Oncology and hematology

2,498 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 27

Clinical practice guidelines have problems, but they’re not broken

September 10, 2019Sep 10, 20192

A Health Affairs blog post titled "Fixing Clinical Practice Guidelines" echoed several concerns I've discussed previously: practice guidelines are being produced in abundance but often have variable methodological quality, financial conflicts of interest that threaten objectivity, and/or poor applicability to…

A Health Affairs blog post titled “Fixing Clinical Practice Guidelines” echoed several concerns I’ve discussed previously: practice guidelines are being produced in abundance but often have variable methodological quality, financial conflicts of interest that threaten objectivity, and/or poor applicability to the clinicians and populations for whom they are intended. To address these problems, the authors reasonably suggested restoring funding for AHRQ’s National Guideline Clearinghouse and …

Physician voices

After a spouse’s death, a physician is showered with gratitude

Mary Braun, MD

September 9, 2019Sep 9, 20192

I saw Kaitlin (identifying information changed) and her husband Brandon seven days before she died. Kaitlin's cancer had been in remission at our last visit, but this day she looked awful. I estimated she had less than three months to…

I saw Kaitlin (identifying information changed) and her husband Brandon seven days before she died. Kaitlin’s cancer had been in remission at our last visit, but this day she looked awful. I estimated she had less than three months to live. As I think being surprised by death is unhelpful, I decided to test whether they were prepared to take on bad news by mentioning that she didn’t look like …

Conditions and diseases

Clinical trials advance medicine in the future. And help patients right now.

Jacob Thomas, MD

September 9, 2019Sep 9, 2019

If you’ve ever used a medication to treat an illness, you have a clinical trial to thank for it. Every standard therapy used in medicine today once started as a clinical trial. And it is commonly understood that today’s clinical…

Less understood – but just as important – is the fact that clinical trials are helping patients right now.

From pancreatic cancer patients whose lives …

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Conditions and diseases

Explaining Peter Fonda’s lung cancer

Mark S. Boguski, MD, PhD & Michele R. Berman, MD

September 3, 2019Sep 3, 2019

Actor Peter Fonda, son of Henry Fonda and younger brother of Jane Fonda, passed away August 16 at his Los Angeles home. Fonda, who was 79, is probably best known for his role as Wyatt in Easy Rider, a movie he co-wrote, produced, and starred in. Fonda was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for that film as …

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Explaining Peter Fonda’s lung cancer

Conditions and diseases

What to consider before undergoing stem cell treatment or banking stem cells

Miles J. Varn, MD

August 30, 2019Aug 30, 2019

It can be difficult to tease out the evidence-based science amidst the claims of successful adult stem cell-based treatments for a range of health problems from joint pain to Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, and spinal cord injury. Even a number of well-respected medical centers now offer patients regenerative medicine treatments that use the patient’s own fat or bone marrow cells or extracts created from platelets in their blood.

…

Conditions and diseases

The costly decision of delaying surgery

Cullen Ruff, MD

August 29, 2019Aug 29, 2019

It was a common enough reason for someone to have a CT scan. The order read, “Abdominal pain, colon cancer resected in January.” It was now March, only two months post-surgery. Yet the patient’s CT scan showed a number of…

I compared the current study to the CT performed before surgery. The liver had looked perfectly normal at that time.

“That’s an amazingly …

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The costly decision of delaying surgery

Conditions and diseases

A nurse comes face to face with her son’s serious illness

Robin Bennett Kanarek, RN

August 25, 2019Aug 25, 20192

Prior to my 10-year-old son being diagnosed with leukemia, I worked as a diabetes nurse educator at a local hospital. I had been an RN for over 15 years and was able to balance home life with work; I loved educating patients on how to deal with their diabetes and collaborating with colleagues. All that came to a screeching halt when David complained of hip pain and started limping. Within …

Physician voices

Convincing patients to stop cancer screening isn’t always easy

Nancy L. Schoenborn, MD

August 19, 2019Aug 19, 20193

During my training to become a primary care physician, the importance of preventive cancer screening was ingrained in me. The idea of catching cancer at an early stage so we can better treat it made intuitive sense. But as I’ve learned over the years, the simplicity of this concept can obscure its limitations and make it difficult …

Physician voices

What is low-value care, and why does it matter?

Edward Hoffer, MD

August 19, 2019Aug 19, 20196

Doctors and policy wonks hear a lot these days about “low-value care.” What exactly is that, and should you care? The term refers to tests, medications, and procedures that add little to a patient’s health or well-being but which cost…

Doctors and policy wonks hear a lot these days about “low-value care.” What exactly is that, and should you care?

The term refers to tests, medications, and procedures that add little to a patient’s health or well-being but which cost them or the system more money than any benefit warranted. Some of the earliest research that looked at this was done at Dartmouth, where they found enormous variations in the cost …

Physician voices

A letter before the yearly checkup

Christi Bartlett, MD

August 15, 2019Aug 15, 20192

Hey there, Dr. Brown. Just wanted to send a little note to warn you that I’m coming to see you soon for my yearly “checkup.” You and I both know that this is my annual opportunity to spew all of…

Hey there, Dr. Brown.

