A Cancer Conversation

Dr. Justin Moore is an epidemiologist with vast skills in biostatistics, epidemiology, database design, geographic information systems (GIS), mediation analysis, and cancer prevention and control. Dr. Moore serves as an assistant professor in the Cancer Prevention, Control, & Population Health Program, Department of Medicine; and the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.  Dr. Moore’s research explores the intersection between race (including effects of racism) and place (social and built environment) on various health outcomes including cancer and infectious diseases. Dr. Moore’s work delineated that place matters for African American, Hispanic, and rural populations characterized by hot spots of excess mortality from breast cancer, lung cancer, early-onset colorectal cancer, sepsis, and COVID-19.  In this episode of A Cancer Conversation, Dr. Moore sits down with Chris Curry to discuss what a day in the life of an epidemiologist looks like, and why Dr. Moore is so passionate about making a difference in the health of people in his community.

Meet Dr. Justin Xavier Moore: https://www.augusta.edu/cancer/research/cpcph/justin-moore.php

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetimes, and 1 in 39 will die from it.

Finding breast cancer in its earliest stages is vital for successfully treating it –  or even beating it. That is why regular screenings and mammograms are so important for women, especially women age 40 and over.

In this episode of "A Cancer Conversation", Chris Curry sits down with Dr. Alicia Arnold, a breast surgical oncologist, and Dr. Jordan Ciuro, a breast medical oncologist for a discussion about treatment options, genetic testing, and why mental health and support groups are important in helping women, and men, diagnosed and living with breast cancer.

Augusta University Breast Cancer Care Program: https://www.augustahealth.org/cancer-care/breast-cancer

Additional Information: https://go.augusta.edu/breastcancer

If you hear singing in the mornings in the corridors at the Georgia Cancer Center, then you might run into Dr. Balveen Kaur, the newest faculty member at the Cancer Center and Medical College of Georgia.

Before coming to Augusta to serve as associate director for basic science research, Kaur was at the University of Texas Health Science Center where she served as the Vice Chair of Research in the department of Neurological Surgery. While she loved her position there she is very excited about being on a college campus and finds it very rewarding to be around young minds.

Early on in her career Kaur was interested in translational research and seeing how bench experiments can evolve into clinical trials. This evolution from experiment to treatment motivated and inspired her throughout her career.

Join Chris Curry for this episode of "A Cancer Conversation" as he sits down with Dr. Kaur to talk about her passion for cancer research, and for educating the next generation of laboratory scientists.

When it comes to treating cancer, the Georgia Cancer Center at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University believes in treating the entire patient, and not just their cancer. Join Chris Curry for a conversation with Dr. Lauren Bigham in this episode of "A Cancer Conversation". Dr. Bigham is the director of the Georgia Cancer Center's Psycho-Social Oncology Care program.

In this episode, Dr. Bigham talks about her approach to Patient- and Family-Centered Care and how she and her team support a cancer patients mental health and emotional health needs.

It may be one of the less common forms of cancer, but that does not mean you should not be aware of your risk for developing a bone or soft tissue sarcoma the next time you see or feel a lump or bump that just does not feel like it should be there and be that painful.

“Any mass larger than a golf ball in areas adjacent to the arms or legs or a mass larger than a marble in the hands or feet should be considered a sarcoma until proven otherwise,” said Dr. Kelly Homlar, an associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

When it comes to treating both soft tissue and bone sarcomas, Homlar works with a multidisciplinary team with expertise in sarcoma care. The members of the team include a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, sarcoma pathologist, orthopaedic surgeon, plastic surgeon, and musculoskeletal radiologist.

Join Chris Curry for this episode of "A Cancer Conversation" as he discusses the different types of sarcoma, treatment options, and how Dr. Homlar connects with her patients to offer Patient- and Family-Centered Care at Augusta University Health and the Georgia Cancer Center.

How healthy is your skin? You’re missing out if your skincare routine doesn’t include a monthly skin self-exam. No type of cancer affects more people than skin cancer — one in five Americans will develop it by the time they are 70, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

There are three main types of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma. BCC and SCC are the most common and second-most-common types of skin cancer, respectively. Melanoma is rarer but more serious — it causes many deaths from skin cancer despite accounting for about 1% of total cases, the American Cancer Society reports.

Join Chris Curry for this episode's conversation on skin cancer. Chris talks with Dr. Harold Rabinovitz, a skin cancer expert, to discuss the different types of skin cancer, how each type can be treated, and how to protect your skin to prevent skin cancer from developing.

#SkinCancer #GCCSpreadAwareness #CancerPrevention

May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, and Chris Curry sits down with Dr. Martha Terris to discuss bladder cancer and what treatment options are available for patients diagnosed with the disease.

The Georgia Cancer Center's Urologic Cancer Care program focuses on urinary tract and genital cancer care through groundbreaking treatments and clinical trials not available anywhere else in the region.

Meet Dr. Martha Terris - https://www.augustahealth.org/provider/martha-terris

While no cancer diagnosis is easy, some can affect our bodies in more ways than others. For people living with brain cancer, they are living with a tumor that can affect who they are as a person. But, new treatment options being offered in Cancer Centers across the country can offer brain cancer patients the opportunity to live a longer life even with one of the most serious tumor types.

Join Chris Curry for this episode of "A Cancer Conversation" with the Georgia Cancer Center as Chris discusses brain cancer with Dr. John Henson, a neuro-medical oncologist at the Cancer Center. Dr. Henson also shares information about a few, new programs he is building at the Georgia Cancer Center focused on the field of hereditary cancer care.

Read More - https://go.augusta.edu/braincancerconversation

Georgia Cancer Center

Dr. John W. Henson Physician Profile

#BrainCancer #GeorgiaCancerCenter #ACancerConversation #GCCSpreadAwareness

One minute, he is a young, healthy, physically active man with his entire life in front of him. The next, he’s a patient in the lobby of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University Health waiting to see a urologic oncologist after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. But he won’t be a patient for long as the team welcomes him into their extended clinical family to make sure this man has every resource he will need throughout his treatment process.

According to the American Cancer Society, the average age of a testicular cancer patient is about 33 years old. Dr. Zach Klaassen said he has seen patients in his clinic in their early 20s. And while a cancer diagnosis in general can create a plethora of emotions for patients, for young men the response can be quite severe.

Join Chris Curry and Dr. Klaassen for a conversation about testicular cancer, the role parents play in talking about the disease with their child, and why mental health resources are important for men diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Nearly 54,000 Americans will develop cancer of the head and neck (most of which is preventable) this year; nearly 11,200 of them will die from it. Fortunately, most head and neck cancers produce early symptoms, and knowing and recognizing the signs can save your life.

April is Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month! In this episode of a Cancer Conversation, Chris Curry sits down with Dr. Kenneth Byrd, LaJuana Kennedy, Sarah Deen, and Barbara Carter. To learn more about early detection of head and neck cancer, check out our article: https://go.augusta.edu/HN