North Shore LIJ

May 03, 2012

What Women Should Know About Cervical Cancer

Diane Contreras, MD

The most telling sign of cervical cancer is abnormal bleeding.  The classic sign is bleeding after intercourse.  However, early cancers are found at the time of a pap smear with either an abnormal pap smear or an abnormal lesion seen on the cervix.
 
The first thing everyone diagnosed with cervical cancer should do is breathe. That is, they should not panic.  While only early cervical cancers are treated and possibly cured with an operation -- all stages of cervical cancer can be treated and possibly cured with chemotherapy and radiation.  Success rates increase dramatically with patients who follow through and complete treatment. 
 
I am a true believer that this cancer can be eradicated with prevention, early detection and correct treatment. Patients should see a GYN Oncologist. Visit our website for more information about cervical cancer or call 516-390-9242.

 

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October 14, 2011

Prostate Cancer and Supplements

Louis Potters, MD, Chair of Radiation Medicine
Louis Kavoussi, MD, Chair of Urology

Last week, results from the SELECT Trial were released. This randomized study of 35,533 men tested the hypothesis that Vitamin E and selenium could prevent prostate cancer. Surprisingly, the results just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association not only found that the supplements had no effect on the development of prostate cancer, but also that there was a 17 percent increased incidence of cancer in men taking the supplements. Full Post - to Detail View

September 19, 2011

Lung Cancer Vaccine Needs More Study

Harry Raftopoulos, MD

The compound Cima-Vax has been receiving attention online recently. A vaccine therapy for lung cancer with minimal side effects, Cima-Vax was approved in Cuba in 2008 based on Cuban investigators’ efficacy data indicating a four- to five-month improvement in survival in lung cancer patients.

It is interesting that there has been very little work on the vaccine outside Cuba since then and the announcement of sales of the vaccine three years after the approval is even more curious. Nevertheless, new treatments for lung cancer are needed and the vaccine approach holds a lot of promise.

While this is a promising compound, I would be very cautious before using it without evidence from larger multinational studies to confirm both the safety and efficacy.
 

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August 25, 2011

Rare Cancer Affects Steve Jobs

Craig Devoe, MD

Neuroendocrine tumors are uncommon, with only a few thousand cases a year. The most well-known case may be that of Steve Jobs, who just resigned as CEO of Apple Inc.

A neuroendocrine tumor begins in the hormone-producing cells of the body’s neuroendocrine system, which is made up of cells that are a cross between traditional endocrine cells (or hormone-producing cells) and nerve cells. Neuroendocrine cells are found in organs like the lungs, stomach and intestines, and perform such functions as regulating the air and blood flow through the lungs and controlling the speed at which food is moved through the gastrointestinal tract, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Cases like Mr. Jobs’, which affect the pancreas, number fewer than 1,000 a year in the United States. In contrast, there are around 40,000 cases of other pancreatic cancers a year. Mr. Jobs’ cancer began in the pancreas then spread to the liver, which prompted his January medical leave from Apple following a liver transplant.
 

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July 25, 2011

Hope for Cancer Patients

Daniel Budman, MD

The field of cancer care has undergone many positive changes in the last decade due to the maturing of informatics (methods to deal with vast quantities of information), powerful computers, the Human Genome Project (which identifies all the genes in a human being) plus radical advances in molecular biology and an appreciation of the complex interplay between a tumor and the normal host tissue. Consequently, cancer treatment is becoming more rational, the need for individualization of the approach to a patient’s cancer is better appreciated, and outcome has improved for many forms of cancer.

There are currently more than 400 anti-cancer drugs in development. Recent advances in the understanding of how tumors grow and what substances stimulate the growth and spread of tumors has led to a wide variety of new drugs to treat malignancy. The combined Medical Oncology Division of North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center is at the forefront of new drug development. In addition, the division works closely with The Feinstein Institute of Medical Research to develop a better understanding of cancer—thus leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

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