“There are an increasing collection of tests that sample other aspects of prostate cancer in urine, blood or tissue, including acquired gene defects in the disease and acquired changes that cancers display that normal cells don’t,” says William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. “I would […]
Prevention/Screening
How can I figure out if prostate cancer screening will help me personally?
Posted by | Prevention/Screening“The best approach is to have a significant conversation with your physician about the risks and benefits of screening. It's shared decision making,” says William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. “People have different attitudes about what they’d like to do with their health. If someone […]
What you need to know about prostate cancer screening guidelines
Posted by | Prevention/ScreeningProstate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening for prostate cancer has received mixed reviews from different organizations, says William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Today, the United States Preventive Services Task Force has posted draft recommendations for prostate screening that encourage men ages 55 - 69 to make individual decisions about […]
Kimmel Cancer Center Director Moderates AACR Webinar on Cancer Screening Guidelines
Posted by | Prevention/ScreeningWhat cancer screenings do I need and when? If this answer isn't clear to you, listen to Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson moderate a webinar on "Making Sense of Cancer Screening Guidelines," hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research and Cancer Today magazine. Nelson and his co-panelists will summarize the guidelines and provide their […]
I’m a former smoker. Is there a way to prevent lung cancer now?
Posted by | Prevention/Screening“The best way to prevent lung cancer now is to make sure you're not currently smoking,” says Russell K. Hales, M.D. Hales, who is a radiation oncologist at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus, notes that smoking, even as late as when you’ve had a lung cancer diagnosis, can […]
How does diet affect lung cancer risk or treatment? Do you have a nutritionist on my care team?
Posted by | Prevention/Screening, treatment“When I meet with patients, I tell them that there are three critical parts to their therapy. The first is local therapy, such as surgery or radiation. The second is chemotherapy, or systemic therapy. And the third is their overall well-being, such as nutrition,” says Russell K. Hales, M.D. Hales, a radiation oncologist at the […]
How long does it take to test and see test results about lung cancer mutations?
Posted by | Prevention/Screening“Molecular profiling of a tumor has really taken off over the last few years, and a few years ago, it could take several weeks for these results to come back. We can now test for the changes we can target in a lung tumor within four to five days here at Hopkins,” says Russell K. […]
How do you determine what stage of cancer I have?
Posted by | Prevention/Screening“Staging is a critical part of therapy,” says radiation oncologist Russell K. Hales, M.D. of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus. “We don’t want to focus only on a tumor in the chest, for example, if there’s something growing in another area of the body. That’s why we fully […]
I was diagnosed with restrictive lung disease. My mother and my cat died of lung cancer. I’m a non-smoker but worried about environmental issues. How likely is it that this will become lung cancer, and what would the treatment be?
Posted by | Prevention/Screening, Uncategorized“It's not just smoking that leads to lung cancer,” says Russell K. Hales, M.D. “ We know that environmental exposures and underlying lung disease can increase the likelihood of lung cancer. Unfortunately, in patients with restrictive lung disease, we don't have any information to show that screening those patients will increase the likelihood of finding […]
What is ground glass opacity on the lung? Is it likely to be cancer and how do you determine whether it is or not?
Posted by | Prevention/Screening“Not everything that arises in the lung is cancer,” says Russell K. Hales, M.D., a radiation oncologist, at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus. “A nodule in the lung can be from infection, irritation, or inflammation. It can be from other diseases, unrelated to cancer at all.” Hales notes […]