Jake quit.
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Smoking! He gave it up over a year ago.I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years. I noticed that he stayed in during the party. Usually, he would disappear for a smoke. Not this time. I asked him why and he told me he gave it up.Jake has every reason not to smoke. He is happily married, retired with lots of money and a big house on the ocean, loves to play golf, and as far as I know and he looked, in good health. So I always puzzled about why he continued this health-robbing habit.Actually I knew. He was addicted to nicotine. Cigarettes are drug delivery devices and the drug is nicotine. Nicotine is one of the most powerfu...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - May 8, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Two female scientists win the prestigious albany medical center prize
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Photo CreditFor the first time since its inception, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research was awarded to two women (Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Joan Steitz of Yale University). Worth $500,000, the Albany Medical Center Prize is one of the largest financial prizes for medical research in the United States. The size of the award is second only to the Nobel Prize ($1.4million).Dr. Blackburn’s research focuses on telomeres, the ends of chromosomes. These special “caps” help maintain chromosome size as cells divide, and prevent chromosome sh...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - May 5, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Hot Topics in Cancer Research Announcements Source Type: blogs
Jeremiah wright and my cancer patient
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The controversy that the Reverend Wright is stirring up reminds me of an incident in my practice that remains with me 20 years later. Wright’s outrageous and perhaps paranoiac statements about the United States are especially telling when he questions whether the HIV virus, the cause of AIDS, is a man-made virus, perhaps created by the U.S. Government. Nuts, right? Well, a large number of African-Americans believe this according to a study published by Rand Corporation in 2005.Many African-Americans just don’t trust white doctors. This was brought home to me in that incident 20 year ago. I was treating a middle aged bl...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - May 2, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
What an image!
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One of the highlights of every weekend is being able to read the new secrets on PostSecret. If you haven’t seen this site, I highly recommend it. People send in anonymous postcards, often hand-made or otherwise personalized, containing a secret about themselves. They are sometimes funny, sometimes, sad, often incredibly powerful. This past Sunday, someone sent in this one: Photo CreditI love it because it completely captures the spirit of NOT allowing a serious illness, like cancer, to control the patient’s life. I hope it helps us all to remember that people with an illness are just that – PEOPLE. We are not defined...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 28, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Blogging Fun Stuff Source Type: blogs
Does your diet determine what sex your baby will be?
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This article, from a scientist in Germany shows that the hormonal environment can influence sex ratios in the offspring of mammals and of birds. It’s interesting to consider how these findings might all be related, and how it may or may not be adaptive for the species to alter sex ratio of newborns based on environmental conditions. Food for thought…Photo Credit (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 27, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: General Medicine Breaking News Source Type: blogs
Doctor david's blog is accredited!
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The Health On the Net (HON) Foundation has accredited this blog with their HONcode.The HONcode is 'the oldest and the most used ethical ... code for medical and health related information available on Internet'. It is displayed by many healthcare websites and medical bloggers who are compliant with HON's eight principles: authority, complementarity, confidentiality, attribution, justifiability, transparency, financial disclosure, advertising (as in, clearly distinguishing between advertising and editorial content).If you are curious to learn more about what HON accreditation is, check this out.My HONcode is on the lower ri...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 26, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Blogging Source Type: blogs
Recent posts from medical blogs, part 2
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Last month, I began my own monthly roundup of posts I think are worth checking out. Unlike a Blog Carnival or a Grand Rounds, this is just one blogger’s thoughts about what my co-bloggers are saying. Please take a look. You’ll be glad you did.Basic ScienceOne of the enduring controversies regarding the development of cancer is whether your immune system protects you from cancer or not. This concept has been referred to as “Immune Surveillance.” Ian York has what I think might be the best name for a blog: Mystery Rays from Outer Space. In this post, he addresses the role Natural Killer Cells (another awesome name…...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 26, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: A Few Good Blogs Source Type: blogs
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Blame it on the cardiologistsYesterday, I read the obituary of Jerome Grossman M.D., a man I knew over 40 years ago. He was my intern on the Medical service at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. Jerry then left Montefiore for Boston after that year to pursue a career in computers and medicine and became well known, not only for computerizing medical care, but also as an expert in hospital administration. He died of kidney cancer.I have lost many close friends to cancer, perhaps a sign of my advancing age. Cancer is mainly a disease of older people and the leading cause of death for people under the age of 85. Over half of a...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - April 24, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Cancer treatment and fertility, part 2: what can be done?
