Scary Costume, No Mask Required
I do not go out on Halloween. My kids are too old to Trick-or-Treat, candy hurts my teeth and my wife does not let me knock on stranger’s doors. However, ...
Cancer, mass, tumor…what’s in a name?
Today, a patient said to me, “Doc, I understand I have cancer, but when you start talking about tumors I really get scared.” Now, I certainly did not in...
Miracle Medicine Mess
In June, I had a hard conversation. I told my patient that breast cancer had spread to her bones. This was very bad news. Fortunately, I was able to rea...
The Sword of Cancer
60% of cancer patients in America are cured. This means that every year several hundred thousand people become “survivors.” However, to be “cured” o...
Cancer 101: PET Scans
Let us play doctor. Believe for a moment that you are sitting in your office advising a patient. On the patient’s chest X-ray is a half-inch spot. T...
HPV Vaccine: Preventing Cancer
The holy grail of oncology is not to treat, but to prevent cancer. For some cancers, that solution is clear. However, for most it is a goal of research. ...
Remarkable New Lung Cancer Treatment Approved
Lung cancer … common, aggressive, deadly. Despite a half century of research, it is still difficult to treat. Barely 16% of patients are cured by surgery....
Back to School Cancer Quiz
The United States of America has the finest cancer care in the world. More cancer treatments were developed here than everywhere else, combined. Administeri...
The Secret Cure for Cancer
One of the most depressing ideas I hear is that the cure for cancer is known, but is a closely guarded secret. It is terrible to think of millions of people w...
With Cancer, Sharks Do Not Attack!
It’s Shark Week at the Jersey Shore. Shark stories on TV. Shark inflatables on the boardwalk. Shark books in the stores. Me, I have not seen a single fi...