Mary K. Buss, MD, MPH, and Candice A. Johnstone, MD, MPH, on Financial Toxicity During Treatment and Beyond
2018 Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium
Mary K. Buss, MD, MPH, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Candice A. Johnstone, MD, MPH, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, discuss a session they co-chaired on the perspective of stakeholders on the cost of cancer care, what drives patients’ preferences when faced with mounting medical bills, and interventions to improve transparency.
Charles von Gunten, MD, PhD, of OhioHealth, discusses the critical need for opioids to manage cancer pain as well as the myth of addiction, which may impede best care.
Betty R. Ferrell, PhD, of City of Hope, discusses the many advances in immunotherapy and the drugs’ effect on patients’ quality of life, including psychological well-being.
Katherine C. Lee, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses her study findings that showed older patients with metastatic cancer who survived emergency general surgery experienced higher intensity end-of-life care than similar patients who did not undergo surgery (Abstract 56).
Elizabeth Jane Cathcart-Rake, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, discusses the frequency of side effects from immunotherapy, the need to closely monitor those receiving this treatment, and the role of clinicians in educating their patients on toxicities (Abstract 184).
Mihir M. Kamdar, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses study findings on a smartphone app called ePAL, which significantly reduces pain and pain-related hospital admissions by combining patient-reported outcome data and artificial intelligence via a telemedicine platform (Abstract 76).
