Oncology/Hematology

Better guidelines that consider breast density are critical for women’s health

Conditions

November 11, 2022

October 27th is the 30th anniversary of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA). Congress enacted this law to safeguard nationwide access to quality mammography to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages. With this Act, the federal government accredits, inspects, and certifies mammography facilities and standardizes mammography equipment, quality assurance, recordkeeping, and communication of results.

What’s missing from the …

Say “I love you” often and mean it

Linda Munroe, APRN

Conditions

November 5, 2022

I normally start October off by changing my Facebook profile picture to a pink survivor ribbon and celebrating my breast cancer survivorship, but this October was different. I slept on October 1st because I had spent 48 hours at Gulf Coast Medical Center when hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida three days before. I was absolutely exhausted when I arrived home after the storm. The world was turned upside down. Then …

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Say “I love you” often and mean it

When patients want their doctors to heal [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 28, 2022

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“I think it’s much more likely that my patients — some of whom are terminal and facing their own mortality; others who are suffering through a multitude of side effects from their cancers or our treatments – …

Is Elon Musk right about the future of medicine?

Farhan S. Imran, MD

Tech

October 1, 2022

“Mark my words. AI (artificial intelligence) is more dangerous than the nukes.”
– Elon Musk

The other day, as soon as I walked in to work, already running my usual ten minutes late, I was hustling from my office to the clinic when I saw one of our physician assistants in the hallway. Otherwise known for her calm composure, it seemed odd that she was visibly distressed. She had forgotten her laptop …

A physician’s reflections with certainty in medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 28, 2022

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

“Lacking a supreme being in which to place our faith, my wife and I decided to make the most difficult decision of our lives and discontinue life support. I still wonder if we made the right decision, …

Preventing prostate cancer with simple, proactive choices

Benny Gavi, MD and Maya Eylon

Conditions

September 8, 2022

An excerpt from Preventing Prostate Cancer: Reduce Your Risk With Simple, Proactive Choices.

Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in men globally. Within the United States, the American Cancer Society found that one in eight men are diagnosed …

Turning obstacles into opportunities with diversified health care perspectives

Dr. Vivek Podder

Physician

September 7, 2022

I have experienced a wide spectrum of the health care ecosystem since childhood giving me a deeper insight into its future need. I suffered for 23 years with a wrong diagnosis and frequent long-distance hospital visits before my heart operation. For 14 years, I shifted through multiple doctors and hospitalizations for my father’s mismanaged diabetic complications, including a foot ulcer with cellulitis. My academic mentor said, “Your father himself is …

When my patients cared for me

Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD

Physician

August 28, 2022

As my patient’s face slowly became visible on the computer screen, I smiled and waved to her. She waved back with vigor.

She was a Cuban housekeeper who arrived in Miami during the Mariel boatlift in 1980. Now in her mid-60s, she had recently been diagnosed with leukemia and endured a two-month hospitalization during which her bone marrow grudgingly entered a remission, following an onslaught of chemotherapy. She was now back …

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When my patients cared for me

Urging patience with patient self-advocacy

Murray Keith Wadsworth

Conditions

August 26, 2022

One conundrum patients face is the dichotomy of trusting our doctors whilst deep diving in web searches and seeking additional opinions. Another is when our findings and experiences do not align with our doctors or established practices and guidelines.

How would you react in the first consultation with a new patient who presented as I did: with a radiation oncologist in Houston, outcome data on three curative attempts, a graph of …

Breast implant illness: It’s not all in your head

Tara DeArmond

Conditions

August 13, 2022

“It’s just part of getting older.”

“Welcome to being a woman.”

“I hear this all the time from women. You just need to learn to deal with it.”

“Here’s a pill. See you in six months.”

“I have run all the labs I can think of. They are all normal. There’s nothing wrong. I’m sure it’s just stress.”

“It’s probably in your head.”

“There’s nothing I can do for you.”

