Oncology and hematology

2,498 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 72

Cancer survivors are truly remarkable people

November 19, 2012Nov 19, 20122

David Sampson, who is a colleague of mine here at the American Cancer Society, recently sent me a blog written by a woman well known in the breast cancer community who days previously had been diagnosed with recurrence of her breast cancer. The blog has captivated me, perhaps more so now that I have been facing some of my own …

Physician voices

Good decision making often depends on good communication

Peter Ubel, MD

November 19, 2012Nov 19, 20122

We live in an age of patient empowerment. Medical students are now routinely taught that the “right choice” often depends on patient preferences—on how an individual patient weighs the pros and cons of her treatment alternatives. That means medical decisions depend, more than ever, on good communication. Physicians need to help patients understand their choices so that they can partner with their patients in discovering the best alternatives, ones personalized …

Conditions and diseases

MKSAP: 24-year-old man with aplastic anemia

mksap

November 18, 2012Nov 18, 2012

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 24-year-old man undergoes follow-up evaluation for treatment of aplastic anemia. Two of his siblings are HLA-identical matches. Laboratory studies: Review of the bone…

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 24-year-old man undergoes follow-up evaluation for treatment of aplastic anemia. Two of his siblings are HLA-identical matches.

Laboratory studies:

Hemoglobin	8.3 g/dL (83 g/L) (following transfusion of 1 unit of irradiated packed erythrocytes last week)
Leukocyte count	500/µL (0.5 × 10⁹/L) with 23% neutrophils, 3% band forms, and 71% lymphocytes
Platelet count	26,000/µL (26 × 10⁹/L)
Reticulocyte count	0.2%

Review of the bone …

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Conditions and diseases

Is it possible to ignore prostate cancer?

James C. Salwitz, MD

November 17, 2012Nov 17, 20123

Is it possible to ignore a cancer? Prostate cancer infests almost 250,000 men in this country each year and will kill 28,000 men in the United States in 2012, over 200,000 around the world. Many lose their lives “too soon”, dying in their 60s or even their 50s. Nonetheless, authorities do not recommend the PSA blood test for routine screening of this disease. How can this make sense? Partly this …

Physician voices

Do patients bond best with doctors who misinform them with optimism?

Albert Fuchs, MD

November 16, 2012Nov 16, 201210

Metastatic (stage IV) colon cancer and lung cancer are fatal incurable illnesses. That doesn’t just mean they are life-threatening. A fatal incurable illness is one which has zero survivors. You don’t know anyone who had metastatic colon or lung cancer…

Chemotherapy is still occasionally used in such cases and sometimes can prolong life by a few months. Chemotherapy might also help temporarily alleviate some …

Physician voices

Not all cancer survivors have cancer

Don S. Dizon, MD

November 9, 2012Nov 9, 2012

“You look amazing!” It was the first thing out of my mouth upon seeing Sharon.* She is a woman in her mid-seventies, and she has recurrent ovarian cancer. We had met after she was diagnosed with recurrence, only five months…

“You look amazing!” It was the first thing out of my mouth upon seeing Sharon.^* She is a woman in her mid-seventies, and she has recurrent ovarian cancer.

We had met after she was diagnosed with recurrence, only five months after the end of her “curative” treatment. At the time, we talked about her life—how she had been a nurse before …

Read more…

Not all cancer survivors have cancer

Physician voices

How cancer awareness efforts can backfire

Kenneth Lin, MD

November 8, 2012Nov 8, 20126

The American Cancer Society designated an October weekend "Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend" as part of its annual Coaches vs. Cancer program that featured well-dressed basketball coaches wearing "sneakers instead of dress shoes with their usual game attire during weekend…

The American Cancer Society designated an October weekend “Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend” as part of its annual Coaches vs. Cancer program that featured well-dressed basketball coaches wearing “sneakers instead of dress shoes with their usual game attire during weekend games to demonstrate their support for the Society and the fight against cancer.”

The idea is to encourage people to exercise and eat a healthy diet to reduce …

Physician voices

Facing the difficult issues when it comes to high quality cancer care

J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD

November 7, 2012Nov 7, 2012

It has been a long slog since we started our war on cancer here in the United States in 1971. At times I am not certain that this has been so much of a war as opposed to a series…

It has been a long slog since we started our war on cancer here in the United States in 1971.

At times I am not certain that this has been so much of a war as opposed to a series of skirmishes that occasionally have produced incredible moments of optimism. But there have been a fair share of frustrations …

Conditions and diseases

Do black men need separate prostate cancer screening guidelines?

Erin Marcus, MD

November 5, 2012Nov 5, 2012

Marc Henderson, a 63-year-old African-American airport executive, isn't afraid to ask his physician to do a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a screening test for prostate cancer. "I'd rather know early on so that it can be treated, rather…

Marc Henderson, a 63-year-old African-American airport executive, isn’t afraid to ask his physician to do a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a screening test for prostate cancer. “I’d rather know early on so that it can be treated, rather than sit around in denial until it’s too late,” he said. “If it’s going to help catch something, I have no problems with it.”

