Plumbing the Core and Nibbling at the Margins of Cancer

Cancer Commons Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, is the face and curator of this invitation-only column

  • December 3, 2024  

    A Better Way to Keep an Eye on Glioblastoma Tumors

    With: Michael Schmainda, MBA

    For people with glioblastoma brain tumors, it can be vital yet challenging to determine the precise size, location, and extent of the tumor. A company called Imaging Biometrics, LLC, has developed novel imaging strategies to address this issue. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks its president and CEO Michael Schmainda about these innovations. Curious Dr. George: Determining the extent of an intracranial neoplasm can be… Read more »

  • November 8, 2024  

    How an Expert Would Treat His Own Glioblastoma: An Update

    With: Al Musella, DPM

    When facing a new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Al Musella, DPM, how he would handle his own case of glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor. Dr. Musella is President of the Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information, Inc., a partner of Cancer Commons (Note: This… Read more »

  • September 16, 2024  

    How an Expert Would Manage His Own Advanced Bladder Cancer: An Update

    With: Daniel E.C. Fein, MD

    When facing a frightening new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Daniel E.C. Fein, MD, how he would handle his own case of advanced bladder cancer. Dr. Fein is a genitourinary oncologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, MA, as well as an Instructor in Medicine… Read more »

  • August 6, 2024  

    How an Expert Would Manage His Wife’s Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Update

    With: Richard B. Schwab, MD

    For most people with breast cancer, a lump is the first sign that leads to diagnosis. But some cases are not detected until after spread has already occurred. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Richard B. Schwab, MD, how he would approach such a case if his own wife were the patient. Dr. Schwab is Senior Medical Director at Genentech Product Development Oncology. (Note:… Read more »

  • August 2, 2024  

    How an Expert Would Manage Her Own Advanced Colorectal Cancer: An Update

    With: Christina Wu, MD

    When facing a new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks oncologist Christina Wu, MD, how she would handle her own diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer. Dr. Wu is a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. (Note: This piece originally appeared in 2020; now, Dr. Wu… Read more »

  • July 26, 2024  

    How an Expert Would Treat His Own Advanced Lung Cancer: An Update

    With: Jack West, MD

    A new cancer diagnosis is overwhelming. Patients often ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks lung cancer expert Howard (Jack) West, MD, FASCO, how he would handle his own diagnosis of advanced lung cancer. Dr. West is a Princeton- and Harvard-educated oncologist with additional training and experience in Boston and Seattle focusing on lung… Read more »

  • July 22, 2024  

    How an Expert Would Manage His Own Advanced Prostate Cancer: An Update

    With: Marc B. Garnick, MD

    When facing a new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Marc B. Garnick, MD, how he would handle his own advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Garnick is the Gorman Brothers Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. He is also… Read more »

  • July 11, 2024  

    The Personalized Power of the “N-of-1” Approach

    With: Glenn Sabin

    Randomized, controlled clinical trials with a large N—number of participants—are the recognized “gold standard” of evidence-based medicine. Even so, the results of large-N trials can only reveal population averages, and are not predictive of any individual’s response to a given treatment. On the other hand, one can consider every patient with cancer as the sole participant in their own clinical trial with an Nof1, even if the trial is not… Read more »

  • May 30, 2024  

    How Would an Expert Manage His Own Acute Myelogenous Leukemia: an Update

    With: Adam Asch, MD

    When facing a frightening new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Previously, our Curious Dr. George asked leukemia expert Adam Asch, MD, how he would handle his own hypothetical case of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Now, Dr. Asch provides an updated answer, highlighting the new option of clinical trials offering novel targeted therapies for some… Read more »

  • May 27, 2024  

    How Would an Expert Manage His Own Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma: an Update

    With: Kevin Knopf, MD, MPH

    When facing a frightening new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks oncologist Kevin Knopf, MD, how he would handle his own advanced Hodgkin lymphoma. Curious Dr. George: Please consider this hypothetical scenario—as a very busy practicing clinical oncologist during the COVID-19 pandemic, you were not paying much attention to… Read more »