Every doctor visit was the same. Each …

Cancer of the future: diagnosis, treatment, and impact on the health care system and patients

Eugene Chan, MD

Meds

August 3, 2022

While cancer has been around for decades, the fight for survival and treatment options are still very top of mind. Treatment is simply playing catch up. We continue to try and get rid of the disease that has already infiltrated one’s body rather than catching it before it develops. We need to shift the focus from therapeutics that fight the disease to ways we can catch it before the deterioration …

Denying essential medical care doesn’t save money — or lives

Steve Cohen, JD

Conditions

July 30, 2022

That health care in the United States is wildly expensive is beyond debate — but the actual numbers are almost beyond belief. In 2010, for example, health care costs amounted to $2.6-trillion. By 2020, those costs had risen to $4 trillion — an increase of more than 50%. Worse, such increases show no signs of slowing.

Health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket expenses, and direct government expenses all add up to a nearly …

Candid about my breast cancer

Bianca Haines

Conditions

July 29, 2022

Lump

I am a pretty private person and will only disclose information with a small few I trust. However, it has been five years since my second diagnosis with breast cancer, and I felt compelled to share my journey because I’ve made it a lot longer than I thought I would.

Every day for the rest of the month, I will share what I recall, what helped, and what didn’t. My only …

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Candid about my breast cancer

Clearing up common misconceptions surrounding cellular technology and radiation

Kevin Charles King, MD

Conditions

July 26, 2022

5G and its related cell towers are still causing controversy around the U.S. Earlier this month, residents in Indiana and Nevada were against 5G cell towers being placed in their neighborhoods. In Charlotte County, Florida, one resident against the towers was concerned about his neighborhood being the guinea pigs of possible health implications caused by 5G. Before these complaints surfaced, 107 …

A cancer patient’s last wish

Farhan S. Imran, MD

Physician

July 22, 2022

It’s not a good feeling when you cannot do too much for your patient as a doctor. That’s how I felt when I walked into the room to see Valerie for the first time.

She was in her 60’s. She was flanked by her two adult granddaughters, who were very close to their grandma. You could tell that at some point in her life when she was younger, she may have …

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A cancer patient’s last wish

The building blocks of a cancer risk management strategy

Miles J. Varn, MD

Conditions

July 14, 2022

According to data gathered by the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 1.9 million new cancers are projected to be diagnosed in 2022. In addition, missed cancer screenings due to the pandemic are expected to potentially increase the number of cancers that are diagnosed at a more advanced stage. But the ACS data also highlight an important fact—approximately 42% of the new cancers projected to be diagnosed …

Not a cancer survivor, not a cancer previvor: Am I a cancer preventer?

Nanette Elster, JD, MPH

Conditions

July 9, 2022

I recently had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with an esthetic flat closure (no reconstruction). My decision took months of questions, discussion and reflection. My journey began during the final four weeks of 2021.

It included: four mammograms, four ultrasounds, three MRIs, two needle biopsies, two radioactive seed placements, two excisional biopsies (aka lumpectomies), two surgeon visits, and scheduling a prophylactic mastectomy.

Thankfully, I am currently cancer-free and have a greatly reduced risk …

6 changes that could lower the risk of developing prostate cancer

Miles J. Varn, MD

Conditions

July 7, 2022

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in people with a prostate. Some risk factors associated with prostate cancer can’t be mitigated. Those factors include older age, a family history of prostate cancer, and race (Black men have double the risk of developing prostate cancer compared to white men).

There are, however, lifestyle changes that men can make that may reduce prostate cancer risk. Diet …

Making the decision each day to stay in clinical medicine

Deborah Bradley, MD

Physician

July 1, 2022

I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. I played hospital with my dolls as a child. I never thought of alternative career paths. I climbed the long, sometimes unbearably steep mountain to reach the top.

I loved clinic medicine for many years. Most days, I still do. Until recently, I had never considered leaving, choosing a different path.

Then, I walked into the clinic and …

Precision medicine: the rifle vs. shotgun approach to cancer treatment

Hirva Mamdani, MD

Conditions

June 20, 2022

Why does one person respond favorably to lung cancer treatment while another does not?

The answer lies in their DNA.

Just 20 years ago, lung cancer was broadly categorized into two groups: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Relatively recently, the treatment of NSCLC shifted from chemotherapy as a single treatment option to treatment with precision medicine, which is positively impacting survival rates.

Oncology/Hematology

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