Cancer Patients Cancer Pathways

Eleven essays by historians and sociologists examine cancer research and treatment as everyday practice in post-war Europe and North America. These are not stories of inevitable medical progress and obstacles overcome, but of historical contingencies, cultural differences, hope, and often disappointed expectations.

The first goal of this book is to provide the patient with accurate information. The second goal is to show how a combination of "orthodox medicine" and complementary therapies can help people through their cancer diagnosis, treatment and follow up. Early chapters apply to all women diagnosed with cancer, followed by chapters for each specific site of disease. Then follow chapters on chemotherapy, radiotherapy, pain management, complementary therapies and spiritual approaches. The book incorporates a novel "4 cusp" approach, which enables women to explain to their families where they are in the process.

Delivering high-quality cancer care to all patients presents numerous challenges, including difficulties with care coordination and access. Patient navigation is a community-based service delivery intervention designed to promote access to timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases by eliminating barriers to care, and has often been proposed and implemented to address these challenges. However, unresolved questions include where patient navigation programs should be deployed, and which patients should be prioritized to receive navigation services when resources are limited. To address these issues and facilitate discussion on how to improve navigation services for patients with cancer, the National Cancer Policy Forum of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop on November 13 and 14, 2017. At this workshop, a broad range of experts and stakeholders, including clinicians, navigators, researchers, and patients, explored which patients need navigation and who should serve as navigators, and the benefits of navigation and current gaps in the evidence base.

The first goal of this book is to provide the patient with accurate information. The second goal is to show how a combination of "orthodox medicine" and complementary therapies can help people through their cancer diagnosis, treatment and follow up. Early chapters apply to all women diagnosed with cancer, followed by chapters for each specific site of disease. Then follow chapters on chemotherapy, radiotherapy, pain management, complementary therapies and spiritual approaches. The book incorporates a novel "4 cusp" approach, which enables women to explain to their families where they are in the process.

Because most cancer care is delivered in the community setting, Breast Cancer, edited by Dr. James L. Weese, looks at the management of breast cancer through the lens of multidisciplinary pathways focused on evidence-based, real-world care of breast cancer patients in the community. A multidisciplinary team of expert authors provides state-of-the-art guidance from the perspective of community practitioners using an evidence-based model, clearly showing the thought processes used to make treatment decisions in today's breast cancer management. Discusses all the latest breakthrough therapies for breast cancer, including chemotherapeutic, molecular, and immunologic agents, as well as new developments in precision-based medicine, pharmacology, breast cancer surgery, breast and lymphatic reconstruction, radiation therapy, and more. Provides strategies for targeted radiation therapy and conservative breast surgery for contemporary breast cancer treatment Features more than 200 high-quality figures throughout, including pathways, anatomic, radiographic, and graphic images. Models a consistent, team-based thought process used at leading academic institutions to foster consistent decision making applied to the community setting. Includes key points at the beginning of each chapter that highlight essential concepts and topics An ideal resource for practicing medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and radiation therapists, trainees and practitioners in related fields, and oncology nurses and case managers. An eBook version is included with purchase. The eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures and references, with the ability to search, customize your content, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud.

In recent years, increasing evidence has suggested that abnormal activation of signaling pathways is a critical event in cancer pathogenesis. In particular, activation of these pathways can lead to inappropriate cellular survival, proliferation, pluripotency, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Thus, understanding the mechanisms by which signaling pathways become subverted in a cancer cell can provide insight into critical events in cancer pathogenesis. Furthermore, as our ability to target specific molecular interactions advances, we now have the ability to design small molecules, protein therapeutics, and other forms of targeted therapies. By focusing on the specific molecular abnormalities in a cancer cell, these agents hold the potential to be much more effective and much less toxic than current cytotoxic therapies.

Unravelling the intricate cell signalling networks and their significance in cancer poses major intellectual challenge. Keeping this in mind, the book aims at understanding the mechanism of action of different proteins and their complexes in the cancer signalling pathways. Hence, the proposed book that comprises 20 chapters provides a comprehensive introduction on cell signalling, its alterations in cancer, molecules that have been popular targets as well as the ones that are emerging as targets. In addition, it discusses different forms of therapy that are coming up for its treatment. Other than that, a major portion of the book is focused on studying different disciplines at the interface of biology and other areas of science that are being used to understand cancer biology in depth.

When a diagnosis topples your life, you can identify those factors you can control in order to pursue the best care possible. This work shows you how. In the United States cancer is overtaking heart disease as the leading cause of death. Although a devastatingly common disease, the average person in the US has minimal practical or scientific knowledge about cancer and its treatment. And fewer still are aware of the pitfalls and obstacles inherent in cancer care. Here, Stephen Rosenberg, MD, offers an accessible guide to the disease and the challenges of receiving the best care possible. He guides readers and their loved ones through the process of receiving the diagnosis and laying out a plan moving forward regardless of cancer diagnosis. He identifies the most common pitfalls on the treatment path and helps readers avoid them while they seek the best care possible. Receiving a cancer diagnosis is already devastating. Navigating the confusing waters of treatment should not be. Offering insight into handling emotions, incorporating complementary care, important lifestyle choices, and how to overcome the most common mistakes made in cancer care, this work offers a light in the dark.