Category Archives: When Cancer Hits Home
Cancer & Death with Dignity – My Final CANCERMD Blog
Writing When Cancer Hits Home (http://www.amazon.com/When-Cancer-Hits-Home-Empowered/dp/0615391117) was a labor of love. After 15 years treating patients with cancer and having experienced my father’s and both of my wife’s parents’ cancer journeys, I felt compelled to write to help other future patients and families. I started thecancermd.com blog to provide timely information on cancer-related topics that couldn’t be [...]
Mammograms for All Women Over 40: The Good, the Bad…
An article in the February 18, 2013 online edition of the Wall St. Journal asks readers, “Should All Women Over 40 get Annual Mammograms?” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323539804578260241902140764.html?mod=WSJ_GoogleNews&mod=igoogle_wsj_gadgv1). For a few decades now, that’s been the recommendation to American women by most of their doctors. So, why has there been so much controversy about this cancer screening test [...]
Pat’s Picks for Major Cancer Treatment Advances in 2012
Oncologists and cancer researchers have trudged a few more steps forward in the marathon “race toward a cure” in 2012. The following link from the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Roth et al highlights several of these: http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2012/12/04/JCO.2012.47.1938.short?rss=1. I’ll briefly lay out my top three from this list which I’ve chosen, not because they’re the most fascinating [...]
MOVEMBER Raising Awareness About Prostate & Testicular Cancer
Despite being an oncologist, I was oblivious about MOVEMBER until an old college buddy enlightened me this month. Each November, men grow mustaches to serve as billboards for men’s health issues. While the general topic of conversation is men’s health, “Mo Bros” have a particular focus on prostate and testicular cancer: http://us.movember.com/mens-health/. Other than non-melanoma skin [...]
Aspirin a Day Keeps Death by Prostate Cancer Away
The health benefits of aspirin and other blood thinners appear not to be limited to the heart. Many scientific studies have shown a link between the human body’s coagulation (blood clotting) system and certain steps in carcinogenesis (cancer development). A recent study of the CAPSURE (Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor) database evaluated [...]
Awareness of 4 Distinct Breast Cancer Types Guides Treatment
Ten years ago, two 55 year old women with small breast cancers that had not spread to lymph nodes (stage 1) underwent treatment as recommended by the same team of cancer experts. Five years later, one woman had no evidence of cancer recurrence and is alive and well. The other woman died as a result of [...]
Learning from Andy Williams’ Bladder Cancer Death
Thanks to Dave Maguire, there are a few musicians whose voices are synonymous for me with the joy of Christmas: Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, Mitch Miller and Andy Williams. Since losing my dad to stomach cancer a few years ago, listening to these albums (CDs, iTunes…) over the holidays brings back even more great memories. [...]
Ovarian & Prostate Cancer Screening: A Tale of Two Tests
September is both Ovarian Cancer and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Both are life-threatening disease originating from pelvic organs. Screening tests have been evaluated to potentially detect both cancer types early toward the ultimate goal of saving lives. What do we know in 2012 about the impact of CA125 and PSA blood tests? Women who are [...]
Vinegar for Cervical Cancer?
No, we’re not talking about pouring vinegar on a woman’s cervix to cure cancer. Despite the quackery rife on the internet produced by what I describe in When Cancer Hits Home as “modern day snakeoil salesmen,” there is no data that vinegar cures cancer. What it does appear to do very well is detect cervical [...]
Empowering Men Against Prostate Cancer…now for $0.99
Who needs PSA testing? How can it be that prostate cancer kills thousands of American men each year, yet experts often recommend no screening and no treatment?! Empowered Against Prostate Cancer: Treatment Guide with Patient Stories is a straightforward guide that provides men and their loved ones with answers. In honor of prostate cancer awareness month, this [...]
