Authors


Susan A. Davidson, MD

Latest:

Does This Woman Have Gestational Trophoblastic Disease?

The review of the histology slides revealed predominantly decidual tissue with exaggerated placental site and a small focus of trophoblastic tissue composed of cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast with mild atypia (Figure 1). However, no necrosis or tissue invasion was identified. No villi were seen.


Susan A. Higgins, MD

Latest:

Intraoperative Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer: Deceptively Simple?

Due to the fact that we do not have mature long-term data regarding efficacy, we are still several years away from declaring IORT to be a viable alternative to the current standard of care in patients with early-stage breast cancer.


Susan A. Melin, MD

Latest:

Irinotecan/Gemcitabine Followed by Twice-Weekly Gemcitabine/Radiation in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Early clinical studies combining irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar) and gemcitabine (Gemzar) have yielded encouraging results. Gemcitabine administered via a twice-weekly schedule results in an enhanced radiation-sensitizing effect.


Susan A. Oliveria, ScD

Latest:

Breast Cancer Prevention Strategies

The National Cancer Act of 1971 was established when then President Nixon declared the "war on cancer." Since that time, no magic bullet has been discovered, and it is apparent that we have not been victors in the war against the nation's second leading killer. Overall cancer rates have continued to rise, with only a slight decrease in mortality from breast and other cancers. Nevertheless, remarkable progress has been made in the cure of childhood cancers, Hodgkin's disease, and testicular cancer.[1,2]


Susan B. Legrand, MD, FACP

Latest:

Opioid Rotation in Cancer Patients: Pros and Cons

Opioid rotation involves changing from one opioid to another usingcorrect equianalgesic conversion techniques to achieve better analgesiaand/or fewer side effects. The strategy appears to work because ofsignificant interindividual variations in response to both analgesic activityand toxicity. Although there are many retrospective studies, fewprospective controlled trials of opioid rotation have been published.The practical and theoretical advantages of opioid rotation includeimproved analgesia, reduced side effects, cost reduction, and improvedcompliance. Disadvantages include problems related to inaccurate conversiontables, limited availability of certain opioid formulations, druginteractions, and the possibility of increased expense. Weighing theadvantages and disadvantages is essential prior to making a decisionabout opioid rotation selection.


Susan B. Sepples, RN, MSN, PhD

Latest:

Lower Genital Tract Neoplasia in Women With HIV Infection

Drs. Abercrombie and Korn raise critical concerns regarding the need for vigilant monitoring and early intervention to prevent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women who have concomitant human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The evidence is clear that women with HIV are at risk of both more virulent HPV infections and more rapid progression from infection to neoplasia. The authors underscore another critical finding: Women with HIV are at increased risk of developing noncervical condylomas, which are more difficult to detect by standard screening mechanisms and more difficult to treat with standard therapies.


Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN

Latest:

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation and other mindfulness-based practices are gaining popularity due to a burgeoning evidence base supporting its benefits for a broad range of conditions and populations, including cancer patients[1] and healthcare professionals.


Susan Beck

Latest:

The Oncologist’s Duty to Individual Patients vs Duty to Society

The issue of value in cancer care was a prominent theme at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting. A question that inevitably arises in any discussion of value is what the professional and ethical obligations of practicing oncologists are in the current climate of escalating healthcare costs.


Susan Berenson, RN

Latest:

Stress and Burnout in Oncology

This article identifies the professional stressors experienced by nurses, house staff, and medical oncologists and examines the effect of stress and personality attributes on burnout scores. A survey was conducted of 261 house


Susan Boolbol, MD

Latest:

Managing a Small Recurrence in the Previously Irradiated Breast

Breast cancer is the most common newly diagnosed malignancy among American women. In 2008, an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer, and an additional 67,770 cases of in situ cancer were diagnosed. Approximately 40,480 women will die from breast cancer each year.


Susan Branford, MD

Latest:

Challenges in Molecular Monitoring for CML Treatment Response

This video examines the challenge in optimizing and standardizing molecular monitoring for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.



Susan Davidson, MD

Latest:

Polypoid Lesions of the Lower Female Genital Tract

A 46-year-old multiparous (gravida 3, para 3) woman presented to her primary care provider with a palpable vulvar polypoidal mass, measuring 7 cm in greatest dimension. The mass was painless and had been growing in size over the past 2 years. Her medical history was remarkable for obesity, hypothyroidism, and an appendectomy at age 17. Her family history was significant for a sister with breast cancer, diagnosed at age 34. A core biopsy was performed.


Susan Dollarhide, RN

Latest:

Metastatic Malignant Melanoma From an Unknown Primary Presenting as a Large Axillary Mass

The patient is an otherwise healthy male transferred from an outside hospital with a newly diagnosed melanoma from an unknown primary presenting as a large, left axillary mass.


Susan E. Krown, MD

Latest:

AIDS-Related Kaposi’s Sarcoma: Current Treatment Options, Future Trends

In his article, Dr. Mitsuyasu concisely reviews a large body of data concerning the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, and treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) in the setting of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. As he correctly points out, effective highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), with its consequent improvements in immune function and decrease in production of viral and cytokine cofactors that promote KS growth, has been partly responsible for the decline of KS incidence in areas with ready access to HIV therapy.


