Articles
A higher dose of radiation (74 Gy) does not improve overall survival for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread to the lymph nodes compared with the standard radiation dose (60 Gy), according to a new study presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a group of closely related hematologic malignancies that arise from abnormal development and function of the body’s bone marrow cells. Primary myelofibrosis (PMF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET) comprise the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative MPNs.1 Myelofibrosis (MF) can arise on its own, which is called PMF, or it can result from the progression of other MPNs, such as postpolycythemia vera MF (PPV-MF) and postessential throm bocythemia MF (PET-MF).1
Dr Hansen provided a comprehensive review of the challenges patients face when diagnosed with cancer. She illustrated that while improved survival is a welcome benefit to many of today’s cancer patients, psychological, social, and emotional struggles exist. Several considerations come to mind, such as where does one obtain information regarding care? Does the patient- provider relationship affect treatment, and what is the role of the oncology nurse (ON) in the care of cancer patients?
The article by Dr Hansen provides a great overview of the challenges facing patients from initial diagnosis of cancer through survivorship. Patients typically are diagnosed with cancer suddenly in the midst of living their lives. The various stressors in life that exist prior to diagnosis can be further exacerbated after diagnosis. As oncology providers, in addition to having knowledge of the options to treat a patient’s cancer, we need to make sure we understand the patient as a whole— both the patient and the person.
The diagnosis of cancer is arguably one of the most emotionally exhausting and potentially psychologically debilitating medical conditions we may experience during our lifetime. However, the impact of this diagnosis is not limited to the patient and frequently resonates among family members, friends, and caregivers as well. When the impact of cancer on the human condition is combined with the knowledge that healthcare practitioners are frequently unable to detect psychological distress in this patient population, the effects can be profound.1
A recent study reports 36% of women quit breast cancer therapy early due to the medications’ side effects, which are more severe and widespread than previously known. Plus, the Northwestern Medicine research reveals a disparity between what women tell their physicians regarding side effects and what women actually experience.
New research shows that breast cancer survivors may face problems with cognitive abilities several years after therapy, regardless of whether they received chemotherapy plus radiation or radiation only. The study, published early online in Cancer, indicates possible common and treatment-specific ways in which cancer treatments negatively affect cancer survivors’ cognitive skills.
The holidays mean family, fun, and festive foods. Some foods are sweet, some foods are salty, and some holiday foods may even help fight cancer. “While these so-called holiday foods are delicious to eat, they can also have the added bonus of containing cancer-preventing nutrients,” says Stephanie Meyers, MS, RD/LDN, nutritionist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The following is a list of foods and recipes that should be on your menu this holiday season.
Go Nutty
More than one-third (34%) of women with secondary breast cancer are unnecessarily encumbered by uncontrolled pain, according to new research by Breast Cancer Care and the University of Southampton.
The study, led by the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, professor Jessica Corner, was published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
Of the 235 women included in the study, researchers found:
A new research institute at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is intended to create effective new cancer medications and corresponding diagnostics using fundamental discoveries and modern technologies, according to Raymond DuBois, MD, PhD, MD Anderson’s executive vice president and provost.