Should I join a cancer support group?
Yes. It really is that simple. You think you don’t need it, or won’t benefit from it. You’re mistaken. Try it. You may not need it for long. Maybe only once will be all you need. But no one other than a group of people going through the same thing will ever understand. Not even your doctor.
Do I need to change my lifestyle?
Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol, diet, and obesity can help cause a cancer. And it’s never too late to start making healthier choices. But making sudden and dramatic changes in factors that helped start a cancer can’t change the course of a cancer that’s already developed – any more than blowing out the match that started a forest fire can affect the fire once it’s going.
Does insurance cover the cost of clinical trials?
Yes, typically insurance plans are mandated by federal law (the Affordable Care Act) to be covered by commercial and government insurance plans.
Who can see my medical information? (HIPAA)
Medical providers directly involved in a patient’s care has access patient specific medial information. The only other people who are able to view a patient’s medical information are those that are expressly granted that permission in writing by the patient.
What types of advance directives are there?
The most basic advanced directive that everyone over age eighteen needs is a Healthcare Power of Attorney. This legally designates who you want to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so. Despite the name, you don’t actually need an attorney to complete one. Without a Healthcare Power of Attorney, if you become incapacitated some states require you to go through a long, expensive legal guardianship procedure before any medical decisions can be made on your behalf – even if you’re married or have a loving family. The next most common type of advanced directive is a Do Not Resuscitate order, which simply states that in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest you wish no effort be made to revive you. Other forms of advanced directives provide general guidance about the kinds of care or interventions you would (or wouldn’t) want, and under which circumstances. These can be as simple as a set of instructions you write up yourself, or as complicated as a long document you develop with the assistance of an attorney. One easy-to-use and inexpensive form is the Five Wishes document, which walks you through a series of simple questions that clarify your healthcare wishes in certain circumstances. The Five Wishes document is available online for a small fee. You can also have your healthcare wishes formalized as binding medical orders that take effect when the stated circumstances occur (e.g. if I suffer a massive stroke and go into multi-organ failure I do not want to receive dialysis). These conditional orders can be created by you and your physician and are called Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST).
Cancer Stage: Why it Matters
In this week’s episode, I am joined by Dr. Brian Burnette and Dr. Michael Guiou to discuss the importance of cancer staging. We delve into cancer staging and how it helps guide treatment decisions. We also explore the evolving nature of cancer staging, shifting towards considering molecular characteristics and functional status in addition to traditional staging systems.
Having Your Say: Advanced Directives
In today’s episode, we discuss advanced directives and how they support patients at the end stages of life. We describe the historical context of advanced directives and explain how doctors solely made end-of-life decisions until the recognition of patients’ rights in the 70’s. We outline the consequences of not having an advance directive. We also […]
Denial
Tom joins us today to discuss denial and why it is a fundamental part of the human experience. He describes how denial, while unhealthy in some situations, can be a healthy coping strategy when facing difficulties. He also explores different strategies to overcome unhealthy denial, underscores the power of having a trusted supporter when facing […]
Is Immunotherapy for You?
Bradley joins us today to discuss the historical use of immunotherapy treatment to treat cancer. We discuss how immunotherapy works and the positive and negative impact it can have on a patient’s immune system. We discuss why immunotherapy treatment works well for some types of cancers but not for others and how it has made […]
Demanding Proof
Matthew and Brian join us today for an insightful discussion discussing the pivotal role of evidence-based medicine, a cornerstone in optimizing patient outcomes and healthcare strategies. This conversation navigates through the historical tapestry of medical research, spotlighting James Lind’s 1753 seminal scurvy experiment as a monumental benchmark initiating systematic medical experimentation. We dissect the principle […]