A cancer diagnosis is terrifying, and treatment choices are complex, with profound impacts on finances and quality of life. There are usually several treatment options presented to patients, depending on the patient’s age, other medical conditions, and the severity of the disease. All treatments are associated with their benefits and tradeoffs. As a result, physicians...
October is breast cancer awareness month. This month more than 22,000 people in the U.S. will receive a breast cancer diagnosis. Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in American women, yet many still have misconceptions about the disease. Let’s separate some common myths from facts. Myth #1: Breast cancer only affects women....
October is breast cancer awareness month. About one in eight women will develop breast cancer during her life. Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in American women, second only to skin cancer, but it can also affect men. This month, nearly 22,000 people in the U.S. will receive a breast cancer...
Comorbidity can be summed up in a simple question: “In addition to cancer, what else is wrong with you?” A comorbidity is an existing and unrelated diagnosis at the time of a cancer diagnosis. Common comorbidities include heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Nearly 30 such comorbid conditions occur frequently enough and contribute to treatment...
Shared decision-making and value-based care are emerging approaches to obtaining additional value from patient care. Shared decision-making is the process of interacting with patients who wish to be involved in arriving at an informed, values-based choice among two or more medically reasonable alternatives. It attempts to stimulate collaborative discussion between physicians and patients to better...
While a cancer diagnosis can strike fear into the hearts of many, there are now effective treatments for many types of the disease. There is a sizable population of people who have survived cancer, particularly in Western nations like the United States and Europe. Scientific progress in cancer treatment, such as advances in technology, detection/diagnostic...
You may be familiar with the term “personalized medicine.” This means that your treatment will be tailored to your genes and the nature of your disease. The information for how your cells should increase and change over time is stored in your genes. Specific genes are involved in or affected by many types of cancer....