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On April 1st, I wrote about the impact of cancer treatments on fertility. I discussed the many ways in which the way we treat cancer can affect the patient’s ability to have kids in the future. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to try to preserve fertility.Part 2: What can be done to preserve fertility?Some fertility preservation techniques are well-known. One option for boys who are old enough is sperm banking (freezing and storing their sperm for possible future use). Ideally, this should begin prior to treatment and multiple samples should be preserved. Unfortunately, in some cases this is not possible, due...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 22, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Cancer fears…. my patients
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Cool Kids Campaign is a local group that raises money to help kids diagnosed with cancer (and their families). Sharon Perfetti, Executive Director and co-founder of the Cool Kids Campaign, thought the slogan “Cancer Sucks” might not sound so great coming out of the mouth of a 5 year old. She wanted to put a positive spin on such a negative diagnosis, and she came up with “Cancer Fears Me.” Read more about it, and check out the new line of Cancer Fears Me apparel here. (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 21, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Patient Stories Source Type: blogs
Hpv and cancer revisited
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This report is continuing to make news and was highlighted in an article published earlier this week in The Baltimore Sun.Why is this important? As I discussed previously, this finding raises the possibility that immunization of boys with the HPV vaccine might be helpful not only to break the cycle of sexually transmitted HPV causing cervical cancer, but also to protect the boys themselves from oral cancer.But the study has implications beyond that. Until recently, the major risk factors for oral cancer were age, alcohol consumption, and smoking. That profile is changing, though, as HPV is becoming a more important cause o...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 18, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Hot Topics in Cancer Research Viruses and Cancer Breaking News Source Type: blogs
More is not necessarily better.
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Many oncologists believe that we can cure more patients’ cancers if we can just give the patients high enough doses of chemotherapy. For years, it has been a maxim in oncology that the more chemotherapy you give, the more cancer you kill. A colleague of mine, who didn’t believe this, compared this theory to the situation of a person in a foreign country trying to make himself understood by shouting instead of speaking the native’s language. This week’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute carried an article written by European investigators that confirmed my colleague’s skepticism. The researchers treated pat...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - April 16, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Breast cancer risk & alcohol: isn’t red wine (in moderation) good for you?
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We’ve all read the articles in the newspaper. Moderate consumption of red wine is good for you. It lowers the risk of heart disease, and helps you live longer.Doesn’t it?A report from this week’s meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research questions that. Yesterday, Dr. Jasmine Lew presented the results of a study of 184,000 women in the US looking at the relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. What they found may surprise you.Dr. Lew’s group from the National Cancer Institute found that post-menopausal women who drank an average of 1-2 drinks a day were 32% more likely to develop ho...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 14, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Hot Topics in Cancer Research Breaking News Source Type: blogs
We have a winner!
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Thank you to each and every one of you who entered the first ever Dr. David’s Blog Contest and made it a big success. There were many excellent entries, and the decision was very difficult.The first runner up, whose entry was truly hysterical (but not reprintable here), was Leigh M. But the winning entry was from Jaime H, from North Carolina. Here is her response:"If I could be a chemotherapy drug, which one would I be? After a brief period of consideration, I decided on Gleevec (imatinib). I chose this because it targets a specific thing and goes and kills it - it has a job to do, and concentrates on that task. It also ...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 12, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Fun Stuff Source Type: blogs
Google triplet redux
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The damndest thing happened to me last week … somewhere I heard a repeat of an NPR story about Google Twins - people who share your name but who you have nothing else in common with. It reminded me of a piece that I wrote on this blog a while back about being a “Google Triplet” and how I’ve enjoyed “bumping into” the other Sam Blackman’s out there on the ‘net.