Henderson’s views aren’t unusual. For years, doctors …

Physician voices

The deep psychic effects of medical care

James C. Salwitz, MD

November 4, 2012Nov 4, 20124

In his brilliant 1993 satire “Et Tu, Babe,” Mark Leyner proposed a new concept in body art, which is the specialty of “visceral tattoos.” The narrator travels to Mexico where his chest is opened and the insignia of a “guy surfing a wave of lava, wearing polka-dotted trunks,” is tattooed directly on his heart. The dye used shows up on CT scans and apparently women, especially x-ray technicians, love it. …

Patient voices

Attitude is half the battle when you’re sick

Elaine Waples

October 23, 2012Oct 23, 20122

I’ve come to believe that seriously sick people are often subject to some very interesting comments from well-intentioned non-sick people. They are frequently inspired by platitudes from self-help-books, Google chat rooms (heaven forbid), or beliefs that have been around for…

To be fair, when we are confronted with the uncomfortable task of talking to a sick person, our conversation can …

Conditions and diseases

A moral duty to help build healthier societies

James C. Salwitz, MD

October 22, 2012Oct 22, 20123

Nairobi, Kenya basks under a brilliant sun, its dusty frontier soul, noise, construction and vital humanity speak for a nation and a people rushing into the modern world. Full of ideas, growing exports and exploding industry, its expanding middle class has seized on education and commerce as the path to tomorrow. One of the richest nations in Africa, with a new Constitution and new hope, it races forward. Tragically, even …

Conditions and diseases

It’s not all in the genes: How to reduce your risk of cancer

Toni Brayer, MD

October 22, 2012Oct 22, 20122

There are an estimated 1,638,910 new cases of the dreadful disease diagnosed in 2012 in the United States, not including non-melanoma skin cancers. Cancer is not just one disease but is a term that represents more than 100 diseases with…

There are an estimated 1,638,910 new cases of the dreadful disease diagnosed in 2012 in the United States, not including non-melanoma skin cancers.

Cancer is not just one disease but is a term that represents more than 100 diseases with different causes. The basic unit of life is cells, and cancer always begins in cells. When the normal process of cell growth and division is altered, these abnormal cells divide without …

Patient voices

Both the scientific and the social sides of medicine are needed

Clarissa Schilstra

October 21, 2012Oct 21, 20122

The word medicine, in today’s world, seems to indicate a hard science in search of cures for many kinds of human ailments, such as cancer. However, I believe that the true definition of medicine is the practice of healing. Medicine is both an art and a science because it involves both human and technological interaction. The art of compassionate care and social interaction must be combined with the science of …

Patient voices

How to strengthen the partnership with your medical team

Andrew Griffith

October 20, 2012Oct 20, 20123

Most of us have find it challenging to make sense of the wave of information when we enter our cancer journey. This is foreign territory, with its own language, culture and routines. It takes time to absorb and understand. We…

We are not oncologists or hematologists. However, we can learn to improve our discussion with our medical team.

Build your knowledge. By the time you start your treatment, you will likely have searched the …

Physician voices

Why doctors should care about fracking

Deep Ramachandran, MD

October 20, 2012Oct 20, 20122

Let’s all agree on two things. First, that energy independence is good for our country. Second that clean drinking water is also good for the country. The development of America’s huge stores of natural gas, have given us a remarkable…

Let’s all agree on two things.

First, that energy independence is good for our country. Second that clean drinking water is also good for the country.

The development of America’s huge stores of natural gas, have given us a remarkable opportunity to accomplish the former. In particular, the process of “fracking” has made it possible to increasingly tap those huge natural gas stores. Natural gas sits in rock formations, but releasing it …

Read more…

Why doctors should care about fracking

Physician voices

I’m sorry I was your last memory before dying

Jordan Grumet, MD

October 18, 2012Oct 18, 201210

I'm sorry. I really am. No one deserves breast cancer. Especially the kind that spreads to your liver, lungs and brain. The fact that you lived to your eighth decade doesn't detract from the sadness. You deserve to live. I…

I’m sorry.

I really am. No one deserves breast cancer. Especially the kind that spreads to your liver, lungs and brain. The fact that you lived to your eighth decade doesn’t detract from the sadness. You deserve to live. I can’t blame you for not being ready to go.

I apologize that our meeting was so abrupt. I was consulted to see you in the nursing home to address various issues. I …

Physician voices

I’m paying my patients cash to quit smoking

W. Ryan Neuhofel, DO, MPH

October 16, 2012Oct 16, 20125

I am starting a prize-linked smoking cessation program for my medical practice. Like most family docs, I constantly remind my smokers about the risks of tobacco and my ability to help them quit when ready. And like most physicians I probably have a false belief that pestering “enough” will spur action. As an unofficial student of economics and official student of public health (MPH), I should know better.

Sure, I have …

Patient voices

Plan your return home after a long hospital stay

Andrew Griffith

October 15, 2012Oct 15, 20122

Just as preparing for a lengthy hospital stay requires planning, so does returning to home after the hospital. While your condition and strength will shape the best approach for you, my experience following my stem cell transplants may be helpful…

Before you leave get the information you need. Most hospitals are pretty good in providing written information sheets on follow-up care, related instructions, and …

Oncology and hematology

Articles, page 72

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