Focus on Cancer: Recent Episodes
ReachMD
According to the American Cancer Society, yearly deaths from cancer are decreasing— marking the first period of decline in nearly 70 years. ReachMD takes a closer look at the driving forces behind these advances: medications that hone in on specific tumor targets, more accurate screening and diagnostic technologies, and pioneering surgical methods that provide new hope for patients suffering from these devastating diseases.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Richard Wender, MD
From oncologists to primary care, physicians are witnessing an alarming trend in younger patients: the rising risk of colorectal cancer. To investigate this growing threat, Dr. John Russell speaks with Dr. Rich Wender, Chief Cancer Control Officer at the American Cancer Society. Dr. Wender discusses the new colorectal cancer screening guidelines set forth and the methods behind the conclusion. While comparing past guidelines, Dr. Wender considers changes in our society and environment that may be contributing to increased cancer risks in younger generations.
For more information and to review the new guidelines, go to cancer.org
Oncologists Dr. Sanjeeve Bala and Dr. Abhilasha Nair from FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence discuss the recent approval of bevacizumab-awwb, a biosimilar to US-licensed Avastin, marketed as MVASI. MVASI is the first biosimilar approved in the US for the treatment of cancer.
Released on December 21, 2017
Host: Shira Johnson, MD
Guest: Robert Vonderheide, MD
For years, the foundations of cancer treatment, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy were utilized with the objective of weakening cancer.
But over the past several years, immunotherapy – therapies that enlist and strengthen the power of a patient’s immune system to attack tumors - has emerged as a new tool for fighting cancer. In August 2017, one such treatment approach, called Chimeric Antigen Receptor or CAR T-cell Therapy, received FDA approval for the treatment of children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Additionally, research is continuing to look at CAR-T therapy’s effectiveness for treating solid tumors as well.
Host Dr. Shira Johnson sits down with Dr. Robert Vonderheide, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the John H. Glick, MD, Abramson Cancer Center Director’s Professor, to talk about the potential of CAR-T therapy alongside other emerging immunotherapies in fighting cancer.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Harish Lavu, MD
Pancreatic cancer is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States by 2020. This is due, in large part, to its insidious onset and subtle presentation even at late stages, many symptoms of which are often attributed to common and less serious conditions in aging populations.
Dr. Harish Lavu, Head of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery at Jefferson University, talks with host Dr. John Russell about the diagnostic and therapeutic priorities addressing pancreatic cancer, and why this disease is so hard to detect.
FDA medical oncologists discuss the approval of osimertinib for EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer.
Released July 28, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the FDA approvals of brigatinib and ceritinib for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.
Released July 25, 2017
Host: Kathy King, RDN
Guest: Lise Alschuler, ND
Host Kathy King sits down with Dr. Lise Alschuler, naturopathic doctor, cancer survivor, and author of The Definitive Guide to Cancer: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment, and Healing. Dr. Alschuler is co-founder of iTHRIVEplan.com, a web application providing personalized wellness plans tailored to cancer survivors.
They talk about how integrative medicine specialists approach cancer: its causes, prevention strategies, and ways to include complementary therapies in patient treatments.
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
It's widely known that genetics, family history, race, and other factors all play important roles in cancer risk. But what kinds of roles do they play, specifically, and how can we leverage these understandings into better primary care?
Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Dr. Maureen Murphy, research scientist at the Wistar Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Murphy has spent the past twenty years studying how genes affect breast cancer risk in women, particularly for African American populations. She discusses her findings on the discovery of p53 protein variants and how this advances the role for precision medicine in treating breast cancer.
The D.I.S.C.O. hosts discuss the agency’s first approval of pembrolizumab, a cancer treatment based on a common biomarker rather than the location in the body where the tumor originated.
Released May 30, 2017.
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
Host Dr. Brian McDonough chats with Jennifer Singleterry, Senior Analyst of Policy and Legislative Support for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, about the organization's new report revealing monetary burdens for cancer patients.
FDA medical oncologists discuss the agency’s March 23, 2017 approval of avelumab for the treatment of patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.
Released May 22, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the agency’s March 2017 approval of niraparib for the maintenance treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.
