PSA Screening: Good Evidence Shows Little Benefit, Significant Harms
October 15th 2013The Task Force’s recommendation against PSA screening for prostate cancer is based on the best available science and the knowledge that, while we all want to prevent suffering and death from prostate cancer, PSA screening simply does not get us there.
PSA Screening in Men Newly Diagnosed With Colorectal Cancer: Each According to His Group’s Means?
October 15th 2013Once a patient has been appropriately educated by an informed healthcare provider about the possible benefits of PSA screening, then patient preference as part of shared decision making regarding PSA screening should be considered in all cases.
PSA Screening for Colorectal Cancer Patients: Proceeding With Caution
October 15th 2013It may be appropriate to offer prostate cancer screening to carefully selected men with a previous history of colorectal cancer. However, the risks and benefits of establishing the diagnosis in this setting need to be considered and discussed with them.
Should All Colorectal Cancer Patients Over Age 60 Be Screened for Prostate Cancer?
October 15th 2013Not all patients with colorectal cancer are candidates for such screening, however, as a remaining life expectancy of at least 10 years is generally required in order for PSA screening to yield a significant mortality benefit.
Tracking Nausea/Vomiting in Diary Helped Health Care Team Reduce Symptoms
October 7th 2013Asking patients to track their nausea and vomiting after a course of chemotherapy helped the health care team to adjust medications and achieve better control of symptoms, according to the results of a small single center study.
Hospice Care Is Part of Oncology Practice
September 27th 2013Why do doctors have such a hard time embracing hospice care and using it to benefit patients, particularly oncology patients? Referring a patient to a hospice program starts a sophisticated plan of care wholly directed at patient comfort, education of the family and grief counseling for the family.
Shorter High-Dose Radiotherapy Effective for Breast Cancer
September 24th 2013Ten-year follow up two large randomized trials in the UK show that less frequent but higher dose radiotherapy regimen are as safe and effective as the standard regimen of more frequent lower doses for women with early breast cancer post-surgery.
Married Individuals Less Likely to Be Diagnosed With Advanced Cancer
September 24th 2013A large study shows a difference in the cancer outcomes of married and unmarried individuals, finding that those who are married are less likely to be diagnosed with metastatic disease and to die of their cancer compared with those who are unmarried.
A Visit to the Oncologist-in 2057
September 24th 2013I am seriously thinking about firing my oncology software. It has been 19 months now since I found myself stuck with this relapse. I don’t dare tell my father anything yet-he’ll start going on about how I should see a human doctor. He has been pushing me to visit a LiveDoc who supposedly is still practicing oncology in midtown. Right-like I’m going to do that.
MicroRNAs Regulate Small-Cell Lung Cancer Bone Metastasis
September 17th 2013Researchers have identified a novel pathway that promotes bone metastasis of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The study is in mice, but points to a potential target that could be exploited to control or prevent metastatic disease.
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Tumor Stroma Plays Big Role in Bone Metastases
September 16th 2013In order for malignancies to establish in metastatic sites, cancer cells must acquire attributes of those sites; specifically how this occurs in many cancers is relatively unknown, but a new study implicates the stroma of certain breast cancer tumors in the development of bone metastases.
Oral Oncolytics: Part 2-Legislation Targeting Cost & Access, and Other Initiatives to Reduce Costs
September 15th 2013We examine efforts to correct cost inequities of oral anti-cancer agents through legislation, and we look at further efforts to reduce the cost of oral chemotherapy via cycle management and waste reduction.
Batch MRI Breast Cancer Screening Possibility With Accelerated Protocol
September 9th 2013Expert radiologists were able to screen magnetic resonance images and rule out breast cancer diagnosis with a negative predictive value of about 99% using an abridged breast MRI protocol in a single-center study presented Saturday at the ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium 2013.
Smoke Alarm! Is It Now OK to Smoke?
September 6th 2013How long ago did we learn that smoking caused lung cancer? The USPSTF is poised to recommend annual screening CT scans for the detection of lung cancer in high risk individuals. Are there enough CT scanners to handle the volume? The LLC’s are forming now to put a dedicated lung screening CT machine next to every convenience store. Get your carton and CT in one stop!
Cancer Centers Struggle With Cost, Complexity of Measuring Quality
August 23rd 2013Most community cancer centers are only beginning to measure quality of care and are struggling with the challenge of collecting data while adding services and keeping costs in check, concluded a recent survey by the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC).
Education Aids in Decision-Making to Prepare for End of Life
August 17th 2013Being offered a brief, dedicated discussion of end-of-life decisions relatively early in the trajectory of advanced cancer led to an earlier placement of do-not-resuscitate orders and decreased the likelihood that patients died in a hospital, a new study showed.
ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Localized Nodal Indolent Lymphoma
The present guidelines review epidemiology, pathology, presentation, workup, staging, prognostic factors, and treatment options for patients with localized nodal indolent lymphoma, with an emphasis on radiation guidelines, including radiation dose, field design, and radiation techniques.
One-Two Punch May Improve Cancer Treatment Results
August 14th 2013A new study demonstrates a way to exploit a metabolic vulnerability of senescent cells. The strategy provides evidence for an anticancer approach that targets a cellular process or condition of the cell rather than a distinct molecular pathway.