I felt uneasy starting my oncology and leukemia rotations. These patients were so sick, and many of them had incurable cancer, often just weeks or days away from death. I wondered how I could help them, what we could do if we couldn’t treat their…
Category: Oncology/Hematology
5 myths of treating sickle cell disease with automated red blood cell exchange
Not all transfusion therapies are the same. Unlike other transfusion therapies, automated red blood cell exchange (RBCX) efficiently and rapidly removes a patient’s hemoglobin S (HbS)-containing RBCs and replaces them with healthy RBCs. You may b…
5 myths of treating sickle cell disease with automated red blood cell exchange
Not all transfusion therapies are the same. Unlike other transfusion therapies, automated red blood cell exchange (RBCX) efficiently and rapidly removes a patient’s hemoglobin S (HbS)-containing RBCs and replaces them with healthy RBCs. You may b…
The deadly consequences of a shortage: The Pluvicto crisis leaves metastatic prostate cancer patients in limbo
You’ve recently been diagnosed with metastatic cancer. You started the recommended first-line therapy, but it isn’t cutting it. There is another available treatment, but your hopes are crushed upon learning that you will have to wait at lea…
An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact
“He had an intuitive gift as a physician in diagnosing and managing breast cancer. His expertise helped countless patients, and he was deeply appreciated by those he cared for. He felt an enormous sense of gratitude to be able to help his patient…
The miracle cure: the world’s first successful bone marrow transplant for aplastic anemia
An excerpt from Living Medicine: Don Thomas, Marrow Transplantation, and the Cell Therapy Revolution. Late in the summer of 1960, Dr. Clem Finch invited Dr. Don Thomas to Seattle to give a talk about his early experience with transplantation. Clem, who…
Unwavering faith: a woman’s journey through cancer and beyond
Her back was mottled, and she could barely sit up. She was weak from her invasive cancer. I visited her on Easter Sunday. Perhaps it was God’s will that I didn’t have an elaborate Easter dinner with ham, rolls, pies, and house decor filled with d…
Against all odds: 17-month-old defies death and improves neurologically after craniospinal irradiation
Three months ago, a case was discussed in the multidisciplinary tumor board. A 17-month-old child was admitted through the ER with a posterior fossa tumor (brain tumor) and multi-level spinal cord compression due to tumor deposits. The tumor was so ext…
Breakthrough trial shows MRI-guided radiation can reduce prostate cancer treatment toxicity
Nearly 290,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023. Thankfully, the vast majority will be diagnosed with clinically localized disease and can be cured with either surgery or radiotherapy. Emerging clinical trial data have cement…
Why poor diets are contributing to a surge in colorectal cancer cases among young people
An alarming trend has emerged in my medical practice in recent years: I’m seeing more and more young adults with colorectal cancer. When I began practicing as a family physician 21 years ago, I never saw patients in their 40s and 50s with the dis…