Released May 18, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the agency’s accelerated approval of rucaparib for treatment of patients with deleterious BRCA mutation-associated advanced ovarian cancer who have been treated with two or more chemotherapies.
Released May 17, 2017
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Several new screening tests have been developed to help doctors find colorectal cancer early when it's most treatable and can reduce the burden of this disease and the death toll nationwide.
Host Dr. Matt Birnholz chats with Dr. John Kisiel, gastroenterologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, about new screening guidelines for detecting colorectal cancer.
Host: Caren Heller, MD
Guest: Francis Farraye, MD
Studies have shown that certain patients living with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. In fact, IBD ranks as the third highest risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer.
Host Dr. Caren Heller, Chief Scientific Officer at the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, sits down with Dr. Francis Farraye, gastroenterologist and Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Center for Digestive Disorders at Boston University School of Medicine. The two talk about making guidelines on endoscopic screening, surveillance, and detection of dysplasia more beneficial to IBD patients.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Taine Pechet, MD
Dr. Taine Pechet, chief of surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and associate professor of clinical surgery at Penn Medicine joins host Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss his thoughts on who should be regularly screen for lung cancer and the various diagnostic techniques from his perspective as a thoracic surgeon. Dr. Pechet also discusses the surgical outcomes for these patient and his thoughts on what is on the horizon for the lung cancer field.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: John Y.K. Lee, MD
Guest: Jason G. Newman, MD, FACS
Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss innovative surgical approaches to cranial base disorders are Doctors John Y. K. Lee and Jason G. Newman. Dr. Lee is Medical Director of the Gamma Knife Center and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Newman is Associate Professor of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Center for Cranial Base Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Robin Zon, MD, FACP
Value-based, patient-centered care has become the destination for all branches of medicine, and is the philosophy driving modern payment reform initiatives like MACRA. But the unique care delivery needs in each specialty challenge the notion that one payment model can serve everyone. And nowhere has this become more relevant than in the field of oncology.
Dr. Matt Birnholz joins Dr. Robin Zon, practicing oncologist and vice president and senior partner at Michiana Hematology-Oncology in South Bend, Indiana. Dr. Zon serves as Chair-Elect of ASCO's Government Relations Committee was Past Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee, which alongside other stakeholders at ASCO developed a Patient-Centered Oncology Payment (PCOP) model. Recently, Dr. Zon presented this information at the recent AMA House of Delegates meeting in June. She speaks to the phases of this model, how it can function as a defined APM under MACRA, and its demonstrated positive impacts on oncology care pathways.
[Read the Article]
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has updated the recommendations regarding colorectal cancer screening. The Task Force strongly recommends screening average risk adults age 50 to 75 for colorectal cancer, and then making individual screening decisions for adults age 76 to 85, taking into account the patient's overall health and screening history.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and about one-third of adults in the United States have never been screened.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
Host: Kathy King, RDN
Guest: Diana Noland
How can our dietary choices affect and even influence cancer outcomes?
Host Kathy King talks with Diana Noland, dietitian and board-certified clinical nutritionist on the adjunct faculty of the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, and in private practice in Burbank, CA. Ms. Noland specializes in nutritional health for complex metabolic conditions, oncology, gastrointestinal, and neurologic chronic diseases. She speaks to the importance of proper nutrition for cancer patients; namely the roles that nutrition play in cancer treatment and specific nutritional problems cancer patients face.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
There are many widely circulated myths regarding breast cancer, such as:
- Beliefs that this disease affects women only.
- Fears that mammograms can cause cancers to spread.
- Assumptions that most patients with breast cancer have family histories positive for this disease.
Host Jennifer Caudle talks with guest Dr. Monique Gary, a fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist at Grand View Health in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. Together, they dispel myths about breast cancer and talk about what patients can expect during a surgical oncologist appointment.
Host: Michael Krychman, MD
Ovarian cancer is among the most highly prevalent and deadly cancers in existence, and in the struggle to care for patients and protect their quality of life, clinical standards in diagnostic screening and treatment protocols must change frequently.
Joining host Dr. Michael Krychman to discuss advances in treatment and prevention of ovarian cancer, with special focus on sexual health priorities, is guest Dr. Leslie Randall. Dr. Randall is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California-Irvine, and also Director of UC’s gynecologic oncology fellowship program.
