• February 18, 2019  

    Capturing Patients’ Real-World Experiences to Improve Cancer Research and Care

    With: Grace Castillo-Soyao

    A Q&A with Grace Castillo-Soyao, founder and CEO of Self Care Catalysts; grace@selfcarecatalysts.com Q: You are well known as a visionary in the field of Real World Experience-Evidence (RWEE). As the founder and CEO of Self Care Catalysts, headquartered in Toronto, how do you see RWEE evolving to favorably impact the field of oncology? A: I started Self Care Catalysts with some very basic… Read more »

  • February 11, 2019  

    The Crucial 90% Missed by Doctors on Computers

    With: Kevin Knopf, MD, MPH

    A Q&A with Kevin B. Knopf MD, MPH, chairman of hematology and oncology at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California; kevinbknopf@gmail.com Q: A successful patient-physician relationship depends upon effective bidirectional attention and mutual understanding. Many patients and physicians believe that common current versions of mandated electronic health records (EHRs) severely impede that interaction, especially eye contact. How can a competent and caring clinical oncologist overcome… Read more »

  • February 4, 2019  

    Challenging Oncology Therapies With Moonshot Price Tags

    With: Pramod John, PhD

    A Q&A with Pramod John, PhD, CEO of VIVIO Health, a specialty drug management company in San Leandro, CA, that aims to provide better outcomes at lower costs; pramod@viviohealth.com Originally published December 13, 2017 Q: Some American pharmaceutical companies are well-known for pricing drugs at “whatever the market will bear.” In oncology, some specialty drugs seem to have price tags completely unrelated to the… Read more »

  • January 7, 2019  

    Yale Cancer Center Scientists Advise Caution in Immunotherapy Research Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “In a new study by Yale Cancer Center, scientists suggest that as the number of clinical trials in cancer immunotherapy grows exponentially, some caution should be exercised as we continue to better understand the biology of these new therapeutic targets.  The findings are published today in the journal Cell.

    “Researchers around the world have been racing to create therapies that unleash the power of our immune systems against cancer. The most successful of these immunotherapies, which target a molecular pathway known as PD-1/PD-L1, have brightened the landscape for many people suffering with lung cancer and other types of tumors.”

    Go to full article published by Yale Cancer Center on Dec 20, 2018.

    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.

  • January 7, 2019  

    ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research Applaud NCI’s Expansion of Clinical Trial Eligibility Criteria Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) applaud the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) recent revision of its clinical trial protocol template to broaden eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials. The protocol template was expanded to help increase the opportunity for participation in NCI-funded clinical trials for patients with certain health-care conditions, as well as to provide an opportunity for patients younger than age 18 to participate in adult clinical trials in certain circumstances.”

    Go to full article published by The ASCO Post on Dec 11, 2018.

    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.

  • December 12, 2018  

    Vitamin D and Fish Oils Are Ineffective for Preventing Cancer and Heart Disease Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “In recent years, many Americans have embraced vitamin D and fish oil pills, their enthusiasm fueled by a steady trickle of suggestive research studies linking higher levels of vitamin D with lower rates of cancer and other ills, and fish consumption with reduced heart disease.

    “Now a large and rigorous government-funded randomized trial — the only such study of omega-3 fish oils ever carried out in healthy adults, and the largest trial ever done of high-dose vitamin D — has found the supplements do not lower cancer rates in healthy adults. Nor do they reduce the rate of major cardiovascular events, a composite of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from cardiovascular disease. The trial is of the kind considered the gold standard in medicine.”

    Go to full article published by The New York Times on Nov 10, 2018.

    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.

  • November 20, 2018  

    Brain Cancer Survival Has Improved – But Not Much for Elderly Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “A new study from Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki and the Finnish Cancer Registry shows that survival after glioblastoma has improved since the millennium. The improvement in survival was, however, modest in elderly patients, raising concerns whether current treatment strategies are optimal for this patient group.

    “Glioblastoma is the most common brain , and one of the deadliest cancers known. Unfortunately, there is no cure for these rapidly progressing tumors.”

    Go to full article published by Medical Xpress on Oct 16, 2018.

    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.

  • November 5, 2018  

    Who Owns Patient Data in Clinical Research?

    With: Charlotte J. Haug, MD, PhD, MSc

    A Q&A with Charlotte J. Haug, MD, PhD, MSc, International Correspondent, New England Journal of Medicine; Senior Scientist, SINTEF Techology and Society; Adjunct Affiliate, Stanford Health Policy; Oslo, Norway; charlottejohanne@gmail.com Originally published October 25, 2017 Q: Many people are coming to believe that active patient participation will be a key to more rapid movement forward in cancer research. Data sharing can help. But who owns the… Read more »

  • October 31, 2018  

    Might Cancer Be a Metabolic Disease?

    With: Thomas N. Seyfried, PhD

    A Q&A with Thomas N. Seyfried, PhD, Professor of Biology, Boston College Q: As a geneticist, you know that the genomic makeup of cancers recently has captivated much of the scientific community with new knowledge and new treatments. And yet, cancer outcomes remain dismal for many patients. You have written about cancer from a very different perspective. Why do you consider cancer to be… Read more »

  • September 4, 2018  

    Patient-Reported Outcomes Could Transform Cancer Care

    With: Jared Adams MD, PhD

    A Q&A with Jared Adams MD, PhD, Chief Science Officer at Self Care Catalysts; jared@selfcarecatalysts.com Q: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are health care outcomes, such as symptoms or quality of life, reported directly by a patient. In recent years, PROs have emerged as a potentially powerful new way to understand cancer outcomes. Could PROs lead to the next breakthrough in our understanding of cancer? A: When biochemist and… Read more »