To provide the information your oncologist is not telling you or doesn't have the time to!
Navigating the unpredictable waves of cancer treatment with our patients is not just a professional journey but a deeply personal experience that binds us together in shared hope and resilience. This week, I found myself reflecting on the incredible journey of a young 40 year old patient I’ve been caring for over the past six …
In the intricate world of oncology, diagnosing and treating cancer presents myriad challenges, particularly when patients exhibit rare or atypical manifestations of the disease. A compelling example of this complexity recently unfolded with a young patient from the Caribbean who presented with a large, painful scalp mass. Initially diagnosed as locally advanced skin cancer, subsequent …
I do not personally treat cervical cancers however I do have a good understanding of these disease types mainly for the purposes of rounding on the teaching inpatient oncology service where I could potentially see any solid tumor malignancy and occasionally I am called on from family members with cousins or friends that were recently …
New exciting data published in the NEJM demonstrating improved for a specific subset of lung cancer patients but also demonstrating the power of targeted therapies when we can identify a driver mutation that is sensitive or “actionable” with a treatment to shut down its specific function. Exciting! Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) represents a significant …
I’m currently on the inpatient medical oncology service. As an attending, we each take turns each month taking all oncology consults for the downtown hospital center. There was an interesting patient our team saw this past week who presented with a new diagnosis of Stage IV NSCLC and SVC syndrome. A 52-year-old woman who, amidst …
The medical community continues to explore groundbreaking treatments in the fight against cancer, with CAR-T therapy standing out for its innovative approach. This treatment, involving the genetic modification of a patient’s T cells to target cancer cells, has provided new avenues for those battling certain blood cancers. Here, we delve into the essence of CAR-T …
Last week, we heard the tremendous news regarding the FDA approval of Lifileucel for metastatic melanoma refractory to prior immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In this article, let’s focus on an uncommon melanoma subtype in the general population that we routinely see in practice. In the realm of oncology, the fight against cancer continually evolves, marked …
On February 16th 2024, after a roughly 2-3 year wait fully aware of the data and the patient beneficial long term outcomes in a subset of patients, the FDA finally announced the approval of the first cellular therapy approved for solid tumors and specifically TIL in treatment refractory malignant melanoma. TIL using Amtagvi (Lifileucel) is …
The recent news of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, post his treatment for an enlarged prostate, has brought to the forefront the intricate process of cancer diagnosis and treatment. This case underscores the critical importance of understanding cancer’s specific type and stage, which are pivotal in determining the most appropriate treatment strategy and prognosis. This guide …
The journey of understanding and treating metastatic bladder cancer has been marked by both challenges and triumphs. This cancer, which starts in the lining of the bladder and spreads beyond, represents a critical area in oncology due to its high incidence and aggressive nature. As per the latest statistics, metastatic bladder cancer accounts for about …