[Read the Article]
In a new study, researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles studied tumor response and overall survival following the administration of a new treatment among patients with advanced melanoma. This agent, called pembrolizumab, is an antibody that blocks PD-1, a protein which prevents the body's immune system from attacking the cancer.
The researchers tested pembrolizumab on more than 650 patients in North America, Europe and Australia. They looked at tumor response before and after treatment and found that the lesions were smaller in about one third of patients. In patients who responded to the treatment, seventy-five percent maintained the response at one or two years.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Cannabis is gaining increased acceptance within the medical community for pain relief and other supportive care applications. But for oncology specialties, the use of cannabis may additionally extend into therapeutic purposes for patients.
From the floors of the A4M Conference in Las Vegas, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Constance Finley, Founder and CEO of Constance Therapeutics, a California-based cannabis collective. The two discuss cannabis and cannabis oil applications for cancer patients, and their potential therapeutic effects.
Host: Barnett Mennen, MD
Guest: Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE
Penn Medicine’s Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence (TCE), known as the 2-PREVENT TCE is led by Drs. Lewis Chodosh and Angela DeMichele. 2-PREVENT TCE aims to address one of the greatest challenges in breast cancer treatment: the high rate of relapse and late treatment effects among breast cancer survivors.
Host Dr. Barry Mennen welcomes Dr. Angela DeMichele, the Alan and Jill Miller Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Excellence, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, and Co-Leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss top tips in breast cancer risk, screening, and detection is Dr. Monique Gary, breast surgical oncologist at Grand View Health in Sellersville, PA. Dr. Gary earned her medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her internship and residency at University of Massachusetts Hospital and went on to complete her fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital.
Host: Barnett Mennen, MD
Guest: Maarouf Hoteit, MD
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the top ten causes of cancer death in the United States, and is the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer death in men. What's more, incidence rates are on the rise. For these reasons, understanding the nuances of early liver cancer detection, and treating underlying liver diseases prior to cancer development, have been more urgently needed.
Joining Dr. Barry Mennen to discuss diagnostic, medical, and surgical priorities for managing hepatocellular carcinoma is Dr. Maarouf Hoteit, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of the Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Clinic, and Program Director of the Transplant Hepatology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
Guidelines in testing intervals and recommended methods for cervical cancer screening have been changing rapidly. What's the bottom line on helping primary care clinicians best protect their patients from this disease development? Joining Dr. Brian McDonough on the floors of Omnia Education's Women's Health Annual Visit in New York to discuss updated strategies drive down cervical cancer risk is Dr. Edward Mayeaux, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.
[Read the Article]
According to a new study, low dose aspirin taken regularly was associated with a reduced risk for cancer.
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital examined data from two large national studies that include about 136,000 men and women who have been providing detailed information about their overall health for decades.
Researchers identified 20,414 cancers among 88,084 women and 7,571 cancers among 47,881 men during a 32-year follow-up. Regular use of aspirin, two times or more per week, was associated with a 3 percent lower overall risk for cancer. This was mostly due to a 15 percent lower risk for gastrointestinal tract cancers and a 19 percent lower risk for cancers of the colon and rectum.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
[Read the Article]
Rates of genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have increased among younger women diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a new study. The study focused on nearly 900 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger. Researchers looked at rates of genetic testing, barriers to testing, and how the test results affected treatment decisions.
In 2006, the rates of BRCA testing were in the seventy percent range and by 2012 that proportion rose to ninety-five percent. While the majority of women reported being tested for BRCA 1 and 2, many were not, and a small minority reported that no one had discussed genetic risk or testing options. The study authors note that the overall goal of genetic testing is to help women make informed treatment decisions. Assessment of a young woman's genetic risk after a breast cancer diagnosis can affect treatment decisions and the results can also have health implications for her relatives.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG
What is the role and importance of the Ob-Gyn Oncologist, especially for women diagnosed with pelvic cancers? What are some barriers patients face in seeing an Ob-Gyn Oncoloogist? And how can clinicians better partner with this group of specialists? In this episode, host Dr. Renee Allen explores answers to these questions with guest expert Dr. Evelyn Reynolds, board certified physician in both General Obstetrics & Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology. She is also an Associate Professor and Division Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the Morehouse School of Medicine.
