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Oncology and hematology

2,498 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 86

Conditions and diseases

Treating cancer needs to be an individual patient decision

4

The heresy of one age becomes the orthodoxy of the next. -Helen Keller The patient returned to my clinic several years after her original thyroid cancer surgery. “The cancer blood test never went completely back to zero,” she told me.…

The heresy of one age becomes the orthodoxy of the next.
-Helen Keller

The patient returned to my clinic several years after her original thyroid cancer surgery. “The cancer blood test never went completely back to zero,” she told me. “We knew there was cancer in there somewhere. Finally, the new ultrasound machine found it! I guess it is time for more surgery!”

I guess. In my patient’s situation, the latest high resolution diagnostic …

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Treating cancer needs to be an individual patient decision

Health policy

Medicare reverses a brain tumor drug decision

7

Paula Oertel's brain tumor disappeared for nine years while she was on a drug not approved for her condition. The tumor returned when a move to a new home triggered a Medicare review -- and subsequent denial of coverage for…

Paula Oertel’s brain tumor disappeared for nine years while she was on a drug not approved for her condition. The tumor returned when a move to a new home triggered a Medicare review — and subsequent denial of coverage for the experimental treatment.

Now Medicare officials have decided she will be allowed to go back on the drug.

“I am hoping that it …

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Medicare reverses a brain tumor drug decision

Conditions and diseases

Colorectal cancer in blacks is affected by healthcare utilization

by Todd Neale The greater burden of colorectal cancer in the black community appears to be related to healthcare utilization, and not biology, researchers found. Similar proportions of black and white patients had polyps or masses detected by flexible sigmoidoscopy,…

by Todd Neale

The greater burden of colorectal cancer in the black community appears to be related to healthcare utilization, and not biology, researchers found.

Similar proportions of black and white patients had polyps or masses detected by flexible sigmoidoscopy, but black patients were less likely than whites to have the recommended follow-up colonoscopy (62.6% versus 72.4%), according to Adeyinka Laiyemo, MD, MPH, of Howard University in Washington, and colleagues.

After adjustment for …

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Colorectal cancer in blacks is affected by healthcare utilization

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Conditions and diseases

President Obama should have had colonoscopy without sedation

8

by Michael Kirsch, MD Does anyone out there know why President Obama underwent a virtual ‘colonscopy’ (VC) instead of a conventional colonoscopy earlier this year? In my gastroenterology practice, we do not offer colon cancer screening to 48-year-old individuals, unless…

by Michael Kirsch, MD

Does anyone out there know why President Obama underwent a virtual  ‘colonscopy’ (VC) instead of a conventional colonoscopy earlier this year?

In my gastroenterology practice, we do not offer colon cancer screening to 48-year-old individuals, unless special risk factors are present. Of course, maintaining the president’s health is in the national interest, so I understand why professional screening guidelines might not apply to him. For …

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President Obama should have had colonoscopy without sedation

Health policy

Medicare denies a brain tumor drug after a patient moves

10

For nearly a decade, Paula Oertel's brain tumor was kept at bay by a drug that was not approved to treat her condition. Then Oertel did something she never imagined would jeopardize her health. She moved -- less than 30…

For nearly a decade, Paula Oertel’s brain tumor was kept at bay by a drug that was not approved to treat her condition. Then Oertel did something she never imagined would jeopardize her health.

She moved — less than 30 miles — from one county in Wisconsin to another.

That move triggered a review of her health insurance from Medicare, which eventually led to a loss of coverage, including the drug.

The …

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Medicare denies a brain tumor drug after a patient moves

Conditions and diseases

Cancer deaths are improving, but a cure remains distant

3

Originally published in MedPage Today by Joyce Frieden, MedPage Today News Editor Almost 40 years and 100 billion federal dollars have been invested in the "War On Cancer" since President Richard M. Nixon declared it, but the campaign is far…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Joyce Frieden, MedPage Today News Editor

MedPage TodayAlmost 40 years and 100 billion federal dollars have been invested in the “War On Cancer” since President Richard M. Nixon declared it, but the campaign is far from over, two researchers concluded this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“These funds have been more than matched by …

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Cancer deaths are improving, but a cure remains distant

Conditions and diseases

Cancer side effects are being ignored by the media

2

Originally published in MedPage Today by John Gever, MedPage Today Senior Editor When the mainstream media report on cancer treatments, they seldom note that aggressive therapies may fail or cause severe side effects, researchers said. Analyzing more than 400 articles…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by John Gever, MedPage Today Senior Editor

MedPage Today When the mainstream media report on cancer treatments, they seldom note that aggressive therapies may fail or cause severe side effects, researchers said.

