• August 14, 2018  

    Why the 21st Century Cures Act is a Good Thing

    With: Mary Woolley

    A Q&A with Mary Woolley, President and CEO of Research!America Q: You attended the December 2016 signing by President Obama of the 21st Century Cures Act and are recognized to be a strong supporter. Yet harsh criticism of it has quickly appeared in JAMA, BMJ, a variety of other venues, as well as on these pages. Please tell our readers why this is good legislation… Read more »

  • August 6, 2018  

    Q&A: Air Traffic Control for Cancer

    With: David K. Cundiff, MDJeff Shrager, PhD

    A Q&A with David K. Cundiff, MD, Retired internist and palliative care physician from LA County + USC Medical Center; Email: dkcundiff@whistleblowerdoctor.org. Jeff Shrager, PhD, Director of Research, Cancer Commons; Adjunct Professor, Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University; Email: jshrager@gmail.com. Originally published August 16, 2017 Q: After May 17, 2017, you and Jeff Shrager engaged in a robust discussion about the place, if any, for an “Air… Read more »

  • July 30, 2018  

    Forget Moonshots: Biomedicine Needs an Air Traffic Control System

    With: Jeff Shrager, PhD

    A Q&A with Jeff Shrager, PhD, Director of Research, Cancer Commons; Adjunct Professor, Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University Originally published May 17, 2017 Q: There never seem to be enough patients matched to cancer clinical trials to quickly test new cancer treatments. Might there be a better way, using new communication technology? A: Among the few things that everyone can agree upon, one is… Read more »

  • July 16, 2018  

    Proposed FDA “Conditional Approval”- More Details

    With: Marty Tenenbaum, PhDAl Musella, DPM

    A Q&A with Al Musella, DPM, President, Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information, Inc., Hewlett, NY, and Marty Tenenbaum, PhD, Founder and Chair, Cancer Commons, Los Altos, CA Originally published May 10, 2017 Q: Your April 5, 2017 blog post that proposed a new “Conditional” category for FDA drug approval elicited a number of positive and negative responses. Please explain the proposal in more detail… Read more »

  • July 16, 2018  

    Using the Principles of Evolution to Treat and Prevent Cancer Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Excerpt:

    “Cancer has been called malevolent. Devious. Even ingenious. It’s actually none of these. Cancer has no purpose or direction. As these wayward cells arise, they simply adapt to the environmental conditions of the tissues in which they exist. That concept, which springs from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, is guiding new approaches to fighting this common and deadly disease.

    “In Darwinian evolution, organisms that are well-adapted to their environments flourish and crowd out those that aren’t. My colleagues and I believe that much the same thing happens with cancer in a process we call adaptive oncogenesis.”

    Go to full article published by STAT on Jun 27, 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.

  • July 9, 2018  

    Conditional Approval: Right Solution for the Wrong Problem

    With: Shannon Brownlee, MS

    A Q&A with Shannon Brownlee, MS, Senior Vice President of the Lown Institute, a think tank in Boston. She is also co-founder of the Right Care Alliance, a social movement for transforming health care. Originally published April 26, 2017 Q: Musella and Tenenbaum recently proposed a new way, called conditional approval, for the American FDA to move potentially useful drugs to a patient market.… Read more »

  • July 2, 2018  

    A Proposed New FDA Drug Approval Pathway: “Conditional”

    With: Marty Tenenbaum, PhDAl Musella, DPM

    A Q&A with Al Musella, DPM, President, Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information, Inc., Hewlett, NY, and Marty Tenenbaum, PhD, Founder and Chair, Cancer Commons, Los Altos, CA Originally published April 5, 2017 Q: The delay time from discovery/observation, through validation to approval and distribution/use of new cancer treatments remains excessive. With promising experimental treatments, advanced computer technology and biostatistics, creative alternatives… Read more »

  • June 25, 2018  

    How to Tell a Patient Their Cancer Has Spread

    With: Lisa Dinhofer, MA, CT

    A Q&A with crisis communication expert Lisa Dinhofer, MA, CT Q. As a counselor and communicator, you are expert and experienced in managing serious situational difficulties up to and including coping with sudden unexpected death. How would you think it best to approach a person with cancer who is being told, “your cancer has spread”? A: I’ll answer this question by posing another—how did… Read more »

  • March 9, 2018  

    A New Regulatory Threat to Cancer Patients Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “The federal government is threatening to limit treatment options for doctors fighting cancer. A regulatory decision due Wednesday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could undermine the care delivered to the more than 1.6 million Americans who are diagnosed with cancer each year.”

    Go to full article published by The Wall Street Journal on Feb 25, 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 5, 2017  

    FDA Aims to Expand Early-Approval Program for Promising Drugs Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “The Food and Drug Administration wants to help patients get faster access to promising cancer treatments.

    “The agency is preparing proposals that would expand an accelerated-approval program for lifesaving medications, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told House lawmakers on Thursday.

    “Drugmakers can seek rapid conditional approval for treatments for cancer or other serious diseases based on evidence that a drug is likely to extend patient survival. Later trials once such a drug is on the market are necessary to prove the survival benefit.”

    Go to full article published by Bloomberg on Nov 30, 2017.

    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.