Susan Ezzone, MS, RN

Latest:

Commentary (Ezzone)-Graft-Versus-Host Disease: A Complex Long-Term Side Effect of Hematopoietic Stem Cell

Prophylaxis and management of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following a related or unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is very complex. The review article written by Barton-Burke and colleagues discusses all of the major components of the clinical manifestations, prophylaxis, and treatment of GVHD.


Susan F. Slovin, MD, PhD

Latest:

Susan F. Slovin, MD, PhD, Reviews Future Landscape of Systemic Therapies for Prostate Cancer

Susan F. Slovin, MD, PhD, spoke about how new approaches can support clinical practice guidelines and physician intuition in treating patients with prostate cancer.


Susan G. Arbuck, MD

Latest:

Clinical Status and Optimal Use of Topotecan

Topotecan (Hycamtin) is a promising new topoisomerase I-targeting anticancer agent that first entered clinical trials in 1989 under National Cancer Institute sponsorship in collaboration with SmithKline Beecham. In 1996, it


Susan G. Nayfield, MD, MSC

Latest:

Strategies for Identification and Clinical Evaluation of Promising Chemopreventive Agents

Strategies for chemopreventative drug development are based on the use of well-characterized agents, intermediate biomarkers correlating to cancer incidence, and suitable cohorts for efficacy studies. Since


Susan G. Urba, MD

Latest:

Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus: Risk Factors and Prevention

Esophageal cancer is a relatively rare but deadly cancer in the United States. Even in patients with limited locoregional disease at the time of diagnosis, who have received aggressive multimodality therapies as part of clinical protocols, median survival is only 17 months and 3-year survival, only 30%.[1,2] Patients with metastatic disease have a 6-month median survival, which is not improved by the administration of chemotherapy.


Susan Galandiuk, MD

Latest:

Colorectal Cancer Surgical Practice Guidelines

The Society of Surgical Oncology surgical practice guidelines focus on the signs and symptoms of primary cancer, timely evaluation of the symptomatic patient, appropriate preoperative evaluation for extent of disease, and role of the surgeon in


Susan Groshen, PhD

Latest:

Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin: Antitumor Activity in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer or Cancers of Peritoneal Origin

After pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PEG-LD) (Doxil) was shown to be active in ovarian tumors, several trials were developed at the University of Southern California to determine its safety and efficacy in a variety of gynecologic and peritoneal malignancies. Completed phase I and phase II trials have found PEG-LD to be safe and effective in the treatment of platinum- and paclitaxel-refractory epithelial ovarian carcinoma. A new phase II trial is currently underway in similarly refractory patients with ovarian and other related cancers and various degrees of pretreatment. In addition, the efficacy of PEG-LD is being explored in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol), with cisplatin, and with hyperthermia. [ONCOLOGY 11(Suppl 11):38-44, 1997]


Susan Harvey, MD

Latest:

Neoadjuvant Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Current Practice, Controversies, and Future Directions

In this review, we will discuss multidisciplinary considerations in treating patients with neoadjuvant therapy and highlight areas of controversy and ongoing research.


Susan Jeffers, RN

Latest:

Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin: Antitumor Activity in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer or Cancers of Peritoneal Origin

After pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PEG-LD) (Doxil) was shown to be active in ovarian tumors, several trials were developed at the University of Southern California to determine its safety and efficacy in a variety of gynecologic and peritoneal malignancies. Completed phase I and phase II trials have found PEG-LD to be safe and effective in the treatment of platinum- and paclitaxel-refractory epithelial ovarian carcinoma. A new phase II trial is currently underway in similarly refractory patients with ovarian and other related cancers and various degrees of pretreatment. In addition, the efficacy of PEG-LD is being explored in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol), with cisplatin, and with hyperthermia. [ONCOLOGY 11(Suppl 11):38-44, 1997]



Susan K. Seo, MD

Latest:

Screening and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation During Chemotherapy

The incidence of both hepatitis B virus infection and cancer is common. The use of immunosuppressive therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus can result in reactivation of hepatitis B virus, which can, in turn, lead to significant morbidity and mortality.


Susan L. Groenwald, RN, MS

Latest:

Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice, 5th Edition

Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice is widely considered to be the basic textbook on cancer nursing. With this edition, every chapter has been updated to reflect the latest research and references, and many of the chapters now include


Susan Leigh, RN

Latest:

Survivorship and Pancreatic Cancer: The Role of Advocacy

The past 20 years have witnessed important changes in the manner in which many people with cancer are opting to deal with their disease. In the past, patients yielded to their physicians' treatment choices and assumed that they


Susan London

Latest:

Novel chemoRT regimen ups survival in pancreatic ca

In patients with resected pancreatic cancer, adjuvant cisplatin, 5-FU, and interferon chemoradiation produces a median survival of 27 months, according to initial results of the ACOSOG Z05031 trial. However, nearly all patients experience grade 3 or 4 toxicities.


Susan M. Domchek, MD

Latest:

Managing Patients With Moderate Penetrance Genes

Dr. Susan Domchek discusses the increased understanding of moderate penetrance genes and the importance of managing patients with these genes on a case-by-case basis.