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Exciting Changes

We are thrilled to let you know that Iowa Cancer Specialists is moving, and we will be ready to announce our new location soon!

Even though we will have a new office, be assured some things will not change:

  • Same friendly nursing and reception staff that you have come to know and trust.
  • Same knowledgeable in-house billing team.
  • Same convenient medical dispensary.
  • Continued compassionate care by the physician team of Susannah Friemel, MD and Katie Browne, NP-C

We are also welcoming new staff members:

  • Dr. Linda Jager, specializing in palliative care management.
  • Tami Sheldon, NP, specializing in pain management and ovarian cancer.

We look forward to providing you with the same quality care you have come to expect from ICS.

 

September: Ovarian and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, part 2

Along with ovarian cancer awareness month, September is also prostate cancer awareness month.  Prostate cancer is a very common cancer that affects the male sex gland which produces seminal fluid and transports the sperm.

Statistics:  It is expected that one in nine men will have a prostate cancer diagnosis during his lifetime.  It is the second leading cause of death in men after lung cancer.  Although it is considered a common cancer, most men with a prostate cancer diagnosis do not die from it and almost three million men in the United States with prostate cancer are still alive.

Who is at risk?  Prostate cancer usually affects older men with age 66 being the average age for a diagnosis.  It is rare for a man to have prostate cancer under the age of 40, but it does happen.  A man’s risk increases rapidly after age 50.

African-American men are also at higher risk as well as men from the Caribbean.

There may be a genetic link to prostate cancer, as it does run in families–especially brothers.  However, family history does not always to play a part.

Also, obese men are more at risk as obese men sometimes have more advanced disease which is harder to treat.

Symptoms:  Typically, prostate cancer has no symptoms in its early stages.  In later stages a man may notice:

  • Difficulty urinating
  • Decreased urine stream
  • Pain in pelvis
  • Bone pain
  • Blood in semen
  • Erectile dysfunction

Possible treatment options include:

  • Surveillance
  • Surgery
  • Chemotherapy
  • Radiation therapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Brachytherapy
  • Hormone therapy
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery

How to prevent:  There is no sure-fire way to prevent prostate cancer, but there are some things you can do to reduce your risk.

  • Eat a healthy diet consisting of lots of fruit and vegetables.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.

As always, talk to your doctor about your risk–especially if you notice any of the above symptoms or have any questions or concerns.

For more information:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150086.php

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/causes-risks-prevention.html

https://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/default.htm

https://www.cancercenter.com/prostate-cancer/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prostate-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353087

 

 

 

September: Ovarian and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, part 1.

September is ovarian cancer and prostate cancer awareness month.  Today we are focusing on the ladies.

A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 78, and her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 108.  Ovarian cancer is the number one cause of  death due gynecologic cancers of the female reproductive system.  According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 14,240 women in the United States will die of ovarian cancer this year, a number which has not changed much over the last 50 years and is why early detection is so important.

Unfortunately, there is no accurate screening test for ovarian cancer.  Only rarely does a Pap smear detect ovarian cancer.  Women should have rectal and vaginal pelvic exams every year.

Some of the symptoms of ovarian cancer include:

  • Lack of appetite due to becoming full quickly
  • Bloating
  • Abdominal or pelvic pain
  • Back pain
  • Pain during intercourse
  • Menstrual changes
  • Fatigue
  • Heartburn
  • Constipation
  • Frequent need to urinate

If  any of the above symptoms persist daily for two weeks, consult your doctor.

Ovarian cancer does have some risk factors which your should discuss with your doctor. These include:

  • Age. Ovarian cancer is most common in women ages 50 to 63 years, but can occur at any age.
  • Family history of ovarian cancer.
  • Inherited gene mutations known as BRCA1 AND BRCA2 along with Lynch syndrome increases risk.
  • History of hormone replacement therapy.
  • Early age or late age of onset of menstruation

If ovarian cancer is suspected, imaging and blood testing will be performed.  However, the only way to definitively diagnose ovarian cancer is with a biopsy.  Again, if you have any of the above symptoms or are at risk for ovarian cancer, see your doctor right away.

For more information:

Seven Steps to Reduce Your Risk for Cancer

Did you know your risk of getting cancer is not based solely on genetics?  That’s good news! We’ve compiled seven everyday steps you can take to proactively reduce your risk of ever getting a cancer diagnosis.