[Read the Article]
To some, end of life care in the United States is considered resource intensive, expensive, and inattentive to patients' needs. So how does the United States compare to other countries? A new study examined several health care measures at the end of life for cancer patients in five European countries, Canada and the United States.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine compared the health care experience for cancer patients older than 65, in Canada, Belgium, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States. They examined several clinical measures during the final six months of life.
The United States and Netherlands had the lowest percentage of patients dying in the hospital. The United States also had the fewest hospitalizations and the smallest number of days patients spent in the hospital. In contrast, intensive care admissions were twice as common in the United States compared to the other countries.
During the last six months of life, patients in Norway and Canada had higher hospital costs than patients in the United States. There was less spending in Germany and Belgium, but the lowest expenditures were in the Netherlands and …
[Read the Article]
Glioblastoma is the most devastating form of brain cancer in adults; most patients die within one to two years of diagnosis. A new study examined whether using tumor-treating fields, a type of electromagnetic therapy, combined with maintenance chemotherapy in patients with glioblastoma who had already completed standard chemotherapy and radiation, could increase survival.
Researchers from University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland are conducting a worldwide trial with 695 glioblastoma patients. One out of three received a standard maintenance course of chemotherapy, while the other two received maintenance therapy plus the tumor treating fields for up to two years.
The current results are for the first 315 patients. Researchers found that use of the tumor-treating fields increased both progression-free survival and overall survival. Overall survival is prolonged by an average of three months in patients getting the tumor-treating fields therapy.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
[Read the Article]
Successful treatment of stage II or stage III rectal cancer relies on surgical removal of the tumor. However, researchers from Baylor University Medical Center wanted to know if a "minimally invasive" procedure called a laparoscopy, would be as effective as a standard or "open" operation for patients with rectal cancer.
Researchers assigned 486 patients to receive either a standard open operation or the less invasive laparoscopic approach. All procedures were done by forty-six highly trained surgeons. Specimens from each procedure were examined to see whether all the tumor was removed ("complete resection").
Results found that 90 percent of the patients who underwent the open operation had a complete resection, where patients who underwent the laparoscopy only had an 81 percent success rate. The researchers concluded that these findings do not support laparoscopic removal of rectal cancer.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
JAMA Report videos provided pursuant to license. ©2015 American Medical Association, publisher of JAMA® and The JAMA Network® journals.
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD
Guest: Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, MD, FACP
Host Dr. Maurice Pickard welcomes Dr. Funmi Olopade, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics, Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, and Director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics at the University of Chicago. Dr. Olopade discusses disparities in health outcomes for black women with breast cancer. Dr. Olopade is an expert in cancer risk assessment and individualized treatment for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, having developed novel management strategies based on an understanding of the altered genes in individual patients. She stresses comprehensive risk reduction and prevention strategies in high-risk populations, as well as earlier detection through advanced imaging technologies.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and the second most common cancer among both men and women in the United States. But how can clinicians increase awareness and screening for this disease within their practices? Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Nina Maouelainin, Director of Interventional Pulmonology at The Lung Center of Grand View Health in Sellersville, PA, to discuss the facts about lung cancer, screening approaches, and her personal journey in increasing awareness among primary care providers.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Joining host Dr. Matt Birnholz is special guest, Dr. Clifford A. Hudis, President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service and an attending physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Hudis will provide an executive summary of the recently released State of Cancer Care in America: 2014 report, which will help cancer care providers, policy makers, and others more effectively shape the future of cancer care during these uncertain times.
Download and listen to this update!
And, to learn more about the websites that Dr. Hudis references in this interview, please visit:
- State of Cancer Care in America: 2014 report
- CancerLinq
Guest: Constance Roche
Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP
It's estimated that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. 75% of women who are diagnosed have no known risk factors. But the incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer has declined over the last couple of decades. The government released controversial amendments to screening recommendations last year based on mortality outcomes from breast cancer. What are the implications for our patients, and what screening guidelines should advanced practice clinicians recommend to patients? Nurse practitioner Constance Roche, a clinical coordinator at the Avon Comprehensive Evaluation Center in Boston, Massachusetts, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how to identify high risk patients, the best screening techniques and how primary care providers can find the best specialist for their patients.
