All News

Although the number of metastatic cancer patients receiving radiation in the last year of life did not significantly change from 2000 to 2007, a new study has found a shift in radiation use from the simplest radiation treatments to more advanced treatment.

I see a time in the not too distant future when we’ll define tumors this way. What will our subspecialties be? Rather than a breast clinic or a lung clinic, will we perhaps be attending a “HER2 clinic” or an “mTOR clinic” instead?

Real healthcare reform would address these socioeconomic realities. Instead, the US is waging a regulatory “war” on exaggerated measures of waste, one that shows little promise of reducing costs or increasing quality but will assuredly crush “needed innovation by practicing physicians, who best understand the delivery of care.”

Including the entire course of care in the efforts to improve quality and contain costs will make the short-term implementation more complex and perhaps controversial. However it will reflect the way that contemporary oncology care is delivered, and will allow for holistic care management and an optimization of cost.

In Part II, I focus on ideas and specific programs that may slow the growth of spending while, it is hoped, minimizing the impact on what we all want: sustainable access to high-quality therapy and continued innovation. Finally, I will consider another fundamental question: Is current spending worth it?

This review will discuss the pathophysiology associated with the del(17p13.1) interphase cytogenetic abnormality, the current generally poor outcomes in affected patients, currently approved therapeutic agents, and new agents now undergoing investigation.

As I walked into my office last Monday I found my nurses giving me a peculiar look, one that I usually reserve for incidents like watching someone back into another’s car. The explanation for their solicitude was soon revealed by a stack of charts lying on my desk. During my weekend off, seven of our patients died.

Cancer Network presents exclusive coverage from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting. We'll bring you onsite reports as we cover the latest research, trials, scientific advances, and controversies that are changing the way hematologic malignancies are managed and treated.Check back here daily during the meeting and watch your inbox for our exciting reports from the ASH 2012 meeting.

In this Stump the Professor video, two fellows test Dr. Marshall's diagnostic skills with a unique case study involving an 80-year-old patient who presents with abdominal pain, bilateral edema, weight loss, and dark, tarry stools.

A new study in the United Kingdom has found an increasing trend in opioid prescribing by general practitioners for cancer pain during a patient’s last 3 months of life. However, data also revealed that older patients had a significantly lower chance of receiving opioids to address cancer pain compared with patients aged 50 years or younger.

In this video, Dr. Yu discusses why he went into radiation oncology and what he has learned during his time in practice.

In this podcast we discuss integrating palliative care into standard oncology care with Thomas J. Smith, director of palliative medicine at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A significant portion of patients with incurable lung cancer believe that palliative radiation therapy will cure the disease or at least help them live longer, according to a new study. Only about one-third of patients acknowledged that the treatment was not at all likely to cure their cancer.

A large study of older doctors shows that those who took a daily multivitamin had an 8% lower risk of cancer compared to those who took a placebo pill.

Controlling healthcare spending has been, and appears destined to remain, at the center of the public policy debate at each level of government, given that much of the healthcare bill is paid by taxpayers.

The current system rations care in an irrational way. This irrational rationing is going to worsen, for the costs of the current system are simply not sustainable nor are they justifiable by almost any metric used.

Thymomas are uncommon neoplasms that have generated considerable controversy among pathologists. The following questions can be used to evaluate the evidence supporting current concepts about the pathology of thymomas and the clinical applicability of those concepts.

In Part I of this article, I will focus on our current understanding of drivers of cost for oncology care and the effect of the high cost on patients, as well as on how patients value treatment.

In this review we describe the current evidence for use of bisphosphonates as part of the adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage breast cancer.

We describe areas where major inroads were initially achieved by targeting angiogenesis and by unraveling pathways in the heterogeneous tumors of mesenchymal origin-spurred by the identification of c-Kit–activating mutations in GIST and the regressions that ensued when tumors harboring these mutations were exposed to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib (Gleevec).

Adolescents and young adults want to be more involved in specific aspects of their end-of-life care and found a planning document to aid in those decisions helpful, according to the results of a recently published study.

Overweight cancer patients generally have a worse prognosis compared to their leaner counterparts. A new study published today in Cancer Research suggests a mechanism for the link between obesity and cancer.

When facing decisions involving children with cancer at the end of life, three themes drove parental decision making--communication, extending time, and understanding prognosis, according to a recent meta-analysis.

Dr. Breitbart discusses how to have an effective end-of-life conversation with a patient.

It has been a year since Congress passed the Affordable Food Act, which mandates that all Americans have adequate insurance for the purchase of groceries. Needless to say private industry, always willing to fill a new need, has answered the call.

WORK FOR THE BEST. Chief of Medical Oncology: An Opportunity to Influence, Innovate and Inspire Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) is a single-specialty tertiary hospital system providing a comprehensive, fully integrative approach to cancer care. We offer standard of care oncology treatment options combined with therapies that support the entire person. It's a place where your contributions as a medical leader can influence outcomes and allow you the opportunity to work on innovative research initiatives, as well as inspire our medical staff to continue to strive for excellence in patient care. We are currently seeking an experienced Board Certified Medical Oncologist to join our Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, IL, which is located in a far northern suburb of Chicago. In this highly visible position, you will have the opportunity to mentor, supervise and direct our 10-member employed medical oncology staff. Additionally, you will help design and support those programs that are currently in place, including centers of excellence initiatives. Other responsibilities will include identifying and leading investigator-initiated trials. Our excellent benefits include: • Competitive compensation with bonus opportunities • Paid medical malpractice • Relocation package • Paid holiday, vacations and generous CME • 401(k) with match Our Midwestern hospital is located midway between downtown Chicago and Milwaukee. We offer access to both metropolitan areas, as well as amenities that include world-class art museums and theater, professional sporting events, excellent schools and outstanding universities. For more information, please contact: Drexa Unverzagt, RN, MS National Director of Physician Recruitment E-mail: drexa.unverzagt@ctca-hope.com Phone: 847-746-4384www.cancercenter.com EOE Cancer Treatment Centers of America(r) Winning the fight against cancer every day.(r)