Oncology/Hematology
Empowering Pakistani women: Surviving cancer and challenging traditional norms
We have a female patient admitted to our oncology ward for a week. I’ve known her for a long time. She works in our hospital’s dental department as a technologist. She is currently 40 years old. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009. She underwent maximum safe resection; it was oligodendroglioma grade 3. She underwent concurrent chemoradiation followed by chemotherapy and received a few more cycles of adjuvant …
Gene therapy breakthroughs: a new era in genetic disorder treatment
In a significant leap forward for medical science, recent breakthroughs in gene therapy are ushering in a new era of treatment for various human diseases. The field of gene therapy, which involves manipulating or introducing genetic material into a person’s cells to treat or prevent disease, has seen remarkable advancements, with several gene therapy drugs receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Gene therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking …
The hand from behind the curtain
It has been almost two decades since I worked at this hospital. This is where I grew up as a physician. After my home, I have spent most of my life within these walls and walking these hallways. The hospital used to have two main buildings, but a few years ago, the administration decided to erect a third building, which is a state-of-the-art facility. The hospital is situated at the …
What films get wrong about cancer – and why it matters
There are more cancer types than there are organ systems, but, according to Hollywood, there is essentially just “Cancer.” Capital C. Period.
Cancer-inflicted characters on the silver screen also primarily face just one outcome: death. This usually follows a montage of chemotherapy treatments that leave movie stars bald and purple under the eyes. There is no targeted immunotherapy in Hollywood. No clinical trials. No genomic medicine. Just an amorphous round of …
How gender and race deepen the cancer care divide
In 2023, roughly 2 million people will have been diagnosed with some form of cancer, and while cancer can affect everyone, it does not affect everyone equally. Women – especially women of color and women with lower socioeconomic standing – often face significant hurdles when it comes to accessing the health care they need to prevent, treat, and survive cancer.
The downstream effect
Although there have been significant efforts to address …
Why new cancer treatments cannot save us
In 2020, the ICPerMed (International Consortium for Personalized Medicine) published a ten-year vision for how personalized medicine, a new form of medicine, has the potential to rebuild an equitable and accessible health care system by 2030.
Precision or personalized medicines are drugs developed with genomic sequencing technologies, targeting the critical genes in specific types of cancer or genetic diseases. Thus, PMs are highly effective in treating their …
From devastation to inspiration: my journey through 3 cancers
A solid mass silently grew on my kidney. An unwelcome addition. Asymptomatic. Discovered haphazardly during a CT scan of my lungs … And it revealed itself.
At first, I was devastated. Will cancer ever leave me alone? It has already visited me twice before. First, breast cancer, also asymptomatic, detected during my very first mammogram at the age of 42, and then a troublesome mole that tested positive for melanoma.
I seemed …
Collaboration between local oncologists and academia is crucial to closing the cancer care gap
There is undeniable hope and optimism when looking at the future of cancer care. Cancer survival rates are steadily rising as oncologists continue to learn more about the 100+ unique types of cancer—and emerging variants—that exist. Thanks to new targeted therapies and remarkable improvements in genomics, cancer care physicians and researchers are finding better ways to treat each cancer type and improve health outcomes.
Despite this knowledge, however, there are still …
Hidden truths and medical intrigue [PODCAST]
From fear to empowerment: Beating breast lump anxiety [PODCAST]
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Join Tami Burdick, a patient advocate and the author of Diagnosis Detective: Curing Granulomatous Mastitis. Tami shares her personal journey with granulomatous mastitis (GM) and how she navigated the fear of a breast lump. Discover the relationship …
From advocacy to early cancer detection
I write widely as a patient advocate and subject matter expert on public policy for the regulation of prescription opioid analgesics in pain medicine.
Like many people younger than myself, I also visit many social media platforms almost daily. I am active on these platforms to share recent health care news and to support hope among people who increasingly struggle to find clinicians and pharmacists who will treat their pain by …
An eye surgeon’s unexpected finding: a brain tumor diagnosis
In medicine, the sickest patients always seem to come on Friday afternoons. At the end of the week, I’m hoping to move quickly through my last few patients – a small corneal abrasion, a routine follow-up, or a stable glaucoma exam. I’m prepared for a pleasant conversation and some friendly banter about rival football teams playing Saturday morning. But I’m wary. I have been doing this long enough to know …
From ICU to kidney mass: a nurse’s journey of fear
After 32 years working as an ICU nurse, I believed I had developed a strong capacity to confront death alongside my patients. I had become accustomed to the challenging scenarios: co-morbidities, multi-system organ failure, emergency intubations, ventilators, pressors, central lines, art lines, failure-to-thrive cases, code blues, and the grim sounds of ribs cracking during CPR.
It was not uncommon to witness families desperately shouting, “Do everything,” even when there was little …
Navigating physician shortages in rural communities
In the rural area where I practice, two general surgeons recently retired, a medical oncologist moved out of the community, and two urologists left over a year ago. My patients with cancer are left wondering who will care for them. And this small community is not alone. An aging physician population, burnout, and understaffing of other health care workers all contribute to rising rates of physicians moving and leaving communities.
One …
A resident’s critical discovery: Advanced cancer unveiled
It was my first week in the radiation oncology department as a resident. The day had been busy, and most of the consultants and staff had already left the outpatient department (OPD). I was exhausted and famished, with thoughts of dinner dominating my mind.
Just as I was beginning to wind down, the physician assistant (PA) rushed in and informed my consultant that a patient from a local hospital required immediate …
Digital innovation in oncology [PODCAST]
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We’re joined by Andrew Norden, a physician executive, to dive into the world of digital transformation in oncology. We explore why oncology has been slower to adopt digital innovations compared to other health care fields, debunking myths …
Understanding the psychological impact of chest numbness after mastectomy [PODCAST]
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Join Kristen Casey, a clinical psychologist, as we delve into the emotional and psychological impact of chest numbness following mastectomy. Discover the importance of discussing this often-overlooked side effect with patients, explore potential solutions, and learn how …
Encountering a gentle soul amidst stomach cancer
It was the final hour of my shift, and I was cleaning up for my colleague who would be taking over. Glancing at the clock, I decided I could see one of the “easy” fast-track patients just to help offload the board a bit. I figured he wasn’t going to take long, as his complaint on the board was “sore throat.” What I came to find out was that he …
My breast cancer journey: Why mammograms matter
25 years ago, at the age of 42, I had my first mammogram, which was part of my routine checkup. I had no symptoms at the time.
I was devastated when the radiologist discovered a shadow in my left breast. To confirm this, a biopsy was scheduled, and indeed, the biopsy confirmed that I had breast cancer.
I consider myself fortunate because we caught it early, and there was no involvement of …
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