27 December 2015 Patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer frequently experience side effects. These are normally recorded by physicians and nurses using standardized scoring systems. In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, researchers compared these physician-reported adverse effects with patient-reported side effects and toxicity. They found that physicians and nurses frequently under-estimated the frequency and severity of treatment-related side effects. In the…
Read more11 December 2015 This past week, two well known public figures made announcements regarding their cancer. The actress Rita Wilson, who underwent a bilateral mastectomy in March, stated that “I am cancer free” and “100% healthy”. Former President Jimmy Carter, who is being treated for melanoma with metastasis to his liver and brain, announced that on a recent scan, “they didn’t find any cancer…
Read moreThe American Society of Breast Surgeons has just launched a patient information website - Breast360.org. The site was developed by breast surgeons, and patient advocates have had input and oversight during the entire process. Please take a look, and feel free to provide feedback if you have a suggestion for additional content.
Read more29 October 2015 We’ve all seen the headlines noting a “blockbuster” or “groundbreaking” new drug for cancer treatment. It can be very difficult to sort out whether or not the hype is indicated. A study published in JAMA Oncology evaluated how news articles described new cancer medications. They evaluated the use of the superlative terms “breakthrough”, “game changer”, “miracle”, “cure”,…
Read more15 October 2015 A recent study has noted that African American and Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive forms of breast cancer. Drs. Lu Chen and Christopher Lee published their findings, Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment by Hormone Receptor and Her2 Status, in a recent issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and…
Read more14 August 2015 It was hard not to get swept up in this one. Anyone who has frequented You Tube knows that certain posts go “viral”. Everyone gets caught up, there is a period of intense conversation and attention, and then it’s gone, replaced by the next trend. While I’ve been amused by some of these “current events”, I’ve never been…
Read more30 July 2015 A study published today in the Journal of Medical Internet Research demonstrated that breast cancer patients participating in an online support community based on twitter had increased knowledge and decreased anxiety regarding their condition. The Breast Cancer Social Media (#BCSM) community was founded in 2011 by two breast cancer survivors. Weekly tweet chats are held on various topics…
Read more20 July 2015 This is not a new question, and I promise there will be many parts to this story. The latest: Breast Cancer Screening, Incidence and Mortality Across US Counties, published in the July 2015 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. The authors of the study noted that rates of early breast cancer detection have increased with the widespread use…
Read more28 January 2015 A study published in the journal Cancer found that many women lack basic knowledge about their breast cancer. Researchers at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston surveyed 500 women treated between 2010-2011 for Stage 0 - III breast cancer in Northern California. Women were asked about 4 tumor characteristics - estrogen receptor (ER) status, Her2/neu status, tumor…
Read more3 June 2014 A study was recently published evaluating the reasons why women diagnosed with breast cancer might undergo a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. First, some definitions: - Mastectomy – removal of the entire breast - Prophylactic mastectomy – removal of a breast that does not have cancer - Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) – removal of the breast that does NOT have cancer, in a patient undergoing mastectomy…
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