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.
On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I caught up with Dan, a friend of mine since college. He is an artist in Philly, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He had asked me about being an oncologist, told me he had read my ASCO blogs. We spent hours discussing everything—parenthood, careers, and...
I think that one of the lost arts in medicine is observation. I thought about this on my morning walk today. We had a terrible storm, a derecho, last week which knocked the power out in the Washington, DC, area for over one million people. As I walked the neighborhood every day, I noticed a lot...
One of the best things about blogging for ASCO is the feedback from others, which in honesty, I never counted on. For example, I’ve “met” Terry Hourigan through ASCO Connection. He is a nurse who provides care in home-based infusion services to patients, many in hospice.
“Everything must change, nothing stays the same. Everyone will change, no one stays the same.” Technology is amazing. I love to download random songs on my iPhone and listen to the songs that populate. On one bright early morning, Oleta Adams came on. The song was “Everything must change.” It’s a...
According to the Department of labor, 80% of women are the primary decision makers about health care in their household, so why aren't most health care organizations reaching women where they are (namely, Pinterest)?
The human aspects of cancer care and the belief that it is within our power to alleviate suffering and provide succor, while advancing towards a cure, is what drives us each day to do what needs to be done. It is the connection to humanity that transcends and transforms health information...
In oncology, there are certain words and phrases that (no matter how carefully said) suck the air out of a room, like "you have cancer," "you've recurred," "incurable," "terminal," and "hospice." Such phrases require careful consideration before they are spoken, and most (if not all) oncologists...
To help me make sense of stress and burnout, I sought to model the opposite—that force, “buoyancy,” that holds us up and keeps us from sinking in the face of the inevitable stressors that life and work send our way on a daily basis.
I was recently asked to speak at Hematology-Oncology Grand Rounds at Rhode Island Hospital. Instead of my usual topics on gynecologic cancers or sexual health, my colleague, MaryAnn Fenton, had asked me to speak to them about...
Note—All the information below has been publicly reported by the principals involved and this comment involves no HIPAA violations. An 81-year-old male had a screening PSA performed and was subsequently found to have prostate cancer. The Gleason score was not reported but the patient elected to...
It seems that every nephew or niece of mine who has an engineering degree is busy creating the next killer app for a mobile device. Usually it starts with way cool technology, but comes up short in figuring out why enough users would want it or what a sustainable business model might be. On the...
In a prior post, I talked about wondering how those I had met through my own patients were doing, especially after my patients had passed on. I wondered if they were all right and whether they were able to move...
As oncologists, we are often expected to “do everything possible” to prolong our patients’ lives and ensure their peace of mind. This expectation arises from within ourselves, as committed caregivers, and from our patients and their families.
Odds are that you have been faced with a similar dilemma. I have a new patient, not yet 40 years old, who was recently diagnosed with bilateral locally advanced breast cancer. Staging scans did not reveal metastatic disease. I recommended systemic therapy with doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, a...
I’m not sure when it started, but I have a favorite tradition of New Year’s Day bookstore browsing. And buying. Yes, I often buy enough books each January 1st to get me through a couple of years of leisure reading (at least). And there is much to be said for a book browsing visit to Harvard Square...
Earlier this week I passed my friend and colleague, Dr. Ekaterini Tsiapali, in the stairwell. We rarely get to catch up these days, so it was really quite a nice surprise to see her."What...
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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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