Oncology and hematology

2,498 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 74

Why brain tumors are my least favorite cancer

August 20, 2012Aug 20, 20123

If I had to choose my “least favorite” cancer, it would be brain tumors. This malady is not only challenging to treat, but it attacks in such a personal and disturbing way. It is hard enough to fight a complex disease, but to do it when the ability to focus and understand is disrupted by brain injury is a terrible curse. Still we have learned a lot and therapy is …

Physician voices

My mother couldn’t advocate for herself when she needed it the most

Leana Wen, MD

August 20, 2012Aug 20, 20127

My mother is my role model and my inspiration for what I do every day. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in her forties, and fought it courageously for seven years until she passed away in 2010.…

There are so many stories I can tell about my mother and her battle with cancer. Let me start with just one. Whenever she’d go to her oncologist, she would go …

Physician voices

Don’t accept advice from physicians until they understand your values

Peter Ubel, MD

August 20, 2012Aug 20, 20123

Facing advanced cancer, who among us wouldn’t look to our oncologist for expert advice on whether another round of chemotherapy makes sense? But do you know what your oncologist cares about, and can you be sure her recommendations map onto…

A recent study lead by Michael Kozminski (I was senior author) shows that American oncologists downplay the value of treatments that improve quality of life, …

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Patient voices

Googling cancer information: Tips from a cancer survivor

Andrew Griffith

August 19, 2012Aug 19, 20126

When I got my phone call with the diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), my instinct, like so many of us, was to Google. Today, 3 years later, I have learned about what to look for, what to avoid, and…

The following are suggestions to help others faced with a cancer diagnosis.

Google wisely. Google (and Wikipedia) are a reflex. …

Conditions and diseases

MKSAP: 62-year-old man with a 2 month history of progressive fatigue

mksap

August 18, 2012Aug 18, 2012

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 62-year-old man is evaluated for a 2-month history of progressive fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, anorexia, and nausea. He has no other medical problems…

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

A 62-year-old man is evaluated for a 2-month history of progressive fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, anorexia, and nausea. He has no other medical problems and takes no medications.

On physical examination, temperature is normal, blood pressure is 157/88 mm Hg, pulse rate is 86/min, and respiration rate is 22/min. BMI is 31. The conjunctivae are …

Conditions and diseases

Helping cancer survivors fight neuropathy

Cindy Tofthagen, PhD, ARNP

August 16, 2012Aug 16, 201210

As an oncology nurse, I see more and more people fighting—and winning—the battle against cancer these days thanks to earlier detection and a variety of new treatment approaches. But, like many healthcare professionals, I also see many cancer survivors struggle…

Cancer-related neuropathy is a common long-term health effect impacting a third of cancer survivors. It can result …

Patient voices

Hospital discharge planning: Involve the patients

Jessie Gruman, PhD

August 15, 2012Aug 15, 20124

“Here is a prescription for pain medication. Don’t drive if you take it. Call your surgeon if you have a temperature or are worried about anything. Go see your doctor in two weeks. Do you want a flu shot? I can give you one before you leave. If you need a wheel chair to take you to the door, I’ll call for one. If not, you can go home. Take care of yourself. You are going to …

Conditions and diseases

Should I get a spray tan? A doctor discusses whether it’s safe

Bobby Ghaheri, MD

August 12, 2012Aug 12, 20124

We all know that the use of baby oils and baking in the sun for hours on end is probably not a good idea. We know that increased sun exposure correlates with increasing skin cancer rates. We know that it can cause accelerated skin damage in the form of pigmentation changes, wrinkles, and increased skin laxity. Don’t believe me? Check out this picture! Truck drivers tend to get increased sun …

Physician voices

An American oncologist looks at health in China

Richard Just, MD

August 11, 2012Aug 11, 2012

In today’s China, both eastern and western medical philosophies and practices exist relatively harmoniously. Patients with minor, usually self limited problems are treated initially with a seven day course of seven liquid herbal preparations taken each day. If symptoms subside, usually treatment is discontinued. If improved but not resolved, formula may be modified. If worse, regimen can be changed and/or referral to specialists arranged. There are hospitals that practice purely …

Is Susan G. Komen wrong about mammograms?

MedPage Today

August 3, 2012Aug 3, 201214

The world's largest breast cancer charity used misleading statistics and deceptive statements about mammography to promote breast cancer awareness and screening, authors of an opinion piece asserted. In promotional material for the 2011 Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Susan G. Komen…

The world’s largest breast cancer charity used misleading statistics and deceptive statements about mammography to promote breast cancer awareness and screening, authors of an opinion piece asserted.

