Focus on Cancer

Host: Kathy King, RDN

Guest: Diana Noland

How can our dietary choices affect and even influence cancer outcomes?

Host Kathy King talks with Diana Noland, dietitian and board-certified clinical nutritionist on the adjunct faculty of the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, and in private practice in Burbank, CA. Ms. Noland specializes in nutritional health for complex metabolic conditions, oncology, gastrointestinal, and neurologic chronic diseases. She speaks to the importance of proper nutrition for cancer patients; namely the roles that nutrition play in cancer treatment and specific nutritional problems cancer patients face.

Host: Michael Krychman, MD

Ovarian cancer is among the most highly prevalent and deadly cancers in existence, and in the struggle to care for patients and protect their quality of life, clinical standards in diagnostic screening and treatment protocols must change frequently.

Joining host Dr. Michael Krychman to discuss advances in treatment and prevention of ovarian cancer, with special focus on sexual health priorities, is guest Dr. Leslie Randall. Dr. Randall is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California-Irvine, and also Director of UC’s gynecologic oncology fellowship program.

[Read the Article]

In a new study, researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles studied tumor response and overall survival following the administration of a new treatment among patients with advanced melanoma. This agent, called pembrolizumab, is an antibody that blocks PD-1, a protein which prevents the body's immune system from attacking the cancer.

The researchers tested pembrolizumab on more than 650 patients in North America, Europe and Australia. They looked at tumor response before and after treatment and found that the lesions were smaller in about one third of patients. In patients who responded to the treatment, seventy-five percent maintained the response at one or two years.

[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Cannabis is gaining increased acceptance within the medical community for pain relief and other supportive care applications. But for oncology specialties, the use of cannabis may additionally extend into therapeutic purposes for patients.

From the floors of the A4M Conference in Las Vegas, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Constance Finley, Founder and CEO of Constance Therapeutics, a California-based cannabis collective. The two discuss cannabis and cannabis oil applications for cancer patients, and their potential therapeutic effects.

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD

Guest: Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE

Penn Medicine’s Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence (TCE), known as the 2-PREVENT TCE is led by Drs. Lewis Chodosh and Angela DeMichele. 2-PREVENT TCE aims to address one of the greatest challenges in breast cancer treatment: the high rate of relapse and late treatment effects among breast cancer survivors.

Host Dr. Barry Mennen welcomes Dr. Angela DeMichele, the Alan and Jill Miller Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Excellence, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, and Co-Leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss top tips in breast cancer risk, screening, and detection is Dr. Monique Gary, breast surgical oncologist at Grand View Health in Sellersville, PA. Dr. Gary earned her medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her internship and residency at University of Massachusetts Hospital and went on to complete her fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital.

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD

Guest: Maarouf Hoteit, MD

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the top ten causes of cancer death in the United States, and is the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer death in men. What's more, incidence rates are on the rise. For these reasons, understanding the nuances of early liver cancer detection, and treating underlying liver diseases prior to cancer development, have been more urgently needed.

Joining Dr. Barry Mennen to discuss diagnostic, medical, and surgical priorities for managing hepatocellular carcinoma is Dr. Maarouf Hoteit, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of the Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Clinic, and Program Director of the Transplant Hepatology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Guidelines in testing intervals and recommended methods for cervical cancer screening have been changing rapidly. What's the bottom line on helping primary care clinicians best protect their patients from this disease development? Joining Dr. Brian McDonough on the floors of Omnia Education's Women's Health Annual Visit in New York to discuss updated strategies drive down cervical cancer risk is Dr. Edward Mayeaux, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

[Read the Article]

According to a new study, low dose aspirin taken regularly was associated with a reduced risk for cancer.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital examined data from two large national studies that include about 136,000 men and women who have been providing detailed information about their overall health for decades.

Researchers identified 20,414 cancers among 88,084 women and 7,571 cancers among 47,881 men during a 32-year follow-up. Regular use of aspirin, two times or more per week, was associated with a 3 percent lower overall risk for cancer. This was mostly due to a 15 percent lower risk for gastrointestinal tract cancers and a 19 percent lower risk for cancers of the colon and rectum.

[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]

Host: Amy Mackey, MD

Guest: Robert Zurawin, MD

In many surgical procedures, tissue specimens must be removed from the body. For intrauterine surgery, when is tissue removal necessary? How can biological matter be removed from a small incision safely? In this special edition of Advances in Women’s Health, join Dr. Amy Mackey as she discusses the efficacy of tissue removal systems for intrauterine pathology with Dr. Robert Zurawin, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. They will cover best practices, methods of incision and removal, safety considerations, and common challenges faced by practicing surgeons. Click here to learn more about other women's health programs in this special series.