. It is such an important issue to bring awareness to this little-known and potentially deadly health disparity because, according…

May is AANHPI Heritage Month so it’s a good time to share again my journey from nonsmoker to lung cancer survivor. It is such an important issue to bring awareness to this little-known and potentially deadly health disparity because, according to the 2020 census, 6.2 percent or 20.6 million people identify as AANHPI (Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander).

Wait. How can you have lung cancer? You’re not a …

Why preventive care is the cure for our failing health care system

Shakeel Ahmed, MD

May 26, 2024May 26, 20244

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." - Thomas Edison Mr. Edison, if he is watching…

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
– Thomas Edison

Mr. Edison, if he is watching over us, must be sadly disappointed.

The provocative idea of making cancer centers obsolete might sound extreme, but it underscores a critical vision for health care—shifting from reactive to preventive treatment. Envision a …

Targeting cancer treatment for better outcomes [PODCAST]

May 24, 2024May 24, 2024

We welcome Kevin L. Schewe, a radiation oncologist, as we explore the evolution of cancer treatment from the perspective of someone who has witnessed groundbreaking advancements firsthand. From the significance of targeted therapies in improving patient outcomes to the transformative…

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A simple poem, and a profound message: Exploring Wendy Cope’s The Orange

May 23, 2024May 23, 2024

Wendy Cope is a poet of modern times. She was born in Erith, Kent. She spent fifteen years teaching primary school in London after graduating from college. She has published five collections of her poems: Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis in 1986, Serious Concerns in 1992, If I Don’t Know in 2001, Family Values in 2011, and Anecdotal Evidence in 2018. Her observation of the commonplace, everyday elements of life …

Challenges of the past: a physician’s story