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Showing 5001 - 5050Avoiding Burnout and Maintaining Well-Being While Caring for Seriously Ill Patients
A variety of studies, including one published this past year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 have showed that clinicians who care for seriously ill patients are at high risk for diminished personal well-being, including high rates of burnout; moral distress, defined as the inability to act in ...
Beating the Odds in The Big Casino
More than 35 ASCO members contributed personal essays to a recently published collection of stories about humanism in medicine, including ASCO Past Presidents Paul A. Bunn, Jr, MD, FASCO, and Emil J. Freireich, MD, FASCO, and current President-Elect Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO. The Big Casino:...
FDA Names Geoffrey Kim, MD, Director of the Division of Oncology Products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the appointment of Geoffrey Kim, MD, as Director of the Division of Oncology Products 1 (DOP1) in the Office of Hematology Oncology Products. Dr. Kim assumed this position effective March 22, 2015. Dr. Kim previously served as the...
Ongoing Controversies in Allocating Our Health‑Care Resources
Disparities of care that result in poorer outcomes among certain populations have long been an issue addressed by the cancer community and its major organizations such as ASCO. While ethnicity and race play key roles in this ongoing debate over equitable allocation of our precious health-care...
SOFT Trial Results Inconclusive: Further Study Needed
The results of the SOFT trial—presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, reported recently by Francis et al in The New England Journal of Medicine,1 and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post—were not as conclusive as we had hoped. In essence, the study enrolled women with resected ...
Health-Care Fraud and Abuse: Implications for Oncology
Health-care fraud is a long-standing problem in the United States, accounting for $75 billion in government expenses per year,1 while total spending on government health-care programs is over $1 trillion. Two decades ago, the Department of Justice increased its efforts to combat health-care fraud....
I Refuse to Capitulate to Cancer
Editor’s note: We regret to announce that Paul Kalanithi, MD, passed away on March 9, 2015. Dr. Kalanithi was Chief Resident in Neurological Surgery at Stanford University when he shared his story, reprinted here, with The ASCO Post just over 1 year ago, in March 2014. We extend our deepest...
Shining a Spotlight on Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma
In the winter of 2013, my son, Dmitriy, now 26, had a cough that wouldn’t go away. After several rounds of antibiotics failed to halt the persistent problem, a pulmonologist we consulted ordered a chest x-ray, which showed a large tumor lodged between Dmitriy’s lungs. Although the doctor said the...
A Surgeon Cuts to the Chase
BookmarkTitle: The Cost of Cutting: A Surgeon Reveals the Truth Behind a Multibillion-Dollar IndustryAuthor: Paul A. Ruggieri, MDPublisher: Berkley BooksPublication date: September 2014Price: $16.00; paperback, 320 pages The woman seated on the exam table was lean and fit and seemed perfectly at...
The Ongoing Struggle Against Tobacco: Past Accomplishments, Future Steps
In 1913, 10 doctors and 5 laypersons in New York founded the American Cancer Society (ACS). At that time, a cancer diagnosis was almost always fatal and was rarely discussed in public. The Society’s original charter was to raise awareness about cancer, and although that mission has remained firm,...
The ASPIRE Trial of Carfilzomib in Relapsed Myeloma: A Major Step Forward
Currently in myeloma, there are at least five new agents that are either approved or in the late-stage of development with impending approval. Major questions in the field relate to how we, as clinicians, will use these new agents and where they will fit in the overall treatment schema. The phase...
The Emerging Role of Radiation Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancers
The use of radiation therapy in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer has evolved over the past several decades, in a gradual, stepwise fashion. Since most gastrointestinal cancers are diagnosed at a locally advanced stage, coupled with the inherent sensitivity of most parts of the...
Current Progress Against Cancer and What Lies Ahead in the Next Decade
In January, ASCO released its report, Clinical Cancer Advances 2015: An Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer,1 which details research advances over the past decade that have led to longer survival and better quality of life for the more than half-a-million people diagnosed with cancer each...
Jim Hu, MD, Joins NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College
Jim Hu, MD, has been appointed Director of the LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and recruited as the Ronald Lynch Chair of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He assumed his new role on February 1. Dr. Hu is an expert in the use...
Global Oncology Launches Global Cancer Project Map With NCI
Nonprofit Global Oncology, Inc (GO) announced the launch of the Global Cancer Project Map, a novel online resource and virtual information exchange connecting the global cancer community. Developed by Global Oncology in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Global...
Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Overall Survival in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Still Climbing the Mountain
Muscle-invasive bladder cancer can be a lethal disease despite curative intent local therapy, with 5-year survival that can be as low as 30% based on the extent of T status and/or lymph node involvement. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and...
James P. Allison, PhD, Wins 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
James P. Allison, PhD, Chair of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has received the 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in recognition of his work in the field of immunotherapy. “In immunotherapy, it’s not the tumor but the immune system that is targeted....
Should Oncologists Be Ordering Breast Cancer Gene Panels?