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
Guest: Charles Mullighan, MBBS, MSc, MD
How does understanding the genetics of rare disease help us understand other pressing pediatric problems? Dr. Charles Mullighan is assistant member of the faculty, pathology department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He joins Dr. Bruce Bloom to discuss the genetics of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Guest: Seth Corey, MD, MPH
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
Physician scientists keep one foot in clinical care and the other in the lab, hoping to bridge that gap to help patients. Are breakthroughs on the horizon? Dr. Seth Corey, the Sharon Murphy and Steven Rosen Professor of Cancer Biology and Chemotherapy at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of oncology research at Children's Memorial Hospital and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, joins host Dr. Bruce Bloom to discuss his research on repurposing safe pharmaceutical and botanical medicines for relapsed pediatric cancers.
Guest: F. Anthony Greco, MD
Host: Larry Kaskel, MD
Cancer is so often an agonizing diagnosis, one that can be that much more difficult for a patient to accept when the origin of the cancer cannot be traced. Novel genetic tests are just one of a few new options that may help us in situations where imaging, therapy, and other genetic markers have not been effective. Dr. F. Anthony Greco, director of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, tells us that we appear to be making progress toward new ways to diagnose cancers of unknown primary origin. Dr. Larry Kaskel hosts.
Guest: Leif Ellisen, MD, PhD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
A new program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston includes extracting the DNA from its cancer patients’ tumors to determine which abnormalities occur in the tumor cells, specific to the type of tumor. From these results, physicians hope to create better, targeted cancer therapies. Host Dr. Lee Freedman asks Dr. Leif Ellisen, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, about the details of this program. Will genetic tumor profiling be conducted at many more cancer centers in the near future?
Guest: Monica Morrow, MD
Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD
As we expand the scope of breast-conserving surgery for patients with breast cancer, have we focused too much on the cosmetic results, to the potential detriment of the oncologic outcome? It's a question that concerns some in the field of breast surgery, who believe the evidence to establish clinical efficacy for certain procedures is not yet in. Dr. Monica Morrow, chief of the breast service in the department of surgery, and the Anne Burnett Windfohr Chair of Clinical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, joins host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill to explore how we can address the potential pitfalls of emphasizing cosmesis in breast-conserving surgery while maintaining the sound principles of oncologic surgery.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Guest: Elvira Lang, MD
We've known anecdotally that simply waiting for the results of a tumor biopsy can be as stressful as coping with an unfavorable diagnosis itself. There is even some evidence to suggest that this stressful waiting period may subsequently impact the treatment of those patients who are found to have cancer. How do we explain this hypothesis? Further, how can we ease the anxiety of those patients awaiting cancer test results, and can we shorten the time patients must wait for their diagnosis? Host Dr. Jennifer Shu explores these key issues in the diagnostic process with Dr. Elvira Lang, associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, and an interventional radiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Guest: Arthur Derse, MD, JD
Host: Shira Johnson, MD
Matters of life and death occur constantly in emergency departments, but some ED doctors are not well trained for the death that's expected. There is a new push inside hospitals and medical schools to train ED personnel in palliative care. Dr. Arthur Derse, director of medical and legal affairs and associate director of the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for the Study of Bioethics, joins host Dr. Shira Johnson to discuss the new techniques being taught to ED residents for dealing with end-of-life issues. They also look at a new sub-specialty in emergency room medicine that focuses on hospice and palliative care.
Guest: Arthur Derse, MD, JD
Host: Shira Johnson, MD
More than 500,000 Americans die from cancer every year, and many of those people spend their final hours in the emergency department. More and more patients and their families turn to ED doctors to help make difficult decisions when it comes to end-of-life issues. Dr. Arthur Derse, director of medical and legal affairs and associate director of the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for the Study of Bioethics and professor of bioethics and emergency medicine, joins host Dr. Shira Johnson to look at how doctors can help terminally ill patients and their loved ones when it comes to living wills, life support and pain management.
