Articles
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital (OSUCCC–James), located in Columbus, Ohio, is 1 of only 41 centers in the United States designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. The OSUCCC– James program is part of Ohio State University and is affiliated with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, one of the largest medical centers in the country. Established in 1973, the OSUCCC–James is the Mid-west’s first and Ohio’s only freestanding cancer hospital. Read More ›
Pharmacists and their support staff make the world go round, at least my world outside of the hospital. They are the ones who tell me which pills and injections to take, and when. They put the labels on the orangish pill bottles with the white safety caps that serve as a back-up to their written and spoken instructions. In short, I consider them and the prescriptions they fill as a kind of lifeline between my inpatient and outpatient lives.
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According to 2 large breast cancer trials, CYP2D6 genotyping was not predictive of the effectiveness of tamoxifen in postmenopausal women. Thus, the results of these studies are not generalizable to premenopausal women. CYP2D6 genotyping has been a focus of research interest, but studies have been inconclusive as to the value of testing. Read More ›
The term “chemo brain” was coined to describe mild cognitive problems in cancer patients attributed to chemotherapy. Although minor chemotherapy-induced memory and cognitive impairments have been described previously, a case-cohort study suggests that these effects can persist more than 20 years posttherapy. The authors state that chemo brain effects are subtle compared with women who never had chemotherapy, but it’s possible that these effects place people at greater risk for cognitive decline associated with aging. Read More ›
The previous installment in this cancer care series examined the growing importance of oral therapies for the treatment of cancer and the implications of patient adherence on its success. At the present time, more than 20 oral medications are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for firstline treatment of cancer. Read More ›
Imagine being newly diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a neoplasm of hematopoietic stem cells caused by the Philadelphi chromosome t(9;22). In decades past, individuals diagnosed with CML were offered allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT). Survival rates with allo- HSCT are lower compared with newer therapies mainly due to the risk of graft-versus-host disease and infectious complications. Read More ›
Throughout this series, we have evaluated various challenges and barriers to optimizing care for patients with cancer. While it is evident that we have a long way to go with regard to making cancer therapy logistically easy, better tolerated, and less emotionally exhausting, the past decade has arguably brought us closer to achieving these goals. New oral chemotherapy drugs have freed some patients from the restraints of treatment within a cancer center’s infusion suite. New targeted therapies have increased survival and treatment-related efficacy while reducing adverse events.
Read More ›Throughout this series, we have evaluated various challenges and barriers to optimizing care for patients with cancer. While it is evident that we have a long way to go with regard to making cancer therapy logistically easy, better tolerated, and less emotionally exhausting, the past decade has arguably brought us closer to achieving these goals. New oral chemotherapy drugs have freed some patients from the restraints of treatment within a cancer center’s infusion suite. New targeted therapies have increased survival and treatment-related efficacy while reducing adverse events.
Read More ›Imagine being newly diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a neoplasm of hematopoietic stem cells caused by the Philadelphia chromosome t(9;22). In decades past, individuals diagnosed with CML were offered allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT). Survival rates with allo- HSCT are lower compared with newer therapies mainly due to the risk of graft-versus-host disease and infectious complications. Read More ›