Blog Topic: Cancer

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  The Not-so-Famous Way to Get Health Info

  November 03, 2017

  The truth is, celebrity news stories attract a lot of eyeballs. So it’s not surprising that media outlets continue to use that angle for stories on health and disease, with headlines like “14 Celebrities with Breast Cancer” or “Stars Who Have Battled Cancer.” What is surprising is that it may not be what patients actually want to read when they’re looking for health information.

  Education Cancer
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  Women Help Women at BRA Day 2017

  October 30, 2017

  Held annually on the third Wednesday of October – in the heart of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day is more than just an educational opportunity. It’s also a chance for women to help other women. That task was on the minds of both patients and survivors at Penn’s BRA Day event, held this year in the Smilow Center for Translational Research on October 18th.

  Womens Health Breast Cancer Cancer
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  Memories to Pass On

  September 25, 2017

  The Legacy Program, launched earlier this year by Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, seeks to help patients tell their own stories that they can share with loved ones. The monthly sessions are for patients who have received a cancer diagnosis, either recent or years past.

  Cancer
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  How Penn Researchers Simplify Science

  August 30, 2017

  When it comes to presenting information in an easy to understand way, clinicians and researchers at Penn Medicine often turn to analogies – much like our 9th grade bio teachers did – to help explain the complexities of what they do, to boil down seemingly common but not always easily defined treatments and diseases, and give some relatable context to their research.

  Education Basic Science Endocrinology Diabetes Translational Research pharmacy Cancer
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  The Value — and Rarity — of Accurately Understanding a Cancer Diagnosis

  August 16, 2017

  In a recent study of 208 patients, nearly half did not know their stage of cancer. One in four patients were unsure whether they were free of cancer or in remission. The review established a baseline of patient comprehension, and identifies several groups more likely to need extra conversation or support at initial diagnosis, throughout survivorship, and in incurable disease.

  Cancer
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  Coaching the Pros

  August 11, 2017

  Even professionals need coaching. It’s why the best major league pitchers still need a coach to visit the mound from time to time. Sometimes another experienced set of eyes can spot something even the pros missed, hopefully heading off problems before they become bad habits. In medicine, it works much the same way.

  Radiology Cancer
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  Ferreting Out Causes of Resistance to Cancer Drugs

  August 02, 2017

  According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the number of people beating a cancer diagnosis reached nearly 14.5 million in 2014 and is expected to rise to almost 19 million by 2024. Now, that’s good news, but it doesn’t mean that cancer researchers — in the lab or clinic — are resting on any laurels.

  Cancer Breast Cancer Basic Science
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  Opening Up the Playbook

  May 15, 2017

  The Abramson Cancer Center is the only cancer center in the region offering acupuncture. Penn has been offering the service for years, after research made the benefits clear—but the man currently leading the therapy brings his own unique background and approach.

  Cancer
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  Hands-on Chemistry Course Has Students Taking on Rare Cancers

  May 08, 2017

  With graduation just around the corner, a few undergraduates finishing up a hands-on chemistry course will be taking very useful skills with them to the next stop on their career and education path. With robotic arms and moving trays to run automated chemical analyses, measured how effective dozens of cancer drugs are against cells found in a rare type of cancer.

  Cancer Research Education
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  The Little Care Plan That Could

  April 19, 2017

  In April of 2007, OncoLink—the first cancer information website (and still one of the largest)—launched the OncoLife™ Survivorship Care Plan, a user-generated service that creates care plans for patients who have survived cancer. As that plan marks 10 years, OncoLink’s Managing Editor, Carolyn Vachani, looks back on the program’s origins.

  Cancer Patient Care