Blog Topic: Cancer

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  Ovarian Cancer: A Master of Disguise No More

  April 14, 2017

  Experts in the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center and the Basser Center for BRCA are developing new detection and prevention strategies for high-risk patients—and, at the same time, offering a one-two punch birth control and cancer risk-reduction method for average-risk women who do not have, do not want, or are done having children.

  Cancer Womens Health OBGYN
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  The Creative Scientist, the Scientific Creative

  April 03, 2017

  Before starting here, I didn’t put much thought into the fact that the lady who performs joint replacements by day could also be performing Spanish guitar at open mic nights. My experience here has, of course, taught me otherwise: Creative minds are everywhere. In retrospect, though, it’s a lesson I could have learned without such experience. History has shown us creativity and medicine make good bedfellows.

  General Interest Hospice Human Interest Cancer
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  When it Comes to Colon Cancer Screenings, Trust Your Gut

  March 29, 2017

  Colon cancer is considered one of the most preventable but deadly illnesses; it’s the second leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States. Screening tests like colonoscopies can prevent cancer or detect it at an early stage, when treatment can be highly effective. Even with these well-known facts, few people get the recommended screening.

  Cancer
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  New Proton Center Research Room Will Have an Impact Near and Far

  March 27, 2017

  The new Albert Chadwick Research Room inside the Roberts Proton Therapy Center is no ordinary laboratory space. In fact, there’s nothing else quite like it anywhere else in the United States, and whether it’s treating patients with cancer or helping NASA with its plans to send astronauts to Mars, the discoveries that could propel scientists forward will happen right here.

  Cancer Radiology Research
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  Making the Impact of the Cancer Moonshot Understandable

  March 15, 2017

  "My commitment is not for the next 12 months," Vice President Joe Biden said while visiting the Abramson Cancer Center to kick off the "Cancer Moonshot" a year ago. True to his word, as a private citizen Biden remains actively engaged. On Penn’s campus again on Feb. 28, he was one of several distinguished panelists who spoke at the David and Lyn Silfen University Forum.

  Cancer Clinical Trials Basic Science Human Interest
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  When to Watch: The Complicated Choice of Prostate Cancer

  February 27, 2017

  Understandably, most patients diagnosed with cancer feel the faster they can get treatment, the better. That’s generally true, and the idea of putting off treatment in favor of “keeping an eye” on the disease is counter-intuitive to everything most people believe about cancer. Watching and waiting may seem scarier—but could it be the right move?

  Cancer Mens Health
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  Can Big Data Help Cancer Patients Avoid ER Visits?

  January 27, 2017

  What if doctors could look into a crystal ball and predict which of their patients might be at risk of getting sick enough to go to the emergency room—and use that prediction to help patients get treatment more quickly, with a greater chance of returning home? For at least one group of patients, that’s exactly what researchers at Penn Medicine are trying to do.

  Cancer Emergency Medicine Big Data
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  Big Ideas for Big (ish) Data

  January 18, 2017

  I sat down with Mike Draugelis, former Lockheed Martin missile defense engineer turned Penn Medicine’s Chief Data Scientist, to learn a bit more about the topic, the use of big data in health care and beyond, and the future of the industry.

  Research Public Health Cancer OBGYN Big Data
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  Some Patients Grow Wary of Opioids as Epidemic Looms

  January 13, 2017

  Nearly all of the cancer patients Erin McMenamin, MSN, CRNP—a registered a nurse in Radiation Oncology—speaks with are afraid of opioids, citing shocking statistics they’ve read about in the newspaper, tragic stories they’ve seen on the evening news or downright incorrect information they’ve read online.

  Cancer Addiction Radiology
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  Walking the Tightrope

  January 11, 2017

  All drugs have benefits and risks, and researchers have to study both sides to quantify them and map out the best, safest uses. This balancing act is part of a constant quest within the medical community.

  Cancer Experts Infectious Disease Transplant Big Data