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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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As you read this, our 50th Annual Meeting is rapidly approaching. Tens of thousands of travelers are planning their time in Chicago, and hundreds of presenters and discussants are finalizing their posters and slides while many more ASCO volunteers and staff are making final preparations to...
By Daniel B. Hinshaw, MD, FACS, University of Michigan
"ASCO recognizes that optimal oncology care requires the integration of palliative care practices and principles across the trajectory of cancer care." That statement drew very loud and sustained applause at the annual meeting of the American Association of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)...
Sometimes, it can be interesting to see how outside interests can lead straight back to work issues. There is an author I have followed, Carmel Deamicis, who mainly focuses on technology issues. He is now associated with a tech news website, www.pandodaily.com...
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”—Steve Jobs
People with a rare cancer can find it frustrating that their disease is unknown, but it’s even harder when it is associated with stigma or embarrassment. Anal cancer can be stressful and isolating. Now, anal and colon cancer advocates are joining forces online to dedicate March 21st to anal cancer...
It’s a hard question, especially for a surgeon. We surgeons like the instant gratification of going in and fixing things. As a surgeon who also gives chemotherapy, managing the end of life is really hard for me in a fundamental way: it’s (in a strange and very personal sense) an admission of...
A new article appeared this week with further fuel for those on the side of intervention (and by implication, pro-screening). Let's remember before we get started that the two...
I still remember being taken aback by how young she was. “She” was Mary—a 28-year-old woman who had completed chemotherapy for stage II breast cancer. She was treated elsewhere and had moved cities when her husband got a promotion. “I’m still getting used to this area, but I am happy my hair...
From a philosophical standpoint, one of the things I hate most about cancer is the use of “war” analogies. The “battle” may mobilize patients and families, but it may also interfere with education and informed decision making. And both patients and clinicians often take recurrence or disease...
Welcome to thefirst of our AnnualMeeting issues,focusing on theEducational Program;2014 promisesto be a big year. As we await thepresentation of some of the top sciencein our field, as well as prepare toshare the latest in best practices forclinical oncologists, we also celebrateASCO’s 50th...
I’ve only ever had one patient with two PhDs. Gerda was a woman of huge intellect and generous humor, an appreciation for the finest detail, and was, herself, beautifully refined. She could give incisive critique, but with warmth and empathy, and a giggling smile. She was ferociously independent,...
As an oncologist, I have always been amazed by how some (if not most) of my patients evolve from the shock and terror that accompanies a new diagnosis to a new sense of self, of purpose, and a better appreciation of life. 
By Richard Leff, MDSometimes with all of the stresses of battling the system to help our patients and assure that our practices will survive, we need to be reminded about why we choose oncology—the special patients and families we get to work with.
It’s so interesting…. We do what we do because that’s whatwe’ve always done, and despite how much we profess being evidence-baseddata-driven professionals, the status quo is just plain sticky. There have been several studies that have come out recently that have truly questioned why we do what we...
During the last few months, I have been visiting with as many of the 21 ASCO committees as I can in order to understand the issues that they have identified as most critical for cancer education, research, and patient well being. I have been impressed by the richness of vision and dedication that...
Long, long ago, I had just finished my fellowship in medical oncology and moved from Boston to Denver. In the lab, I was working on an obscure enzyme that seemed to differentiate leukemia from normal cells,cystathionase. In...
By Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FASCO, Chief Medical Officer of ASCO. I’ve been a regular attendee of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium since it began 11 years ago. This year’s meeting was among the very best with record attendance, superb educational talks and keynote lectures, multidisciplinary...

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