Just wanted to send a little note to warn you that I’m coming to see you soon for my yearly “checkup.” You and I both know that this is my annual opportunity to spew all of my worries on you and for you to reassure me that I’m not dying. Have you blocked at least an hour for me? I’ve got a boatload of random symptoms that …

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A letter before the yearly checkup

Physician voices

To first-generation college pre-medical students: Your future patients need you

Jenny Ruiz, MD

July 22, 2019Jul 22, 20193

Being a first-generation college student is hard. Being a first-generation college student and being pre-med is even harder. And since education and income are closely linked in the U.S., it's no surprise that many first-generation college students also come from…

Being a first-generation college student is hard. Being a first-generation college student and being pre-med is even harder. And since education and income are closely linked in the U.S., it’s no surprise that many first-generation college students also come from a low-income background.

I fell into this category.

My parents did not finish high school, and money was always tight. I had never heard of pre-med until I got to college. I …

Physician voices

Alternative cancer therapies and the promise of false hope

Wendy S. Harpham, MD

July 22, 2019Jul 22, 2019

How do you respond when patients with a good prognosis want to delay chemotherapy to try an anticancer diet for a few months or visit an unregulated clinic for unproven therapies? I’m asking because of an alarming finding of ASCO’s 2018 National Cancer Opinion Survey: “Nearly 4 in 10 Americans believe cancer can be cured solely through alternative therapies …” Clearly, we have a problem in today’s discussion about cancer treatments. …

Patient voices

A fatal diagnosis doesn’t mean life is finished

Jennie Dear, PhD

July 21, 2019Jul 21, 2019

An excerpt from What Does It Feel Like to Die?: Inspiring New Insights into the Experience of Dying. People who are diagnosed with a fatal disease sometimes do more than cope. They grow. They repair or strengthen relationships. They find…

An excerpt from What Does It Feel Like to Die?: Inspiring New Insights into the Experience of Dying.

People who are diagnosed with a fatal disease sometimes do more than cope. They grow. They repair or strengthen relationships. They find a deeper spirituality or meaning in the life that remains for them. They create a legacy of good memories for the people they leave behind. When any of this …

Conditions and diseases

A hidden cancer success story: declining deaths from melanoma

J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD

July 15, 2019Jul 15, 2019

Here is some news about cancer that isn’t widely known and is hiding in plain sight: Deaths from melanoma -- a skin cancer that has lethal potential -- have declined dramatically over the past several years. And while that fact…

Here is some news about cancer that isn’t widely known and is hiding in plain sight: Deaths from melanoma — a skin cancer that has lethal potential — have declined dramatically over the past several years. And while that fact alone is surprising, so is the reason behind the drop.

Let’s make something clear at the outset: too many people die from melanoma. It is not the …

Conditions and diseases

When colon cancer is diagnosed, it’s also a difficult day for the gastroenterologist

Michael Kirsch, MD

July 15, 2019Jul 15, 2019

Exercising good judgment can mean the difference between life or death. Life can be unforgiving of the choices we make. As we all know, many life events are beyond our control and understanding. But, there is much we can do…

Consider some of the choices listed below that many folks make every day. Are any of them familiar to you?

Texting while driving.

…

Physician voices

The line between family member and personal doctor

Brian Vukelic, MD

July 12, 2019Jul 12, 2019

I, like many physicians, am the only doctor in my extended family. To say that they are proud is probably an understatement. I’ve been a practicing physician for seven years now and yet my grandmother each time I see her greets me with, “There’s my doctor grandson.” I have worked quite hard to get to where I am, and I enjoy what I do. I, too, am proud to be the …

Health technology

How can data analytics to improve the care and outcomes of cancer patients?

J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD

July 11, 2019Jul 11, 2019

I want to share some thoughts about artificial intelligence, or as I prefer to call it “data analytics.” Fundamentally: How can we capture the capability of analytics to improve the care and outcomes of cancer patients? And more importantly: How…

Admittedly that’s a large focus covering lots of opportunities. Speak to one expert, and you will …

Physician voices

A physician family’s enraging experiences with the U.S. health care system

Judith Graham

July 9, 2019Jul 9, 20194

Dr. Hasan Shanawani was overcome by frustration. So, last week he picked up his cellphone and began sharing on Twitter his family’s enraging experiences with the U.S. health care system. It was an act of defiance — and desperation. Like…

Dr. Hasan Shanawani was overcome by frustration. So, last week he picked up his cellphone and began sharing on Twitter his family’s enraging experiences with the U.S. health care system.

It was an act of defiance — and desperation. Like millions of people who are sick or old and the families who care for them, this physician was disheartened by the health care system’s complexity and its all-too-frequent absence of caring …

Conditions and diseases

After cancer treatment: It’s time to reconsider the ringing of the bell

Anne Katz, RN, PhD

July 8, 2019Jul 8, 20192

It’s become a common practice in oncology institutions across North America: A patient completes their prescribed course of treatment and they ring a bell. Usually, it's a large bell, like one that used to be rung in schools signaling the…

It’s become a common practice in oncology institutions across North America: A patient completes their prescribed course of treatment and they ring a bell. Usually, it’s a large bell, like one that used to be rung in schools signaling the end of recess. Or it’s a ship’s bell, attached to a wall outside the radiation department or the chemotherapy unit. …

Physician voices

Take a break from all the bad news, and praise hope

J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD

July 6, 2019Jul 6, 2019

Reading the headlines in the morning newspaper lately can downright depressing. It was with that feeling that I recalled three conversations I had recently with people who have various cancers. And I realized that despite all the chaos around us,…

Hope is very real, especially when you or a loved one or someone you know is diagnosed and treated for cancer. Hope …

Oncology and hematology

Articles, page 27

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