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March 2022

Are Cancer Patients Getting The Best Care? Maybe; Maybe Not

Have we made great strides in cancer research and treatment? Yes. Are folks getting the care they need? Maybe not. That is the lesson learned from recent experience helping some cancer patients in their journeys. Our ability to treat cancer has advanced, but if people don’t get the right care or understand their care or feel capable of participating in their care are we really doing the best by them in their times of need? I don’t think so and I hope you would agree. Let me offer an example from real life (and I assure you there are others!!!):… Read More »Are Cancer Patients Getting The Best Care? Maybe; Maybe Not

Say It Ain’t So: The Cost of Lupron is WHAT????

A patient and physician are faced with the difficult choice of a medicine that isn’t affordable and the option of surgery. But the real question is why does the medication cost so much?

March Is National Colorectal Cancer Month. So What Are We Going To Do About It?

March is National Colorectal Cancer Month, a month devoted to bringing attention to the third most common cancer in men and women, as well as the third most common cause of cancer deaths in each birth gender. Screening and improvements in treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC) have proven effective in reducing both incidence and death from the disease, yet despite the considerable progress that has been made over the past 30 years we still have a long way to go if we are to further reduce that burden. We often say that we want to make progress in cancer treatment,… Read More »March Is National Colorectal Cancer Month. So What Are We Going To Do About It?

Future Think: Could Some Lung Cancers Be Cured Without Surgery? Maybe, Just Maybe…

There is an even more tantalizing possibility: what if we could diagnose, treat and monitor patients with localized lung cancer without even using surgery and radiation therapy as primary treatment? Now, that would be amazing. And yet as I gaze into my crystal ball, I really do think that may just be a possibility sometime in the future. And that may not be so far away.

Angels Paying Forward: Clinical Trials And Breast Cancer

Clinical trials are frequently taken for granted by the cancer community–by patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike. Those trials are the backbone of the recommendations we make for cancer treatment. How often do we take a moment to think about the incredible patients and families who participated in those trials, trials which make such a difference in the lives of so many every day?

COVID, Two Years Later: Too Much To Grieve?

Two years ago, life changed: the pandemic had started taking roots in the United States, people were scared, communities were impacted and life as we knew it started to shut down. Little did we realize how long-lasting and deep the impact would be. I looked at the New York Times data this morning and realized (again) that we have lost close to 1 million souls in this country. One can debate whether we could have mitigated that number through various measures over these past two years, but one cannot debate the deep emotional scars and losses that have resulted from… Read More »COVID, Two Years Later: Too Much To Grieve?