Guest: Marc Hedrick, MD
Host: Bruce Japsen
Many view the promise of stem cells as something far off in the distance, but these regenerative cells are nearing commercialization in the area of cosmetic and plastic surgery, particularly for women who are in need of reconstructive breast surgery. Dr. Marc Hedrick, president of San Diego based Cytori Therapeutics, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about a commercialized device in Europe that uses adult stem cells derived from fat as a way to reconstruct breasts following surgery. Clinical trials may begin in the US in the next year.
Guest: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
How is the biomarker guanylyl cyclase 2C helping to predict colorectal cancer recurrence rates? Host Dr. Lee Freedman welcomes Dr. Scott Waldman, professor in the departments of medicine and biochemistry at Thomas Jefferson University, to discuss how this biomarker found in regional lymph nodes can predict the recurrence rate for colorectal cancer patients. How does the presence of metastatic tumor cells predict clinical outcomes?
Guest: Lajos Pusztai, MD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
What does microarray-based gene expression profiling tell us in terms of diagnosing and treating breast cancer? How is this technology changing our perceptions of breast cancer? Dr. Lajos Pusztai, associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, discusses some clinical applications of a multigene assay. Dr. Lee Freedman hosts.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Guest: Per-Henrik Zahl, MD, PhD
The widespread use of mammography to screen for breast cancer has resulted in a decrease in breast tumor detection, as well as decrease in mortality rates associated with the disease. But the natural course of malignant diseases such as different types of cancer can vary considerably. Is it possible-even common-for some invasive breast tumors to regress without treatment? And if this is the case, how could this impact our strategies for screening, diagnosing and treating breast cancer? For more on these intriguing ideas, host Dr. Jennifer Shu welcomes Dr. Per-Henrik Zahl, epidemiologist and senior statistician at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, Norway, and lead author of a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine that "raises the possibility that the natural course of some screen-detected invasive breast tumors is to spontaneously regress."
Guest: Keith Black, MD
Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD
Despite our best efforts at surgery and chemotherapy for patients with glioblastoma, survival time is often far too limited. One novel weapon in our arsenal could be a vaccine that bolsters the immune system in the body's fight against these tumors. As we move forward with research toward a vaccine, what are the keys to boosting its efficacy? How much additional time could a vaccine buy for our glioblastoma patients? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill probes these questions and more with Dr. Keith Black, professor of neurosurgery and chair of the department of neurosurgery, and director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Black also describes the fascinating process by which the research team collects tissue from each patient, which is subsequently applied toward the formation of a vaccine customized for the individual's condition.
Guest: H. Richard Alexander, MD
Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD
Whether cancer originates in the colon, breast, or elsewhere in the body, the liver is one of the most common places to which a malignancy will spread. When this occurs, if it's possible to control the metastasis in the liver, we may have a much better shot at holding the original tumor at bay. A technique called hepatic perfusion may help us do this. For more on hepatic perfusion and its potential role in the chemotherapeutic process, host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill talks with Dr. H. Richard Alexander, associate chairman for clinical research in the department of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. How might this technique, which affords us the opportunity to deliver high-dose therapy while circumventing most side effects, begin to change our perspective on the limitations of chemotherapeutics?
Guest: Gary D. Steinberg, MD
Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD
Early diagnosis of bladder cancer is a significant step toward survival. Over the years, findings have suggested that women and African-Americans are particularly vulnerable to the disease, and often times, we are delayed in our diagnosis and subsequent treatment of these more highly susceptible populations. What are the most effective steps we can take to improve our recognition of bladder cancer earlier in its progression? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill welcomes Dr. Gary Steinberg, professor and vice chairman of urology, and director of urologic oncology at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, to discuss the key issues relative to gender and race, as well as awareness among patients and primary care physicians toward prevention of a delayed diagnosis of bladder cancer.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Guest: David Abramson, MD
Survival rates for retinoblastoma now approach 100 percent, but in years past, enucleation was the only sure way to cure this rare pediatric malignancy. We're now seeing advances in chemotherapy that not only spare the child's eye, but can preserve vision as well. What makes this chemotherapy regimen so effective, and how can we build on its effectiveness to enhance the vision and the livelihood of children affected by retinoblastoma? Dr. David Abramson, chief of the ophthalmic oncology service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, joins host Dr. Jennifer Shu to talk about the breadth of retinoblastoma research that has helped us take important strides toward remediation of this disease.