In promotional material for the 2011 Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Susan G. Komen for the Cure suggested large differences in breast cancer survival among women who undergo screening mammography and those who do not. …

Patient voices

Genomic medicine: How it can help cancer patients

Brian Klepper, PhD

August 3, 2012Aug 3, 2012

The news of my wife Elaine’s primary peritoneal cancer 27 months ago began a fevered effort to learn all we could about her disease and our options. Peritoneal cancer, which is close in form and behavior to ovarian, is rooted in the abdominal lining. “Gold standard” treatments notwithstanding, the prognosis isn’t good. After a 12-36 month remission in which tumors are inactive, the disease generally returns, and a high percentage …

Physician voices

Well meaning improvements can hurt critical healing relationships

James C. Salwitz, MD

August 3, 2012Aug 3, 2012

Steve is lying almost flat in the hospital room, an IV attached to his arm. I am happy to see he is more comfortable, last night’s crisis has passed. He smiles as I enter and walk to his side. I…

Steve is lying almost flat in the hospital room, an IV attached to his arm. I am happy to see he is more comfortable, last night’s crisis has passed. He smiles as I enter and walk to his side. I touch his hand as I sit down on the pressed clean blanket. And then … a shrill loud wail breaks the silence … lights flash above his bed … fear …

Physician voices

Many doctors fail to understand the math of cancer prevention

Peter Ubel, MD

August 2, 2012Aug 2, 20123

All too often the most powerful illusions seduce us through truthful whisperings. Let’s start with an obvious truth: Living a long and happy life after a cancer diagnosis is better than living a short miserable one. Given a choice between…

Given a choice between receiving a diagnosis of metastatic cancer—an incurable life-ending-it’s-already-spread-to-your-brain neoplasm—versus the diagnosis of a localized, snip-it-out-and-it’s-done tumor: Who wouldn’t choose the latter?

And yet this simple truth causes doctors to embrace unproven screening …

Physician voices

The circle of support in the critical moments of the cancer journey

Don S. Dizon, MD

July 29, 2012Jul 29, 2012

On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I caught up with Dan, a friend of mine since college. He is an artist in Philly, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He had asked me about being an oncologist, told…

We spent hours discussing everything—parenthood, careers, and mutual friends, and one in particular. Her …

Patient voices

5 questions every patient needs to ask

Alex Lickerman, MD

July 27, 2012Jul 27, 20126

I once had a patient in whom I found a small breast lump. She was only thirty-two, and the lump was soft, non-tender, and mobile. But it was new. She examined her breasts monthly and was certain that she hadn’t…

So, I asked myself, what to do? Her age—as well as the lump’s characteristics on exam—made the …

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5 questions every patient needs to ask

Physician voices

Does our caring crush the ones for whom we care?

James C. Salwitz, MD

July 26, 2012Jul 26, 20126

When we love someone, we want for them the best. We fight for and with them. We push them to attack disease. Is it possible that our very love can cause suffering? Can we mistake our eternal love for each other with a futile fight for immortality? Does our caring crush the ones for whom we care?

In a fascinating article, the Wall Street Journal followed the terminal case of …

Conditions and diseases

Reaching the end of PSA screening

Kenneth Lin, MD

July 24, 2012Jul 24, 20124

In the summer of 2007, then-U.S. Preventive Services Task Force member Russ Harris, MD, MPH approached me about taking on what he suggested would be a fairly quick and straightforward project: summarizing the small amount of medical literature on the benefits and harms of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test that is commonly used to screen asymptomatic men for prostate cancer.

Little did I know that this research and its implications would …

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Reaching the end of PSA screening

Physician voices

Are doctors obligated to seek knowledge that has no medical benefit?

Michael Slade

July 20, 2012Jul 20, 20126

The New York Times recently published an article titled “A Life-Death Predictor Adds to a Cancer’s Strain” or, alternatively, “Genetic Test Changes Game in Cancer Prognosis.” The piece is interesting on several levels, but, to me, serves to highlight an…

The New York Times recently published an article titled “A Life-Death Predictor Adds to a Cancer’s Strain” or, alternatively, “Genetic Test Changes Game in Cancer Prognosis.” The piece is interesting on several levels, but, to me, serves to highlight an increasingly common ethical conundrum: are physicians obligated to seek knowledge that is available but has no possible medical benefit?

Most of us are familiar with the Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment …

Conditions and diseases

Localized prostate cancer treatment: Is surgery no longer an option?

Kevin Pho, MD

July 19, 2012Jul 19, 20125

Prostate cancer is in the news again, thanks to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study looked at surgery versus observation for localized prostate cancer. According to MedPage Today, "Neither overall mortality nor cancer-specific mortality…

Prostate cancer is in the news again, thanks to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study looked at surgery versus observation for localized prostate cancer. According to MedPage Today, “Neither overall mortality nor cancer-specific mortality differed significantly between men who had surgery and those who were prospectively followed. The absolute difference was less than 3% …

Health policy

Stop searching for the health reform silver bullet

Anees Chagpar, MD

July 16, 2012Jul 16, 20122

I recently had the privilege of joining the Yale Cancer Center’s contingent on a visit to University College London in the U.K., where we share a number of scientific collaborations. Between discussions of pathways, particles, and personalized medicine, some of…

I recently had the privilege of joining the Yale Cancer Center’s contingent on a visit to University College London in the U.K., where we share a number of scientific collaborations.

Between discussions of pathways, particles, and personalized medicine, some of the “tea time” conversation turned to policy and how uninsured patients with cancer in the U.S. get care. We talked about …

Oncology and hematology

Articles, page 74

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