You can imagine, then, my utter surprise when a reporter from the New York Times dropped me an e-mail and asked to interview me for a story on this very subject. She apparently came across my blog entry.
The story ...
Source: Blog, MD - April 9, 2008 Category: Oncologists Authors: Sam Tags: Internet Media Source Type: blogs
Is it your personality that caused the breast cancer?
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When I was starting out in medicine, I often heard people say about someone who developed cancer that she was a nice person and that’s why she was struck by this devastating disease. I’ve also heard other factors invoked as contributing, such as stress, anger, pessimism, or some other personality factor that could lead to cancer. In my experience, none of this held true. My practice consisted of nice people, rotten people (rare, I admit), passive people, aggressive people, optimists, pessimists – you get the picture. But I admit this isn’t a very scientific survey. Still I remained convinced that personality played...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - April 9, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Upcoming conference on the medical care of people with lower limb amputations
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Discussion will focus on the issues facing medical professionals who take care of people who have had lower extremity amputations. It should be a valuable experience. For more information, take a look here and contact conferencesupport@tpti.com. (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 5, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Conferences Announcements Source Type: blogs
The latest cancer research blog carnival
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Hear ye, hear ye! Cancer Research Blog Carnival #8 is up on The Skeptical Alchemist. Steppenwolf did a great job assembling these posts and dividing them into sections: News, Diagnosis, Therapy, and Quackery. As usual, there are some fascinating posts, and it is an honor to be included among them.Go check it out. You'll be glad you did! (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 4, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Hot Topics in Cancer Research Blogging Announcements Source Type: blogs
Top 100 academic medical blogs
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I just found out that this blog was named one of the top 100 Academic Medical Blogs. Thanks to the Online Nursing Degree Directory for the honor. There are a number of incredible blogs on their list, so take a look. (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 4, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Blogging Fun Stuff Announcements Source Type: blogs
The first doctor david’s blog contest: win some socks
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One of my jobs is to interview candidates for the residency program and for our fellowship program. Since this can be a nerve-wracking experience for the applicant, I try hard to make the experience as painless as possible. One of the ways I try to keep things light is to ask an offbeat question.Frequently, that question is “If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be, and why?” This past Tuesday, however, I decided to make it a bit sillier. I was interviewing a nice young woman who wants to train to become a pediatric hematologist/oncologist. I took advantage of this particular interest and as...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 3, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Fun Stuff Source Type: blogs
An even shorter radiation method after breast cancer surgery – but wait!
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A few days ago I reported on a study of women who needed breast radiation after lumpectomy for breast cancer. The study found that 15 days of radiation was just as effective as the traditional 25 days, making it possible for women to get on with their lives earlier. But there is a technique that gets the treatment over with in 5 days. It is called brachytherapy (brachy from Greek meaning short). Several doctors used this approach when I was in practice. They would place thin tubes through the lumpectomy site and then fill the tubes with radioactive seeds. This would deliver radiation to the local area of the original tumor...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - April 3, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Good news, bad news
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We argued for hours. Literally. The family had to call the Insurance Commissioner for the State of Maryland. Our Chief Administrator gave an override. But in the end, it was worth it. Today the letter authorizing the tandem transplant arrived.Delivering that news got me a hug and a kiss.My other patient is a young adult. He was diagnosed with widely metastatic osteosarcoma almost 5 years ago. Although his tumor did not respond well to the chemotherapy, after truly heroic surgery (removing almost 90 tumor nodules from his lungs), he achieved a remission. Through two relapses, his life fell apart. But he has been in remissio...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 3, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Being a Pediatric Oncologist Patient Stories Source Type: blogs
Don’t sweat it
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One of the most challenging complaints from patients in my practice came from older women who had been treated for breast cancer. Their complaint; “Dr. Kattlove, I can’t stand these hot flashes anymore”. And I would say, “Well, you know, hormone replacement therapy isn’t recommended in women who have had breast cancer”.Not good enough. These women were miserable. And so, I, as well as some of my partners would slip these women their hormones. Sometimes I felt like a crack dealer. Still feeling a little guilty (although none of these women suffered any ill effects and were definitely grateful) even after leaving...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - April 2, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Cancer and fertility: how can treatment impact fertility? (part 1)