Two oncologic surgeons squared off at the 32nd Miami Breast Cancer Conference to debate whether breast cancer genetic susceptibility panel testing is ready for routine use in the clinic. J. Michael Dixon, MD, Professor of Surgery and Consultant Surgeon at the Edinburgh Breast Unit in the United...
No Survival Benefit From Adjuvant Sorafenib or Sunitinib in Kidney Cancer
Adjuvant therapy with sorafenib (Nexavar) or sunitinib (Sutent) failed to make any inroads in improving disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced kidney cancer in the randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase III Adjuvant Sorafenib and Sunitinib for Unfavorable Renal...
Scalp Cooling Caps Offer Option to Prevent Hair Loss During Chemotherapy
Hair loss remains one of the most dreaded side effects of chemotherapy, particularly for women. Scalp cooling caps worn by patients during chemotherapy infusion and for brief periods of time before and after offer these patients an option to preserve 50% or more of the hair on their heads. Although ...
Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, Confronts Challenges Facing Young Women With Breast Cancer With Support From Conquer Cancer Foundation Improving Cancer Care Grant
Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Founding Director of the Program for Young Women With Breast Cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received a 2010 Improving Cancer Care Grant (ICCG) for her project “Improving the Care of Young Women with...
Cancer Control in Primary Care Courses Offered in India
ASCO International’s mission is to optimize care for every patient with cancer in the world. To achieve that goal, it is critical to establish collaborations in all sectors of the health-care system. ASCO International’s newest course, Cancer Control in Primary Care, helps to address this need by...
Preparing for the ‘Silver Tsunami’ and the Impact of an Aging Population on Cancer Care
“Older adults constitute the only increasing natural resource in the entire world.” —Linda Fried, PhD, Columbia School of Public Health The good and bad news about our changing demographic world is that the population of older adults is increasing in the United States and worldwide. While it is...
20 Years of NCCN: The Best Is Yet to Come
As the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) celebrates its 20th year, The ASCO Post asked its Chief Executive Officer, Robert W. Carlson, MD, to reflect on the organization’s accomplishments, mission, and future and on the role he may have played in its success. The Early Years You became...
How the International Innovation Grant Is Improving Cancer Care for Women in Myanmar
In 2014, the Conquer Cancer Foundation awarded four inaugural International Innovation Grants to aid novel research projects in Colombia, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Tanzania. The program, which supports a 1-year research grant of up to $20,000 to a nonprofit organization or governmental agency in a low- ...
Noncommunicable Diseases Are the Leading Cause of Death in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The greatest health threat to people living in low- and middle-income countries is no longer infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, which has seen a 33% decline in the global rate of new infections since 2001.1 It is the rise of noncommunicable diseases (including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and...
PRIME II and the Omission of Radiation Therapy in Low-Risk, Elderly Patients Undergoing Breast Conservation: The Time Has Come
Despite the high prevalence of breast cancer worldwide, it is important to recognize that > 40% of all cases occur in women aged 65 years or older in both the United States and the United Kingdom.1,2 Breast cancers in older patients are more often associated with indolent features and with...
Lower 30-Day Mortality, Increased Likelihood of Adjuvant Chemotherapy With Laparoscopic vs Open Colectomy for Stage III Colon Cancer
“In routine clinical practice, laparoscopic colectomy is associated with a lower 30-day mortality, shorter length of stay, and greater likelihood of adjuvant chemotherapy initiation among stage III colon cancer patients when compared with open colectomy,” according to an analysis of data from the...
Bombarded With Changes in Health Care and Beyond, Gynecologic Oncologists Prepare for the Challenges Ahead
Physicians are being “bombarded” with changes in health care and beyond, Richard R. Barakat, MD, FACS, noted in his Presidential Address at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer. These changes are being precipitated by steeply rising health-care costs amid...
Researchers Discuss Pilot Study on Hallucinogenic Therapies for Cancer Anxiety
Although varying levels of existential distress are near-ubiquitous among patients with cancer, evidence-based interventions in this clinical area remain somewhat elusive. Seeking to explore novel approaches in the palliative care environment, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine principal...
Childhood Cancers: Significant Medical Success but Many Psychosocial Needs Still Unmet
Treatment of childhood cancer is remarkably successful, but still, 2,000 children die of it each year, and for some forms of the disease, no progress has been made at all, said Otis Brawley, MD, Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society (ACS). “At least half of all pediatric cancer survivors...
Maryland Oncologists Faced With Navigating the Maze of Chemotherapy Safety Regulations
In March 2013, 60 Minutes aired a devastating piece about a Massachusetts compounding center that shipped an injectable steroid contaminated with fungus. One of the many ripple effects from this story of horrendous patient suffering was felt in Maryland, where it sparked legislative action in the...
