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.
As part of my role as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in a busy prostate clinic, I see men (with their partner) as part of their decision-making process for active treatment for prostate cancer. The purpose of the appointment is for me to explain the results of their prostate biopsy, dispel any...
I remember when Mrs. Waltz* was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She had only felt some back pain which she attributed to her gardening. It had gotten worse over time and would wake her from sleep occasionally. Yet, it was only when I asked, “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”...
With the recent suicide of Robin Williams, we cannot assume that people who seem to be happy actually are. Physicians have the dubious distinction of being the second leading profession to commit suicide. Why, and what can we do to combat burnout and depression?
The telephone message arrived in my EMR’s inbox. A patient’s daughter had called and wanted to ask some questions about her mother. Her mother, Louise*, had died about two weeks before.
I hesitated before calling her, recalling her mother’s cancer course.
I co-direct a medical student elective at Harvard Medical School called the “Care of the Gynecologic Oncology Patient" (ME525M.3), alongside Dr. Marcela del Carmen. Our students rotate through various...
When I was a fellow, part of our training involved doing consults for patients, most of whom had just learned they had cancer or recurrence of disease. These consults were never easy, but the importance of sitting with someone who had just learned of their diagnosis was an integral part of learning...
Patient-centered care, shared decision-making, and the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) collectively describe a powerful concept that underlies much of the current thinking on health care reform. Although what has caught the political attention is health care insurance reform, the success of...
As 2013 closed, I received an invitation from ASCO to become a mentor in their International Development and Education Award (IDEA) program. As is the case when it comes to ASCO, I reacted just like Pavlov’s dog and said yes before learning what I was agreeing to (note to self—might want to work on...
“Your cancer has come back.” These are words no one treated for cancer wants to hear, yet they are words I have said far too often in my own career. In this case, I had said this to a patient I had cared for ever since her initial diagnosis. At that time, she had stage III breast cancer. After her...
“While there are many key points to reflect upon [in relation to the concept of “value” in cancer care], the following seem to resonate quite loudly: The current health care/cancer care cost trajectory is not sustainable; ...
Becoming professionalized in medicine is a process that starts in medical school and gets consolidated through the remarkably absorbing daily process of being around patients, health professionals, and scientists. One part of this process is learning to ask the right questions. Early in our careers...
With the approach of our 50th Annual Meeting, ASCO is also formally launching an entirely new initiative aimed at the growing problem of obesity. This effort, funded through our Conquer Cancer Foundation, is meant to help us all confront obesity which is a risk for many common cancers and also a...
The world is a big place and here in the U.S., we are fortunate to live in a part of it where we have access to technology and advanced medical care, clinical trials, and new therapies, even before they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Indeed, even new agents approved for one...
So how did the robot take over? As I recall, it started with "hospital A" buying the fancy robot for their urologists to use, after said urologists insisted that this was the way of the future. The Intuitive Surgical Company did an...
Increasingly, cancer care is becoming more evidence-based and personalized. But there are still a lot of areas where we need to question the conventional wisdom. How much of what we learned during training is based upon evidence versus anecdote and assumption?
One of the most difficult issues I’ve had to face is being fired. Rather tragic to let a bruised ego have such a priority. Humility happens when you blow the smoke away from the mirrors. But, spotlight humility and it disappears into the shadows. Humility is the inverted, invisible calm of...
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.
No Results.
Pages
Advertisement