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“Uh, doc…”“Yes?”“Uh… I was just wondering… Did the chemo make it so I won’t be able to have kids?”As my physician readers all know, it’s the question that is asked as the patient is walking out the door that often reflects what is most on his/her mind.This snippet happened as my 20 year old survivor of metastatic Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was leaving the clinic last week. It raises a very important point… now that pediatric oncologists are curing ¾ of our patients, we have to worry more and more about the harm we do in the process. One of the biggest concerns of my patients (those old enough to care or ...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - April 1, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Side Effects of Treatment Source Type: blogs
It’s time to cut back on radiation treatments for breast cancer
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It must be frustrating for a woman with breast cancer to learn that after she has had surgery, she is only part way through her treatment. Often there will be hormone treatment or chemotherapy or both; and, if she has had a lumpectomy (about half of all women), she will also need radiation to the breast. Why do we give radiation to the breast if the cancer has been removed? It’s because the cancer often will come back in the breast and radiation cuts the chances of this happening by half. Clearly, in some women – about 5-10%, some cancer cells have dodged the surgeon’s knife. So traditionally, radiation oncologists h...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - March 29, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Ben’s tale, or how pelvic surgery does not end your dance career
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My patient, Ben, presented at age 8 with right hip pain. Evaluation of the pain eventually revealed a tumor in his hip, and a biopsy confirmed that this was Ewing’s sarcoma. The chemotherapy for this disease is standard, but Ben’s parents were faced with a very difficult decision – surgery or radiation to treat the primary mass?As with all such decisions, there were many complicated considerations: radiation might cause a secondary cancer and surgery might be better at preventing a local relapse, but radiation would probably cause less functional difficulty later on and surgery would require a body cast for several m...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 29, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Patient Stories Source Type: blogs
An advertisement campaign that promotes skin cancer
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This article provides a nice overview of the topic, including describing the ability of UVA to directly damage DNA.Since summer is coming, I’d suggest that if you’d like the tanned look without the risk, there are sunless tanning alternatives you can look into. No matter your skin type, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends daily use of a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater. Further information about skin cancer, including the ABCDs of melanoma, can be found here.Courtesy, Philip A Bryant Melanoma FoundationOr as Dr Benabio puts it: “Your natural skin color, even if ‘pasty’ is beautiful.”In sum, the...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 28, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Cancer Prevention Source Type: blogs
Where did that come from?
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Every so often, a doctor would refer me a patient who had widespread cancer without any warning signs or symptoms. Usually, we could diagnose the origin of the cancer – lung, pancreas, testicle, stomach were often the likely sites. The cancer would start in these organs and then quickly spread throughout the body without any tip off. There it was!But sometimes, we were unable to figure out where the cancer started. These cancers are called “cancers of unknown primary”. We don’t know how often these occur, because no one keeps statistics on these. I would probably see one or two patients with this diagnosis each yea...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - March 26, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Omg! cancer conferences for young adults
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I've attended and participated in many conferences about cancer. Most of them have been venues for medical professionals to present and discuss research, so it’s not surprising that they are not well-attended by patients.Fortunately, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation are sponsoring two upcoming (free) conferences in New York for and about adolescent and young adult cancer patients.The first is on April 10th and is a one-day educational workshop called 'Cancer in the Young Adult' in New York City. Go here for further details and registration information. The second is o...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 25, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Conferences Announcements Source Type: blogs
One painter's battle against penile cancer
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'[S]o, what have you got?''Oh, er, men's cancer,' I replied.'Prostate?''No.''Testicular?''No.'They dug a bit more until I just came out and said it. 'I've got penile cancer, OK -- cancer of the penis!'You could have heard a pin drop."selection from AlterNet’s article ‘Penis Cancer: My Very Private Hell'British Artist John D Edwards had penile cancer or ‘cancer of the penis’ as he put it.Penile cancer is rare in North America. Data reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (the cancer statistics program of the National Cancer Institute) show that only 1817 men were diagnosed with primary mal...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 25, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Rare Cancers Source Type: blogs
Hpv, stis, and teenaged girls: what does 1 in 4 mean and what can be done?
