Yoga Improves Quality of Life in Men Having Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer
August 2nd 2016The health benefits of yoga are many, but in the oncology setting, studies of the approach have focused primarily on women with breast cancer. However, a small, first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is exploring how yoga may also improve treatment-related symptoms in men who are undergoing radiotherapy for their prostate cancer. And the results, thus far, are promising.
Women Need More Information to Cope With Aftermath of BRCA-Prompted Preventive Surgery
August 1st 2016A study involving women with a BRCA mutation who had risk-reducing surgery to lower their risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer found that many of these individuals have surgical procedures such as oophorectomy or mastectomy without a full understanding of how they will affect their sexuality and other aspects of their lives.
CMS Releases Hospital Quality Ratings
August 1st 2016The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) released the star ratings on its Hospital Compare website on July 27, 2016. The goal of the site is to enable healthcare consumers to locate information on hospital quality, conduct side-by-side comparisons of hospitals, and review the data on quality presented.
Health Coaching Aims to Support Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer
July 29th 2016Caregivers of patients with advanced cancer often put their own needs aside to care for a loved one, but working to help improve this is Nick Dionne-Odom, a PhD, MSN, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.
In Low-Risk Breast Cancer, Less Treatment May Be Better
July 29th 2016The field of breast cancer has evolved from the days of defaulting to chemotherapy for every patient, yet much work remains to individualize treatment. Though more promising novel regimens have become available, an expert urges clinicians to carefully weigh whether a particular new agent will provide a significant enough benefit to offset its associated toxicities, cost, and the time and commitment by the patient it requires.
Prioritizing Bone Density Screening Before Embarking on AI Therapy After Breast Cancer
July 28th 2016A new study has found that as women age, they are actually less like to have baseline bone density testing before embarking on aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy after breast cancer treatment, even though both increasing age and AI therapy increase fracture risk in postmenopausal women.
Sarcoma Awareness Spotlight: Why Younger Patients Need More Support
July 26th 2016Despite some advances in treatment options for patients with sarcomas, researchers are still actively seeking to improve outcomes for pediatric, adolescent and young adult patients, a group particularly impacted by this diagnosis.
Nurse-Delivered Decision Tool Supports Patient Decision Making in Prostate Cancer
July 25th 2016To help patients decide whether active surveillance or a more aggressive approach is best to treat their localized, low-risk prostate cancer, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University created an online decision-support tool that relies on a trained nurse educator to help patients better understand their treatment options.
Walking and Resistance Training Eases CIPN, Especially Among Older Patients
July 21st 2016Patients undergoing chemotherapy prescribed a formal exercise program experienced less chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), and the finding held true across all chemotherapy regimens tested.
Individualizing Care for Elderly Patients With Localized Head and Neck Cancer
July 20th 2016Although paradigms for treating older patients with head and neck cancer are not well defined, advancements in targeted and immunotherapies and less toxic radiation regimens suggest that physicians can aim for a more individualized approach to treating this patient population.
Steroid Mouthwash Reduces Rate and Severity of mTOR Inhibitor-Associated Stomatitis
July 19th 2016A study of women treated with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus plus exemestane for their advanced breast cancer found that daily use of an alcohol-free, steroid-based mouthwash markedly decreased the incidence and severity of stomatitis, and the researchers recommend that this preventive regimen become standard of care in this setting.
Vulnerability Tool Identifies Breast Cancer Survivors at Risk for Functional Decline
July 19th 2016Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine explored the use of the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) in predicting functional decline and death within 1 year of breast cancer treatment.
Acupressure: A Way to Ease Fatigue After Breast Cancer Treatment?
July 19th 2016Newly published research has found that acupressure, a derivative of traditional Chinese medicine that puts pressure on Qi points using thumbs or devices, may provide breast cancer survivors with some much-needed relief for fatigue, one of the most common, and long-lasting, aftereffects of their anticancer treatment.
CDC Report Underscores Need for HPV Vaccination
July 15th 2016A decade after the FDA approved the first vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the incidence of HPV-associated cancers is rising, with the number of HPV-associated cancers diagnosed annually between 2008 and 2012 increasing by approximately 16% compared with the previous 5-year period.
Encouraging Childhood Cancer Survivors to Get Vaccinated Against HPV
July 13th 2016Although survivors of childhood cancer are at an increased risk of developing second cancers later in life, a recently reported study found that they are actually less likely to receive the vaccine series aimed at preventing the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is linked to a number of cancers.
Campaign Aims to Improve Patient-Provider Communication About Metastatic Breast Cancer
July 8th 2016Although public awareness of breast cancer is generally high, this is not the case for metastatic breast cancer, and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) is partnering with leading cancer advocacy groups on a new project to change that.