In November I began my journey as a Community Patient Navigator here at Roswell Park. This position was created through a New York State (NYS) grant with the goal of increasing the number of women in NYS getting screened for breast cancer. For most women over 40, the recommended breast cancer screening is a yearly mammogram.
Cancer patients often experience pain, nausea, emotional distress, and other symptoms caused by the disease and/or the side effects of treatment. Their caregivers may become stressed and overwhelmed, too. When those issues grow beyond basic, expected side effects and are no longer under control, supportive and palliative care can help.
Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in the infection-fighting cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes. These cells are in the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and other parts of the body. There are many types of lymphoma, and the risk factors vary.
If you have coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation or any other heart condition, what does this mean for you if you have cancer? It means you should seek a consultation with a cardio-oncologist.
You may not realize it, but your body is home to a lot of microbes — way more than you might think. In healthy humans, “microbial cells outnumber human cells by about ten to one,” according to the Human Microbiome Project of the National Institutes of Health.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new indication for the oral drug lenalidomide (brand name Revlimid) as a maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma patients following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (ASCT), also known as autologous blood and marrow transplant (BMT).
Thyroid nodules are common and found in 10 percent of the adult population. Luckily, 95 percent of them are benign. When a thyroid nodule is suspicious - meaning that it has characteristics that suggest thyroid cancer - the next step is usually a fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB).
If your treatment plan includes surgery, the recovery process may seem overwhelming. You may be on a restricted diet or experience limited movement and pain after a major operation. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a program that allows for a smoother, faster recovery by changing the way you prepare for surgery and your post-op care.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) established an initiative recently that I expect to benefit patients at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and around the country for years to come.