• September 16, 2019 

    Fixed and Variable Factors that Impact a Brain Tumor Patient’s Prognosis

    George Lundberg, MD

    A Q&A with Burt Nabors, MD, Professor and Director of the Division of Neuro-oncology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and a member of the Cancer Commons Brain Tumor Advisory Board; bnabors@uabmc.edu Q: Primary brain gliomas can be devastating, often deadly, malignancies. Obvious prognostic factors include whether they are grade 1, 2, 3, or 4; their extent of growth prior… Read more »

  • September 6, 2019 

    What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor?

    Sarah StanleyCancer Commons Scientists

    When faced with an advanced cancer diagnosis, it can be difficult to know what questions to ask. At Cancer Commons, we help patients and caregivers navigate a vast sea of cancer information so they can work with their doctor to pinpoint their best possible treatment plan. Based on our Scientists’ many years of experience helping patients and caregivers around the… Read more »

  • August 17, 2019 

    Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma—OverviewBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes:

    Malignancies of lymphoid tissues are broadly named “lymphoma.” There are many categories and subcategories. Here is a broadly based report about non-Hodgkin lymphomas, published by Medscape in 2019.

     

  • August 17, 2019 

    Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)—An OverviewBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes:

    DIPG is a rare, malignant brain tumor. Three hundred Americans, usually children, are diagnosed with DIPG each year. Its location (pons), its sublocation (intrinsic), its growth character (diffuse), and its cell type (glioma) describe a very difficult cancer to treat. Here is how one prestigious cancer center (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) explains DIPG.

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  • August 17, 2019 

    Malignant Melanoma—An OverviewBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes:

    Malignant melanoma is a fairly common, usually cutaneous, potentially lethal malignancy, and precision oncology has demonstrated some dramatic successes for treatment of its advanced stages. If you wish to learn more, this 2019 encyclopedic discourse from Medscape is solid, current, unbiased, and sensible.
  • August 15, 2019 

    Comparison of Scans for Detection of Early Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer After ProstatectomyBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from The ASCO Post curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes:

    Most prostate cancers don’t hurt the patient. Surgery for high-risk prostate cancer can be beneficial. If the cancer recurs, more treatment could be helpful. This study provides useful information about detection of recurrence.

    Go to full article published by The ASCO Post.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

     

  • August 9, 2019 

    Patients with Newly Diagnosed Brain TumorsBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD:

    Receiving a brain tumor diagnosis can be shocking for patients and their families. The Musella Foundation’s free “Brain Tumor Guide for the Newly Diagnosed” provides up-to-date guidance for people in this difficult position.

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  • August 5, 2019 

    Navigating Pancreatic Cancer—The Basics

    With: Lola Rahib, PhD

    A Q&A with Lola Rahib, PhD, Lead Scientist, Pancreas Cancer, at Cancer Commons, Los Altos, CA; lola.rahib@cancercommons.org Q: Navigating a pancreatic cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming and confusing for patients and their loved ones. How can patients and their caregivers ensure having the knowledge, support, and plan they need to be able to navigate treatment options and other aspects of… Read more »

  • May 21, 2019 

    Can You Improve Your Response to Certain Immunotherapy Drugs?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Cancer treatments that use a strategy called immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) have entered clinical practice in a big way, with six drugs now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a variety of cancers. These drugs release “brakes” on the immune system, boosting its ability to kill cancer cells. Specifically, they target the proteins PD-1 or CTLA-4,… Read more »

  • March 19, 2019 

    At Diagnosis, What Do Cancer Patients Want?

    With: Laura Benson, RN, MS, ANP

    A Q&A with Laura Benson, RN, MS, ANP, president of Conversations in Care, LLC; LauraBensonRN@Gmail.com Q: In our digital communication world of 2019, some patients may receive the initial message that YOU HAVE CANCER by cell phone, text, email, or even voice mail. When this happens, what do patients most want, and how can that best be accomplished? A: When I first… Read more »