Analyzing more than 400 articles about cancer in major newspapers and magazines, investigators at the University of Pennsylvania found that adverse outcomes or palliative care were hardly …

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Cancer side effects are being ignored by the media

Conditions and diseases

PSA for prostate cancer screening is likely to continue

Originally published in MedPage Today by Crystal Phend The ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium met recently, just after the American Cancer Society updated its prostate cancer screening guidelines to emphasize shared decision making and Congress heard testimony over use of prostate…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Crystal Phend

The ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium met recently, just after the American Cancer Society updated its prostate cancer screening guidelines to emphasize shared decision making and Congress heard testimony over use of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in prostate cancer screening.

MedPage Today Now urology is no stranger to debate. Controversy continues on overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and other issues raised …

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PSA for prostate cancer screening is likely to continue

Conditions and diseases

PSA screening for prostate cancer debated in Congress

3

Originally posted in MedPage Today by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent A day after the American Cancer Society (ACS) released updated prostate cancer screening guidelines, the group's chief medical officer was before Congress urging the government to fund…

Originally posted in MedPage Today

by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent

A day after the American Cancer Society (ACS) released updated prostate cancer screening guidelines, the group’s chief medical officer was before Congress urging the government to fund research into alternative screening methods for prostate cancer.

MedPage TodayOtis Brawley, MD, an oncologist and chief medical officer for the ACS, told the House Oversight …

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PSA screening for prostate cancer debated in Congress

Conditions and diseases

Why cancer screening is not a black or white decision

13

Last month I saw a 65 year-old woman with a mass in her kidney in clinic for follow up. She had recently transferred her medical care to our clinic after her insurance changed. She came with a few medical problems…

Last month I saw a 65 year-old woman with a mass in her kidney in clinic for follow up. She had recently transferred her medical care to our clinic after her insurance changed.

She came with a few medical problems including high blood pressure, tobacco use and arthritis — diseases which are the bread and butter of primary care medicine — but she also came with a history of a mass …

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Why cancer screening is not a black or white decision

Conditions and diseases

How overly aggressive cancer awareness can backfire

11

The American Cancer Society has designated this weekend "Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend," as part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer program that will feature well-dressed basketball coaches wearing "sneakers instead of dress shoes with their usual game attire during…

The American Cancer Society has designated this weekend “Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend,” as part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer program that will feature 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 their …

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How overly aggressive cancer awareness can backfire

Conditions and diseases

The National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) response to the USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations

4

I’ve been given permission to deliver the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) position statement. It does a far better job with a critique of the USPSTF Screening recommendations than I did when I shared my first thoughts. As the…

I’ve been given permission to deliver the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) position statement. It does a far better job with a critique of the USPSTF Screening recommendations than I did when I shared my first thoughts. As the President for the NCBC, I want to acknowledge the work done on behalf of our organization by our Policy Chairpersons, Drs. John Bell and Barbara Rabinowitz, both of whom are …

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The National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) response to the USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations

Conditions and diseases

Balancing the risks and benefits of cancer screening is an individual decision

3

by Abraham Verghese, MD I can't get over the incredible images generated by our latest CT scans and MRI's. The details of organ anatomy and the 3D reconstructions they can do are just amazing. One side effect of getting such…

by Abraham Verghese, MD

I can’t get over the incredible images generated by our latest CT scans and MRI’s. The details of organ anatomy and the 3D reconstructions they can do are just amazing. One side effect of getting such fine resolution, is that more and more we are stumbling onto abnormalities that we were not necessarily looking for–incidentalomas, we call them.