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Several of my recent blog postings have dealt with viruses that cause cancer. One cancer-causing virus that has been in the news lately is human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer. The development of a vaccine that protects women from the specific HPV strains that cause cervical cancer was a major step forward in cancer prevention.Although it is clear that the vaccine reduces infections with these HPV strains, because of the long time interval between infection and the development of cancer it has not yet been proven that vaccination will decrease the incidence of cervical can...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 22, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Hot Topics in Cancer Research Viruses and Cancer Breaking News Source Type: blogs
Npr takes on medical blogs
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A week ago NPR did a story on the rise of medical blogs by health professionals. They mostly discuss the ethical questions that arise about Doctors/RNs blogging: are the bloggers maintaining their patient's privacy? are their entries HIPAA compliant?I believe that all medical bloggers consider these questions each time they post. For most health professionals, we've been so rigorously trained to comply with HIPAA regulations in our work lives that we don't forget that training once we start blogging. Many medical blogs contain disclaimers or certifications that attest to our commitment to our patient's safety and privacy. ...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 22, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Blogging Announcements Source Type: blogs
Lets do the numbers
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The most recent update of cancer statistics has just been published, and the news is mildly encouraging. First, the bad news. If you are a man, the chance of developing cancer in your lifetime is nearly one in two. For women the chance is lower, at one in three. Cancer has replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death for people younger than 85. Over 85, heart disease wins, but cancer is slowly taking over. The reason cancer is overtaking heart disease is not because cancer rates are increasing. They are not (more on that later). Instead, deaths from heart disease are dropping quickly. Blame better treatment to lowe...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - March 19, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Osteosarcoma symposium in houston
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Earlier this month, I had the distinct honor of participating in an international osteosarcoma symposium organized by one of the pioneers of our field, Dr. Norman Jaffe. Entitled “Progress from the Past, Prospects for the Future,” the meeting took place at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Participants included surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists and laboratory scientists from around the world, as well as patients, parents, and patient advocates.Dr. Jaffe asked me to speak about the possible role of immunotherapy in osteosarcoma treatment. It was an honor to have been invite...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 18, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Being a Pediatric Oncologist Fun Stuff Conferences Source Type: blogs
Does sunshine cause cancer or prevent it?
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Every cancer prevention message always emphasizes that you should limit your exposure to sunshine as much as possible. But is this the right message? Sure, we know that skin cancer is caused by sun exposure. Although the most common skin cancer, basal cell cancer, almost never poses a threat, the less common skin cancer, melanoma can be a killer.But how about other cancers? The National Cancer Institute publishes a document called the Cancer Atlas that portrays the rate for different states by colors. Red means a high rate and blue a low one. The map for melanoma naturally finds that southern states are red and northern on...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - March 13, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Recent posts from great medical blogs
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Since I started this blog last June, I’ve come across a number of incredible medical blogs written by patients, medical students, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. My "Blogs of Interest" lists only a fraction of the high quality medical blogs out there.Here are a few of the many engaging entries recently posted in the medical blogosphere:General Medicine:Dr Rob of the excellent medical blog, Musings of a Distractible Mind, writes an informative ‘patient handout’ on the Common Myths About Infections and Antibiotics.On Medical School:Ben Ferguson humorously discusses the differences between gradua...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 11, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: A Few Good Blogs Source Type: blogs
Cancer research blog carnival #7
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It's that time again! The seventh Cancer Research Blog Carnival has been posted on Highlight HEALTH. There are some wonderful articles this time around, including discussions of the ethics of science, cancer genetics, and things that increase your risk for developing cancer (obesity and working the night shift, for example). All in all, a great group of articles that I'm sure you'll enjoy. (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 9, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Hot Topics in Cancer Research Announcements Source Type: blogs
How do you know a teenager is well?
