No PSA Screening Would Triple Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cases at Diagnosis
August 7th 2012According to a study in the journal Cancer, without the use of PSA screening the number of men presenting with cases of metastatic prostate cancer would be three times greater than the actual number observed today.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells Diminish Body’s Immune Response
July 27th 2012A new study suggests suppression of breast cancer metastasis relies on an antitumor immune response. Researchers found that administering interferon can reduce bone metastases and increase the survival time of a metastatic breast cancer mouse model.
New Therapeutic Target, MDM4, Found in Cutaneous Melanoma
July 24th 2012A new target of melanoma tumors has been identified that may be promising as part of a novel combination therapy for melanoma. In a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers have identified that more than half of melanoma cases, both early and late-stage, may have higher levels of MDM4, a p53-interacting protein.
ICD-10: Getting Sucked in and Surviving
July 15th 2012ICD-10 is a massive undertaking that expands our current 13,000 codes to 68,000 codes. It will impact nearly all business processes in a physician's practice: verification of eligibility, pre-authorization, clinical documentation, research activities, public health reporting, quality reporting, and claim submission.
Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy: Who Is Benefiting?
July 15th 2012How should oncologists advise patients about the best surgical approach to use to treat their prostate cancer? Quite simply, it is the surgeon, not the approach. The self-fulfilling prophecy about surgery is that the best surgeons tend to do the most surgeries, so an easy metric is volume.
Novel Agents in Early Trials for Breast Cancer
July 11th 2012CancerNetwork speaks with Dr. Sara Hurvitz, director of the breast cancer program at the University of California in Los Angeles. Dr. Hurvitz is actively involved in translational phase I/II breast cancer clinical trials as well as in research to better define distinct types of breast tumors to better design novel targeted therapies.
Supreme Court Decision: Are We Oncologists Prepared for Its Ethical Implications?
June 29th 2012How will we deal with patients and families who, given their tremendous access to information, learn about and demand expensive (and up until now reasonable) treatments once we have recast them as too expensive to justify their marginal benefits? Are we prepared to engage in such discussions directly?
Spiraling Costs: Who Will Address the Role of Medicolegal Drivers?
June 29th 2012I think it is a real shame that inside the Beltway, both sides of the political arena have had neither the wisdom nor the courage to recognize and address the fact that medicolegal drivers will continue to push costs upward until someone takes the lead in tackling this issue.
Clinical Trials and the Need to Incorporate Smoking Habits
June 26th 2012Researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute believe that cancer studies should take into account the tobacco and smoking habits of participants-something that rarely happens. Whether a trial participant uses tobacco products can affect cancer treatment, say the group of investigators.
P2 Survey TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW!
June 19th 2012Through our sister site, Physicians Practice, we are able to provide you with news and information you can use to help run your private medical practice from experts covering everything from health IT innovations to small rewards for your office staff. But now we want to hear from our other experts - you. Take our brief editorial survey to tell us what you want to read in the coming year both in print and online. We've provided some topics, you just tell us how interested you are in these ideas. By completing the survey, you'll have the chance to enter to win a $500 Visa gift card. The survey will run through July 27th. No purchase is necessary. Void where prohibited. Visa is not a particular in or sponsor of this Sweepstakes. See official rules for full details.