Sometimes the discovery is fortuitous and lifesaving. But often …

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Balancing the risks and benefits of cancer screening is an individual decision

Conditions and diseases

Linking the USPSTF mammogram guidelines to their virtual colonoscopy recommendations

15

"I think anytime you use science to kind of fundamentally change what people are used to, I think it's a difficult thing to grapple with.” So spoke Ned Calonge, chair of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in…

“I think anytime you use science to kind of fundamentally change what people are used to, I think it’s a difficult thing to grapple with.” So spoke Ned Calonge, chair of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in explaining the reaction to that group’s recommendation to radically alter their previous guidelines for breast cancer screening. Regrettably the incorrect application of science, as in the current case, often …

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Linking the USPSTF mammogram guidelines to their virtual colonoscopy recommendations

Conditions and diseases

How effective is CA 125 and other biomarkers to screen for ovarian cancer?

3

Originally published in MedPage Today by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent Rising blood levels of several biomarkers show the presence of ovarian cancer -- just not early enough. That's the conclusion of a retrospective longitudinal case-control study of…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent

Rising blood levels of several biomarkers show the presence of ovarian cancer — just not early enough.

MedPage TodayThat’s the conclusion of a retrospective longitudinal case-control study of levels of half a dozen proteins linked to the disease, according to Garnet Anderson, PhD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in …

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How effective is CA 125 and other biomarkers to screen for ovarian cancer?

Conditions and diseases

How can medical guidelines be immune from politics?

5

The recent uproar over the new screening mammography recommendations got me thinking about a lot of stuff. One of the lessons cited by some journalists and pundits is on how potentially volatile information should be presented to the public. The…

The recent uproar over the new screening mammography recommendations got me thinking about a lot of stuff. One of the lessons cited by some journalists and pundits is on how potentially volatile information should be presented to the public. The USPSTF was excoriated by critics not only for what it said, but how it said it. While the objections over the former can be dismissed as ravings of loud and …

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How can medical guidelines be immune from politics?

Conditions and diseases

Why are women refusing an MRI to screen for breast cancer?

Originally published in MedPage Today by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer Many women at elevated breast cancer risk may refuse MRI as part of their screening program, largely because of fear and inconvenience, researchers found. Among eligible women…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer

Many women at elevated breast cancer risk may refuse MRI as part of their screening program, largely because of fear and inconvenience, researchers found.

MedPage Today Among eligible women with dense breasts who were at intermediate to high risk for breast cancer, 42.1% refused additional MRI screening as part of a …

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Why are women refusing an MRI to screen for breast cancer?

Conditions and diseases

How to find the best cancer specialist for you

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is an upsetting experience for the patient, as well as his or her family and friends. Cancer patients are thrust into a new world with new language and new rules. Knowing where to turn and who…

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is an upsetting experience for the patient, as well as his or her family and friends. Cancer patients are thrust into a new world with new language and new rules. Knowing where to turn and who you can trust is a huge concern.

One of the first things a cancer patient will discover is that he or she will not be treated by only one doctor. Additionally, …

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How to find the best cancer specialist for you

Conditions and diseases

What women should know about the new mammogram guidelines

Whenever I order a mammogram for a woman in her 40’s, I also give her a warning: “Don’t get scared if it’s abnormal.” I tell her this because research shows that a woman who undergoes 10 routine screening mammograms has…

Whenever I order a mammogram for a woman in her 40’s, I also give her a warning: “Don’t get scared if it’s abnormal.” I tell her this because research shows that a woman who undergoes 10 routine screening mammograms has a 50-50 chance of having something unusual that requires her to go for more tests. The vast majority of these mammographic abnormalities aren’t cancer, but she still needs to get …

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What women should know about the new mammogram guidelines

Conditions and diseases

Explaining basic radiation therapy terms to cancer patients

2

Originally posted in HCPLive.com by Colleen O’Leary, RN, MSN, AOCNS I have always been very intrigued by the various forms of radiation therapy and used to relish the day that I would take my basic oncology class to the radiation…

Originally posted in HCPLive.com

by Colleen O’Leary, RN, MSN, AOCNS

I have always been very intrigued by the various forms of radiation therapy and used to relish the day that I would take my basic oncology class to the radiation oncology department for a tour. I learned something every time. But now, with the advent of new technology and the trend for facilities to advertise that they have the biggest and best …

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Explaining basic radiation therapy terms to cancer patients

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