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Blogs

ASCOconnection.org is a forum for the exchange of views on topical issues in the field of oncology. The views expressed in the blogs, comments, and forums belong to the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Please read the Commenting Guidelines.

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Joan was 42, married, but appeared to be younger than that. Her husband was with her when we first met, as was her beautiful two-year-old son. “We couldn’t get a baby sitter, if you can believe that!” she said.Sarah was 38 and was also married. She and I were closer to the same age, which...
Pursuing quality measurement and quality improvement in cancer care are now mainstream expectations for the oncology community. All of us should be taking steps to ensure that quality standards are implemented at our institutions and practices, not only because quality measurement plays a role in...
Each time I reach the point of recommending radiation treatment for someone with a brain tumor or head and neck cancer, I ask for a higher level of trust from each patient than usual: let us make a mask to keep you safe.
Dr. Domen Ribnikar discusses his experience at the International Clinical Trials Workshop in Opatija, Croatia.
I was lying in bed, watching something with my son when a chat message popped up on screen. It was my dear friend, Narin, whom I haven't seen in years but remain in contact with (thanks to the wonders of social media)."Did you hear that Dave died?" she had written; "I just read it in our...
This war, which is associated with poor socioeconomic status and deterioration of medical services, affects not only the cancer care but also the academic process and research establishment at Damascus University.
There are a large number of great scientific and educational meetings to choose from, but the 2013 Breast Cancer Symposium, Saturday, September 7 to Monday, September 9, in San Francisco is unique. It is big enough to draw clinical and translational experts in all disciplines and informal enough to...
It was an awkward moment—the uncomfortable silence and her smarting reply. I regretted biting my lip and the nonverbal message that gesture implied. I felt bad for the obvious pain that I’d unmasked in her face. Her eyes had narrowed, and she’d withdrawn as if I’d hit her.
Ordering CT, MRI, or PET scans for my patients when they feel well always makes me nervous. As a radiation oncologist, I’ve chosen to frequently make observations that potentially find active, progressive cancer. And this creates an existential crisis that scares me—but not as much as it scares my...
One of the things I enjoy as an academic oncologist is the opportunity to teach. I like having students, residents, and fellows in my clinic and the opportunity for them to see what oncology is and what we do; how we "marry" the art and science of medicine in our routine care of patients with...
As cancer incidence in Nigeria is increasing, the field of oncology is growing in importance. However, it is a complicated field that requires many years of training and dedication. It is not easy for the country to just suddenly increase the number of specialists in this area. There is a huge gap...
It has been very hot this week, and during spin class this morning—an activity of mine that Charles Sawyers managed to work into his Science of Oncology address at the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting—my mind drifted away from the instructor’s...
Crowdsourcing is becoming an important new aspect of social media. In brief, crowdsourcing is just what it sounds like. Massing the resources of many to achieve a goal. The resources that are pooled can be almost anything. Even the use of surveying can represent crowdsourcing. Ranard, et al., has...
Even with the low level of development, we can use our resources better in Nigeria—with better and earlier identification of cancer, implementation of low-cost, early-detection strategies, improved patient navigation that decreases patient and medical delay before presentation and before treatment...
I have been surprised and a bit overwhelmed by the strong positive response to my recent post suggesting that hashtags be used to facilitate cancer communities online. I’m excited, but I have to question: Should we promote and develop cancer hashtags right now?
By Anupama Kurup Acheson, MD.  From accounts before 1600 BC in ancient Greece to records of a large census done during the Han Dynasty in China, censuses have played a crucial role historically across the world.
The year was 1992. The country’s economy was in turmoil and prices were skyrocketing. As a young medical student, I joined a crowd of hundreds of thousands of protesters demonstrating throughout Brazil. We were claiming for the impeachment of Fernando Collor, our first elected President in 30 years...
Nigeria, like most developing countries, is undergoing an epidemic of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Most citizens are aware of the communicable diseases such as malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. In contrast, awareness of the noncommunicable disease epidemics is low. There...

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