Cancer Talk - Roswell Park Cancer Institute

According to the Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ovarian cysts are very common in women with regular periods. Most women will make at least one cyst—fluid-filled sacs that can range widely in size, from as small as a pea to larger than an orange—during their lifetime, but in most cases, cysts will be painless and cause no symptoms. In fact, most women won’t even be aware that they have a cyst unless there is a problem that causes the cyst to grow or if multiple cysts form. And more good news—for the most part, these cysts do not cause cancer, nor do they affect fertility or healthy pregnancies. Here to to ease the worried minds of women and to discuss the risks of ovarian cysts is Peter Frederick, MD, FACOG. He is the Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

When you’re diagnosed with cancer, it can feel as if your whole life has been turned upside down. During this confusing, scary time, it’s completely normal to want to take action quickly to get rid of the disease. However, the early decisions you make are very important. Step back for a moment and take a deep breath. Do your research. Talk to loved ones. Find the best quality cancer care that’s right for you and your specific situation. Here to discuss the best questions to ask when searching for quality cancer care is Stephen Edge, MD, FACS, FASCO. He is the Vice President, Healthcare Outcomes and Policy at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

No one fights lung cancer alone. At Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, patients have access to the latest advancements in lung cancer surgery. Here to tell us what to expect when you have lung cancer surgery and what it means to be recognized as a US top performing center in the area of lung cancer surgery is Sai Yendamuri, MD, FACS, Chair, Department of Thoracic Surgery at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

1 out of 8 women will develop breast cancer during their lifetimes. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center recommends yearly mammograms starting at age 40. Routine mammography saves lives, reducing a woman's risk of dying from breast cancer by 30 - 50 percent. In this important segment, Ermelinda Bonaccio, MD., answers the question "can I get a mammogram if?"

Researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center have determined that cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CS/HIPEC), a complex procedure to treat advanced abdominal cancers, can be done safely, and may be an effective therapy for select patients. In this fascinating segment, Valerie Francescutti, MD., disusses Cytoreduction Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy as a way to improve survival, surgical outcomes, and when to refer to a specialist.

Early signs or symptoms of childhood cancer are difficult to recognize because they may also indicate far more common illnesses and injuries. Children often get bumps and bruises or feel sick. Parents should ensure kids get regular medical checkups and seek attention for a symptom that doesn’t go away. While the incidence of pediatric cancers has risen slightly over the past decades, the number of children who survive their disease increased significantly. In this segment, Kara Kelly, MD, Chair, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses what symptoms took look for and what achievements have been made to help children survive a diagnoses of childhood cancer.

The main purpose of the Diversity Office is to support Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's mission, vision and values by promoting diversity and inclusion as an integral part of the Institute's goal to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Roswell Park is committed to providing an environment where patients, families, and employees are treated with courtesy and respect regardless of personal characteristics including, but not limited to race, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or disability. In this segment, David Scott, Roswell Park's Director of Diversity and Inclusion, discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion to keep the whole community fighting cancer together for better outcomes.

According to the CDC, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer death among men of all races and Hispanic origin populations. In this segment, Khurshid Guru, MD., explains how each Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center patient receives a customized treatment and post-treatment plan; and ongoing communication between Roswell Park and the patient's primary care physician continues long after treatment ends. This is why Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is the best choice for prostate cancer treatment.

In December 2015, after one and half years of being in remission from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Roman had a relapse. In January 2016, he was told that his best chance of long-term survival was to get a stem cell transplant, also known as blood and marrow transplant, or BMT. In this segment of Roswell Park Cancer Talk, Roman Molodynia, BMT survivor, shares his story and experience and his question: how do I find the words to thank someone who saved my life?

You may not realize it, but your body is home to a lot of microbes — way more than you might think. In healthy humans, “microbial cells outnumber human cells by about ten to one,” according to the Human Microbiome Project of the National Institutes of Health. Most of them, called gut flora, live in your digestive system, especially in the colon. Others live in distinct communities in and on your body, in different types of environments — hot or cold, moist or dry. If that makes you feel creepy, relax. While some microbes can make you sick — specific bacteria and viruses, for example — most are harmless, and many actually help keep you healthy. Together they make up your microbiome. Listen in as Emese Zsiros, MD, discusses the exciting whole new area of research on gut flora, how what’s going on in our gut has a huge influence on overall health and happiness, and that our main goal is to look for new approaches that may improve survival for our patients and minimize side effects of treatment.