Caring for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) depends on many factors and can vary as much as the patients themselves. As such, shared decision-making—those collaborative conversations between patient and physician that guide the treatment trajectory—are critical to align goals and help determine what’s best for each patient.

Due to the challenges COVID-19 presents for immune-compromised individuals, clinicians are having more complex discussions with their patients diagnosed with AML—including how to proceed with the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot.

Thank You to Our Guests:
Jonathan Abbas, MD
Director of Acute Leukemia Program
Tennessee Oncology

Ehab Atallah, MD
Professor of Medicine and Section Head of Hematological Malignancies
Medical College of Wisconsin

Catherine Lai, MD, MPH
Director of Leukemia
Georgetown University Medical Center

CANCER BUZZ TV—the video podcast channel of the Association of Community Cancer Centers—takes a deep dive into emergent issues and the latest developments in oncology. Find more CANCER BUZZ episodes on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or the ACCC website at: accc-cancer.org/TV

#podcast #oncologypodcast #CANCERBUZZ #ACCC #ACommunityofCancerCenters #telehealth

Overview of future directions in diagnosing and treating cutaneous lymphoma.

If you're having vision troubles and new glasses don't seem to help, your eyes might not be the problem.

Andreana N. Holowatyj, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center presented "Appendix Cancer in Young Adults: A Distinct Disease Burden" via Zoom on February 17, 2021.

As the incidence of appendiceal cancer continues to rise with causes unknown, little is currently known about the risk factors and etiologies of this rare malignancy—particularly among young individuals. This webinar will focus on our current knowledge of the unique appendix cancer burden among individuals younger than age 50 years at diagnosis (early-onset appendix cancer), including: demographic and clinical patterns, molecular features, and health disparities; and will also highlight future directions aimed at clinical implications for appendiceal cancer prevention, detection and treatment.

The objectives of this webinar were to:
(1) summarize current literature on the distinct burden of appendix cancer among young patients;
(2) understand the context of health disparities within the early-onset appendix cancer po****tion; and
(3) broaden knowledge in early-onset appendix cancer and ongoing research.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative prion disease in which affected individuals suffer destruction of cortical neurons due to accumulation of prions of both beta-amyloid and Tau type. In this video, I will explain the acquisition and progression of Alzheimer's disease and basic reasons for associated dementia.

Korrespondent Nick Davey works with the group Athletes in Progress and their continued benefits for cancer. In this video its supporting one of its own Pamela Richmond and her battle with appendix cancer.

Minimally invasive surgery takes advantage of advances in computer imaging and robotics to provide effective surgical cancer treatment with a much smaller impact on the patient. Robotic surgery systems consist of one or more robotic arms, precisely controlled by surgeons seated at a console, which enlarges 3-D views of the surgery site.
(Video produced for Messenger)

The only cancer center nationally ranked in the top six for both pediatric and adult cancer care, Dana-Farber is uniquely positioned to provide the best possible treatment for the thousands of adults and young adults who come through our doors each year. This session features Dana-Farber physicians and scientists who have been leading research and programs to address the unique medical, biological, and psychosocial needs of all ages of our cancer populations.

Having a mastectomy can be a life-changing experience, but one North Carolina woman is hoping to give women battling breast cancer a sense of normalcy.

Treatment Choices by Type and Stage of Stomach Cancer
Treatment of stomach cancer depends to a large degree on where the cancer started in the stomach and how far it has spread.

Stomach cancers can grow and spread in different ways. They can grow through the wall of the stomach and invade nearby organs. They can also spread to the lymph vessels and nearby lymph nodes (bean-sized structures that help fight infections). The stomach has a very rich network of lymph vessels and nodes. As the stomach cancer becomes more advanced, it can travel through the bloodstream and spread (metastasize) to organs such as the liver, lungs, and bones, which can make it harder to treat.

Stage 0
Because stage 0 cancers are limited to the inner lining layer of the stomach and have not grown into deeper layers, they can be treated by surgery alone. No chemotherapy or radiation therapy is needed.

Surgery with either subtotal gastrectomy (removal of part of the stomach) or total gastrectomy (removal of the entire stomach) is often the main treatment for these cancers. Nearby lymph nodes are removed as well.

Some small stage 0 cancers can be treated by endoscopic resection. In this procedure the cancer is removed through an endoscope passed down the throat. This is done more often in Japan, where stomach cancer is often detected early during screening. It is rare to find stomach cancer so early in the United States, so this treatment has not been used as much here. If it is done, it should be at a cancer center that has a great deal of experience with this technique.

Stage I
Stage IA: People with stage IA stomach cancer typically have their cancer removed by total or subtotal gastrectomy. The nearby lymph nodes are also removed. Endoscopic resection may rarely be an option for some small T1a cancers. No further treatment is usually needed after surgery.

Stage IB: The main treatment for this stage of stomach cancer is surgery (total or subtotal gastrectomy). Chemotherapy (chemo) or chemoradiation (chemo plus radiation therapy) may be given before surgery to try to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove.

After surgery, patients whose lymph nodes (removed at surgery) show no signs of cancer spread are sometimes observed without further treatment, but often doctors will recommend treatment with either chemoradiation or chemo alone after surgery (especially if the patient didn’t get one of these before surgery). Patients who were treated with chemo before surgery may get the same chemo (without radiation) after surgery.

If cancer is found in the lymph nodes, treatment with either chemoradiation, chemo alone, or a combination of the two is often recommended.

If a person is too sick (from other illnesses) to have surgery, they may be treated with chemoradiation if they can tolerate it. Other options include radiation therapy or chemo alone.

Stage II
The main treatment for stage II stomach cancer is surgery to remove all or part of the stomach, the omentum, and nearby lymph nodes. Many patients are treated with chemo or chemoradiation before surgery to try to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove. Treatment after surgery may include chemo alone or chemoradiation.

If a person is too sick (from other illnesses) to have surgery, they may be treated with chemoradiation if they can tolerate it. Other options include radiation therapy or chemo alone.

Stage III
Surgery is the main treatment for patients with this stage disease (unless they have other medical conditions that make them too ill for it). Some patients may be cured by surgery (along with other treatments), while for others the surgery may be able to help control the cancer or help relieve symptoms.

Some people may get chemo or chemoradiation before surgery to try to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove. Patients who get chemo before surgery will probably get chemo after, as well. For patients who don’t get chemo before surgery and for those who have surgery but have some cancer left behind, treatment after surgery is usually chemoradiation.

If a person is too sick (from other illnesses) to have surgery, they may be treated with chemoradiation if they can tolerate it. Other options include radiation therapy or chemo alone.

Stage IV
Because stage IV stomach cancer has spread to distant organs, a cure is usually not possible. But treatment can often help keep the cancer under control and help relieve symptoms. This might include surgery, such as a gastric bypass or even a subtotal gastrectomy in some cases, to keep the stomach and/or intestines from becoming blocked (obstructed) or to control bleeding.

Dr. Thomas E. Johnson, Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine discusses eyelid and orbital tumors

Selina M. Luger, MD, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, discusses the current use of measurable residual disease (MRD) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and what further investigations are needed to improve treatment strategies. Prof. Luger highlights how MRD is largely used to predict relapse in patients with ALL, with those achieving MRD negativity more likely to stay in remission. Those who are MRD positive must proceed to further therapy, usually blinatumomab, and allogeneic transplantation. Prof. Luger also comments on the unanswered questions around MRD in ALL, and the need for better technologies and treatment interventions for patients with T-cell ALL and Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) disease. This interview took place at the Tenth Annual Meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) held in Houston, TX.

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