Immunosignature Technology May Detect Ovarian Cancer With a Drop of Blood
“Immunosignatures” may be well suited to enable the detection of ovarian cancer, researchers reported at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 20th Annual Conference.1 “We developed a new concept for disease detection based on immunosignatures. From a drop of blood, HealthTell’s...
NCCN Posters of Interest Included Studies in Kidney, Breast, and Endometrial Cancers, Melanoma, and Cost Issues
The quality and quantity of original research presented at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Conference continue to grow since poster sessions debuted a few years ago. The ASCO Post offers summaries for just a few that caught our eye, out of more than 65 presented this year....
Expert Point of View: Louis Weiner, MD
In the past 10 years, we have begun to unlock the keys to the puzzle of the body’s immune system. The study presented here drives home the important point that we can elicit immune responses with unusual durability,” said Louis Weiner, MD, Director of the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center in...
José Baselga, MD, PhD, Inaugurated as AACR President
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) inaugurated José Baselga, MD, PhD, as President for 2015–2016 at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015. Dr. Baselga, an internationally recognized physician-scientist whose research focuses on the clinical development of novel molecularly targeted agents...
ASCO Releases 2015 Report on The State of Cancer Care in America
In March, ASCO published its second annual report, The State of Cancer Care in America: 2015.1 Its findings show a mixed landscape, on the one hand, spotlighting advances in therapy and improving survival rates, but on the other, describing a cancer care system under stress from increasing demand...
Profile: Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, Making a Difference in Both Clinical Medicine and Research
At this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, will begin her term as the Society’s 51st President. It is fitting that the meeting will be held in Chicago, the city where the first seven visionaries met over lunch in 1964 to formulate a medical organization centered on cancer...
HOPA Announces New President and 2015 Membership Award Winners
The Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) has elected Scott Soefje, PharmD, MBA, BCOP, FCCP, to serve as President for the 2015–2016 term. His term began at the 11th HOPA Annual Conference, held March 25–28. Dr. Soefje has served as President-Elect since March 2014. Dr. Soefje is a...
p53 Takes Center Stage
BOOKMARKTitle: p53: The Gene That Cracked the Cancer CodeAuthor: Sue ArmstrongPublisher: Bloomsbury PublishingPublication date: November 20, 2014Price: $19.98; hardcover, 288 pages Completed in April 2003, the Human Genome Project was one of the greatest feats of scientific exploration, an inward ...
Emergency Room Visits and Hospitalizations Are Common Among Women With Early Breast Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy
Emergency room visits and hospitalizations are common among patients with early breast cancer receiving chemotherapy, particularly among those receiving a regimen containing docetaxel, according to a study supported by the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research, Toronto. “In this population-based...
Just Engaging in ‘Some’ Leisure Time Physical Activity Reduces Overall and Cancer-Specific Mortality
There’s good news for those who recognize the benefits of exercise but feel they have neither the time nor energy for frequent workouts: A recent study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine1 has found that just performing “some” leisure time physical activity, even below the recommended minimum level, ...
Article on Rare Cancer Generates Enthusiastic Response
The article “Shining a Spotlight on Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma,” written by Jane Gutkovich and published in the April 10, 2015, issue of The ASCO Post, generated an enthusiastic response from the patient and advocate community of individuals with this rare cancer. Here, we are pleased to...
Remembering Mark R. Green, MD, a Leader in Lung Cancer Research and Treatment
Few people have impacted cancer clinical research in the past quarter century as much as Mark Green. His expertise in lung cancer and clinical trial design led to the successful completion of seminal studies combining radiation and chemotherapy that forever changed the management of patients with...
Remembering Multiple Myeloma Patient Advocate Michael S. Katz, MBA
I first met Michael Katz, MBA, in 2004, 3 years after my brother, Dom, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and we were at a crossroads in his care and needed advice. Although an experimental regimen of thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone had successfully put Dom in remission for a year (the...
The Paradox of Positive Thinking
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the “Art of Oncology” as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
Learning to Communicate Science More Effectively
Alan Alda’s passion and appreciation for science extend nearly as far back to his early life as his love of acting. The son of actor Robert Alda, Mr. Alda began his acting career at the age of 16. Although he has appeared in such widely acclaimed films as The Seduction of Joe Tynan, Crimes and...
Living With a Rare Cancer—My Dr. Seuss World
No one ever expects to hear the words “you have cancer,” but over the course of the day, over 5,000 people in the United States are given that news.1 I first heard those words in the summer of 2007 and have been living with cancer ever since. At the time of my diagnosis, I knew this would forever...
Courage Under Fire
The following essay by Kishore K. Dass, MD, is adapted from The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful Stories, which was coedited by Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent Coppola and published in May 2014. The book is available on Amazon.com and thebigcasino.org. Born in...
8 Steps to Help Children Cope With Cancer and Its Treatment
Here are several steps for helping pediatric and adolescent patients to cope with cancer and its treatment. Give young patients control whenever possible, suggests Shawna Grissom, MS, CCLS, CEIM, Director of the Child Life Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and offer them realistic...