Guest: Greg Brown
Host: Bruce Japsen
Lymphedema is a condition faced by many breast cancer survivors, and it can be debilitating for one in five of these women. But lymphadema can be detected early. Greg Brown, chief executive officer of Australia-based ImpediMed tells host Bruce Japsen about the benefits of early detection and the coming technology platforms to assist doctors in this regard.
Guest: Greg Brown
Host: Bruce Japsen
For breast cancer patients, there is often an untold story after mastectomy and treatment. Greg Brown, chief executive officer of ImpediMed, tells host Bruce Japsen about how women can suffer a debilitating complication known as lymphedema and how test makers are moving to help diagnose the problem early.
Guest: William Foulkes, MD, PhD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
The need to manage the health of patients with cancer, and at risk for developing cancer, has given rise to the field of cancer genomics. What is this field? What are the roles within the specialty? And how do they work with patients?Host Dr. Bruce Bloom talks with Dr. William Foulkes, director of the cancer genetics program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
Guest: William Foulkes, MD, PhD
What has genetic research taught us about the inheritance of common cancers? And how can we use this knowledge to help patients? Dr. William Foulkes, director of the cancer genetics program at McGill University in Canada, talks with host Dr. Bruce Bloom about the questions raised and the answers revealed when we look at cancer risk from a genetic perspective.
Guest: John Docherty
Host: Bruce Japsen
Cancer cells can be made to become more vulnerable to treatments like chemotherapy, and there are therapeutics under development which are designed to impact this so-called microenvironment of tumor cells. John Docherty, president of Toronto-based Helix BioPharma, tells host Bruce Japsen about a new wave of treatments and therapies in the biotechnology industry that could better target cancer cells and in turn help patients deal with the side effects of chemotherapy.
Guest: John Docherty
Host: Bruce Japsen
While vaccines have emerged to treat a cancer caused by human papilloma virus, there is still a need for therapies to treat cancerous tissue caused by HPV. John Docherty, president of Toronto-based Helix BioPharma, tells host Bruce Japsen about his company's research and that of the biotech industry in the study and treatment of HPV, a key virus in the development of cervical cancer.
Guest: Benjamin Griffith, MD
Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD
What is the connection between anxiety and pancreatic cancer? Certainly, patients can develop problems with anxiety after a cancer diagnosis. But pancreatic cancer seems to have the curious characteristic of anxiety as a presenting symptom. The age at which anxiety presents itself may be a clue as to whether you're looking at mental illness or a possible cancer diagnosis. Dr. Benjamin Griffith, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Virginia and the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, explains to host Dr. Leslie Lundt.
Guest: Laurie Zoloth, PhD
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD
Dr. Laurie Zoloth, director of the Northwestern University Center for Bioethics, Science and Society, talks about ovarian cryopreservation, maturation of oocytes in vitro, and politicized laboratory breakthroughs that were intended to meet the needs of female cancer survivors. She argues that we need to be prepared to deal with patients who will use the tools offered by oncofertility to delay childbearing, and meet the need for tissue in stem cell research. Hosted by Dr. Maurice Pickard.
Guest: Laurie Zoloth, PhD
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD
The preservation of female cancer patients' fertility after treatment is a new area of concern for researchers, clinicians, and patients. Dr. Laurie Zoloth, professor of medical humanities, bioethics, Jewish studies and religion and also director of the Northwestern University Center for Bioethics, Science and Society, talks with host Dr. Maurice Pickard about broad issues of reproduction, as well as breakthroughs in the lab and how clinicians can handle treatment discussions when they're compounded by the topic of fertility.
Guest: Stephen B. Baylin, MD
Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has recently reported results from its first comprehensive study focusing on glioblastoma multiforme. How might this new research help us develop new therapies? Dr. Stephen Baylin, professor of oncology and medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to explain how the TCGA may guide future cancer treatment.
Guest: Anil Vachani
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
Dr. Anil Vachani, assistant professor of medicine, and director of clinical research in interventional pulmonary services, at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, joins host Dr. Lee Freedman. They talk about Dr. Vachani's exciting work on the development of a blood test that may be useful in distinguishing benign from malignant in patients with lung nodules. Along with researchers at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, Dr. Vachani has developed a test utilizing the profiling of gene expression of peripheral blood lymphocyte involved in tumor immunity. Still in the early stages of development, this work has led to a 24 gene 'signature' that has a sensitivity of 85 percent and specificity of 87 percent. Find out how soon this test might be available for clinical use, and other potential applications of this technology in clinical medicine.