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My pager goes off all the time. Usually, it’s an annoyance, interrupting something I’m doing (talking with a patient, driving to work…) for something that may not be as urgent. (“Do you want to admit the patient on Wednesday or next Friday?”)But sometimes the pager tells me something good.Last week, one of my patients had a catastrophic experience – a 28-minute seizure that was the first sign of a previously-undetected metastasis to her brain. We admitted her to the ICU and arranged for surgery the next day. Unfortunately, that day I had a previously-booked flight to an osteosarcoma conference in Houston. So I ...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 8, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Being a Pediatric Oncologist Patient Stories Source Type: blogs
Cancer stem cells and familial cancer risk for breast cancer
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One of the most important current trends in cancer biology is the study of cancer stem cells. The cancer stem cell model holds that cancer originates in tissue stem cells, and that dysregulation of these cells underlies the development of the tumor. Also, the cancer stem cell model suggests that tumors contain a small population of cells with stem cell properties (self-renewal and limitless proliferation), that these cells are resistant to chemotherapy, and that these are the cells that cause the majority of relapses.Another important concept in oncology is hereditary cancer. Although 1 in 8 women will develop breast cance...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - March 3, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Stem Cell Research Hot Topics in Cancer Research Source Type: blogs
Sarcoma video
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Bruce Shriver, co-director of the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, posted an informative video on YouTube recently, called "A Forgotten Cancer". The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative is a major sponsor of sarcoma research across the country, including in my own laboratory. Check it out below and consider participating in Team Sarcoma 2008. Another powerful site is The Faces of Sarcoma, which features pictures of sarcoma patients from around the world. It's amazing how diverse the group is, including patients of all ages and races, and from every corner of the globe. (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - February 28, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Fun Stuff Announcements Source Type: blogs
Fancy footwork
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Around the hospital, I'm known as "The Doctor with the Shoes" because I often wear Converse Chucks. In fact, I even thanked a patient for a pair in my blog. But I was humbled today by these socks, which I encountered in the morning. They may be the coolest socks I've ever seen. (Source: Doctor David's Blog)
Source: Doctor David's Blog - February 21, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Fun Stuff Source Type: blogs
Hpv vaccination: it may not be just for girls
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This article, from last May, discusses heterosexual sex as the main mode of transmission of HPV to girls, and suggests that vaccinating boys could help break the cycle of sexually transmitted cervical cancer. At the time the article was written, it had recently been discovered that HPV can cause throat cancer, but at that point throat cancer was still more commonly caused by smoking and drinking, so the impact of HPV vaccination on throat cancer was expected to be small.So what makes Maura’s article a more compelling argument to vaccinate boys is the fact that oral cancer is now more commonly caused by HPV than by tobacc...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - February 19, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Hot Topics in Cancer Research General Medicine Viruses and Cancer Source Type: blogs
The importance of research foundations
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With the current falling NIH budget, the importance of private foundations to support laboratory cancer research is growing. This is particularly the case for the type of tumors I study, sarcomas, which are rare, making them less attractive cancers to spend part of the diminishing research budget on. I am grateful that foundations like the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative are there to fill in these critical gaps.The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative just this week has funded three new research projects. I’m proud that mine is among them. I want to thank Bruce and Bev Shriver for their support, as well as the Arlo and Susa...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - February 17, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Announcements Source Type: blogs
Weakness at work
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The day is long. Stressful. So-and-so has a lytic lesion at T1. Mrs. X just got intubated and is in the ICU. Mr. Y has called 10 times in the last hour about his upcoming prostate surgery. It's stressful. It's wonderful. It sucks. It's amazing. My job is so diverse. A million different decisions occur every day. Affects so many people. Being a doctor is being a lifelong student of people. And, God, sometimes, I just want to curl up in a ball and cry. But, I keep coming back. I love it. I hate it. I need the money. Screw the money. I should have been a dermatologist. And then it happens. A flirtation. An intimacy. You work ...
Source: CancerDoc - February 15, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
Summer camps for children with cancer and blood diseases
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One of the worst parts of childhood cancer is how it robs my patients of their youth. They can’t go to school, they’re isolated from their friends, they see more pain, suffering, and death than children really should. We say they become “mature beyond their years” or “wise beyond their years,” but I wonder if this is just something we say to make ourselves feel better… as if maturity and wisdom are the silver lining within the cloud of lost innocence.But we do things to try to salvage a sense of normalcy. One of the many ways we try to do this is through a week-long summer camp called ‘Camp Sunrise’. With...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - February 15, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Fun Stuff Announcements Source Type: blogs
Is high dose chemotherapy and transplant the best treatment for multiple myeloma?
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I have been mulling this question over in my mind for years. I’ve never felt the evidence was that convincing. I’ve known of people who had the procedure and quickly crumped. Also, maybe the results look good because the people who go to these centers for the transplant have to be in pretty good shape just to get there. All this came to me today as I read of the death of the actor Roy Scheider, who made it big as the sheriff in the movie “Jaws” but who I admired as the Bob Fosse character in the movie “All That Jazz”. He died of multiple myeloma at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock, only,...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - February 13, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
The human spirit
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I went to a viewing tonight.My patient was 15 and he died Friday, almost 2 years after his bone marrow transplant. He died of complications of the transplant that cured his leukemia.I go to as many of my patients’ viewings as I can. I prefer them to funerals, because there is more opportunity for interaction. It gives me and the family a chance to say goodbye and a chance to talk about what we’ve been through, and it gives me the chance to see something of the child’s life outside of the hospital.I remember the first viewing I went to. The patient was 20, and her 2 year old daughter was there. So was her father, an a...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - February 11, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: Being a Pediatric Oncologist Source Type: blogs
Does you really think they look okay?
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"Hmm, I don't know...""C'mon, Dr. ________, my husband noticed the other day. I think he's right""Well, uh, there's definitely a slight shift to the right and, hmm, let me see again... yes, maybe...""Oww!""Sorry" (sheepishly)"How about the other breast?""That one is okay, symmetric. No problems""Do you feel any lymph nodes?""No""Why does the implant shift like that?""Well, sometimes the healing process takes months, you know... scar tissue, etc.""I have another question..." (as she puts her bra on)"Okay, go ahead, shoot""What about vaginal dryness?""Are you experiencing pain during intercourse?""Yes, it hurts when we... yo...
Source: CancerDoc - February 8, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
“chemobrain”? time for treatment!
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What is “chemobrain”? “Chemobrain” is another side effect of chemotherapy, which has only recently been recognized. It develops in some people after they have had chemotherapy. Their major complaint is that they have trouble thinking clearly. Most of the studies have been in women who have received chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery. The main finding in these women has been trouble with memory although other problems have also been described. The existence of “chemobrain” is still not settled, because some of these symptoms may actually be caused by the cancer itself. Some people with cancer have been sho...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - February 8, 2008 Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs
New diagnosis: excessive… sleepiness?
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Think you’ve heard it all?Well, I thought I had. Until today, when I opened up the Baltimore Sun and learned something new. There is a new medical disorder… and I may have it! Thank goodness, there’s also a drug to treat it. What’s my diagnosis? ES.No… not Ewing’s sarcoma (which is what ES used to mean to me). ES is the new acronym for Excessive Sleepiness. I kid you not. But our friends in the pharmaceutical industry have a solution: Provigil.Now… I’m not anti-medication at all. Heck, I use harsh medicines on my patients every day, and then have to give them more medicines to treat the side effects of the ...
Source: Doctor David's Blog - February 7, 2008 Category: Oncologists Tags: General Medicine Source Type: blogs