Guest: Jeffrey Settleman, PhD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
Cancer cells almost always defeat drug therapies. Can combination therapies prevent or overcome drug resistance? Join host Dr. Bruce Bloom as he discusses the research and clinical issues of cancer treatment with Dr. Jeffrey Settleman, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and scientific director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
Guest: Alan Astrow, MD
Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD
All the technology and advances in medical science hasn't changed the most difficult thing we do as physicians - relay emotionally charged diagnostic and prognostic information to our patients. How can we do a better job? Communication skills do not automatically improve with increasing physician experience. Dr. Alan Astrow, the director of the division of hematology and medical oncology at Maimonides Cancer Center in New York City explains how we can break bad news to patients in a more effective and supportive way.
Guest: Désirée Ratner, MD
Host: Mary Leuchars, MD
In the next year, nearly 120,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States, more than half of which will be invasive disease. Unfortunately, trends indicate the overall incidence will continue to rise in the coming years. Who are the key at-risk populations, and how do we identify early warning signs of cancer? Dr. Désirée Ratner, director of dermatologic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, shares her expertise with host Dr. Mary Leuchars on strategies to recognize early development and initiate treatment of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers.
Host: Bruce Japsen
Guest: Edgar Staren, MD, PhD, MBA
The customer is often first when seated at a restaurant table or when he or she walks into the lobby of the Ritz Carlton, but such an experience can still be a new phenomenon in health care. Dr. Edgar Staren, Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Cancer Treatment Centers of America tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen how these hospitals provide customer-friendly care with specialized food, massage therapies and alternative treatments to complement the traditional chemotherapy and cancer treatment regimens.
Guest: Devra Davis, PhD
Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD
In America and the UK, one out of every two men and one of every three women will develop cancer in their lifetime. How did a disease that was once so atypical become so ordinary? Author and researcher Dr. Devra Davis joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss why cancer may be so common.
Host: Susan Dolan, RN, JD
Guest: Robert Schimmel
Robert Schimmel, one of Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Comics, authored Cancer on $5 a day chemo not included: How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life. Mr. Schimmel discussed how he survived his battle with stage three non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Host: Susan Dolan, RN, JD
Guest: Robert Schimmel
Robert Schimmel, named one of Comedy Central's 100 greatest Comics, had Showtime and HBO specials, bestselling CDs, a Fox pilot, and consistently sold-out club dates. A recipient of the celebration of Life Award from the National Lymphoma Society, Mr. Schimmel was the author of the book, Cancer on $5 a Day * Chemo Not Included: How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life.*
Host: Susan Dolan, RN, JD
Guest: Robert Schimmel
Robert Schimmel, named one of Comedy Central's 100 greatest Comics, had Showtime and HBO specials, bestselling CDs, a Fox TV pilot, and consistently sold-out club dates. He was a recipient of the Celebration of Life Award from the National Lymphoma Society and author of the book, Cancer on $5 a day * Chemo Not Included How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life.* Mr. Schimmel discussed how humor helped save his life during his battle with stage 3 non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Host: Susan Dolan, RN, JD
Guest: Robert Schimmel
Robert Schimmel, named one of Comedy Central's 100 greatest Comics, had Showtime and HBO specials, best selling CDs, a Fox TV pilot, and consistently sold-out club dates. He was a recipient of the Celebration of Life Award from the National Lymphoma Society. Mr. Schimmel discussed his book, Cancer on $5 a day Chemo Not Included: How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life.
Guest: Loren Walensky, MD, PhD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
Loren D. Walensky MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Oncology at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director of the Program of Cancer Chemical Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, discusses life as a research scientist in cancer research.
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
Guest: Aditya Bardia, MD
Guest: Victor Montori, MD
What is the efficacy of Vitamins and Antioxidants in cancer prevention? Dr. Aditya Bardia and Dr. Victor Montori, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN discuss a meta-analytical study designed to answer this question. Specifically covered are beta carotene, vitamin E, and selenium.