  1.  It’s a cover up!  Protect your skin when outside by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, slathering on lots of sunscreen, and wearing tightly woven fabrics.  Wear dark colored clothing as it blocks UV rays much better than lighter colors.  Also, avoid tanning beds and heat lamps.  If you should notice any new spots on your skin or changes in moles, see your doctor right away!
  2. Kick your tobacco habit to the curb!.  We’ve known about the association of cancer and tobacco for decades.  Smoking not only increases the risk of lung cancer, but cancer of the throat, mouth, larynx, bladder, kidney, pancreas, and cervix.  Chewing tobacco also increases one’s risk of oral and pancreatic cancer.  Tobacco is linked to about 80% off all lung cancer deaths and comprises about 30% of all cancer deaths.
  3. Drink responsibly.  Alcohol increases the risk for many types of cancer including, liver, colon, breast, and esophagus.  It is generally recommended that men consume no more than two drinks per day and that women consume no more than one.  Five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of 80-proof liquor equals one drink.
  4. Mom was right–eat your vegetables.  Diet has been linked to prostate, breast, and colon cancers as well as other types of cancer.  A diet rich in organic nutrients is thought to reduce this risk.  However, eating right can be confusing.  The American Institute for Cancer research’s (AIRC) new American Plate menu makes eating right simple by recommending  two-thirds of your plate hold fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains with the other one-third consist of lean meats, fish, and low-fat dairy
  5. Move your body!   The American Cancer Society and the Mayo Clinic recommend 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week (such as brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (the kind that makes you sweat and breathe faster).  Doing so can reduce the risk of breast, colon, prostate, and endometrium cancer.  As an added benefit, exercise can also reduce your risk for heart disease and diabetes.
  6. Belly up to the water faucet.   Drinking plenty of water may reduce your risk of bladder cancer by diluting cancer causing agents and flushing them out of your system.  The American Cancer society recommends drinking at least eight glasses of high-quality water a day.  Studies have also shown that filtered tap water is better for you than bottled water as filtered  water reduces carcinogens.  All bottled water is not created equal, and sometimes the quality of bottled water is lower than filtered municipal tap water.   Do not store your water in plastic containers, but instead use stainless steel or glass to avoid chemical contaminants such as BPA that can leach from plastic bottles.
  7. Have your coffee and drink it, too!  A British study in 2010 showed that folks who drank five cups or more of caffeinated coffee decreased their risk of brain cancer by 40% when compared with people who drank the less.  This amount of coffee also reduced the risk cancers of the mouth and pharynx by almost as much.  Caffeinated tea also reduced the risk of these cancers, but not as much as java.

Hopefully, by following these seven steps, you will spend a lifetime being cancer-free.

For more information:

Web MD

American Cancer Society

Mayo Clinic

Harvard Health

Showing Support To A Loved One With Cancer

If your friend or loved one was diagnosed with cancer and you want to be supportive, but are afraid you may say or do the wrong thing,  you are not alone.  To help with the guesswork, we have a few helpful suggestions.

1.  Let your loved one know  you are available for them, and then be available when they call.

2.  Always call and ask permission before you drop by just in case your friend is having a bad day.

3.  Offer to take your friend out to lunch.

4.  Send notes.  Promise to call them, and then keep the promise.

5.  If your friend has kids at home, offer to take the kids for a day to do something fun.  Often times, cancer patients feel a false sense of guilt because they think their family is suffering because of their illness, so doing something with their children can be especially encouraging.

6.  Offer rides to doctor appointments.

7.  Offer to run errands–grocery shop, pick up prescriptions, etc.

8.  Don’t monopolize conversations.  

9.  Don’t tell horror stories of friends with cancer.

10  Don’t give medical advice or tell them to “cheer up.”

11. Don’t say, “I know how you feel.” 

12. Don’t ask their prognosis.  Your friend will volunteer this information on their own when they feel it is appropriate.

13.  Don’t say, “If you need anything, please call .”  Instead, offer to do some of the recommendations listed above.

14.  Don’t visit if you are ill.  Your friend’s immune system may be lower due to chemotherapy.

15.  Do respect your friend’s treatment decisions, just as you would want them to respect yours.

16.  If your loved one snaps at you, don’t take it personally as it could be pain and/or fear talking.

17.  If on a visit your friend cries, let them cry.   Tears are a normal response to what your friend is going through.  Everyone responds to stress in unique ways.  With a cancer diagnosis, your loved one may feel fear about the future, guilt, resentment, or depression.  Often they may confess an anger with God or anger with others.  Sometimes, cancer patients ask “Why me?”.  They may even be in denial about the diagnosis.  Remember, you are not expected to have all the answers and silence is okay.  Pat their hand.  Give them a hug.  Let your friend talk and make eye contact.

18.  Some people have a hard time accepting help and want to be as independent as possible.  If your loved one turns down your offer of support,  don’t take it personally.  Instead send encouraging notes from time to time and, at a later date,  offer again.

19.  Lastly, let your friend know you are rooting for them.  Sometimes just knowing there are people cheering you on is all the support a person fighting cancer needs.

 

Recommended Reading:

When Someone You Love Has Cancer, by Cecil Murphey

Cancer Etiquette, by Rosanne Kulick

Help Me Live:  20 Things People with Cancer Want You to know, Lori Hope

Things I wish I’d Known, Deborah Cornwall

 

 

 

Is a Clinical Trial Right for You?

Iowa Cancer Specialists is committed to bringing our patients the best treatment options possible.  This is why we partner with the Genesis Health System to offer many clinical trials available for patients in our community.  Through Genesis, ICS has access to approximately 25 clinical trials offered locally.

Clinical trial are studies designed by researchers to offer new ways to either treat cancer, find and diagnose cancer, prevent cancer, and/or manage the symptoms and side effects of treatment.

Before a trial is offered to patients  researchers spend years in the laboratory evaluating the trial at the cellular level and on laboratory animals.

Patients on clinical trials help researchers determine the safe dosage of treatment, record side effects,  and evaluate how the trial compares to current forms of treatment.

ICS has the support of  Genesis with research nurse Kim Turner, RN MSN to make sure all trials are approved and monitored by the Genesis Health System Institutional Review Board (IRB) as there are many guidelines to follow.  These study guidelines are called protocols.  The protocol dictates who is eligible for the study, how often drugs and treatment are to be given,  and how often tests like laboratory workup and imaging need to be performed.

As mentioned, each clinical trial’s protocol directs who can participate. The criteria often includes, but is not limited to–

  • the type and stage of the patient’s cancer,
  • patient’s age group
  • patient’s genetic history,
  • patient’s health status.

Like all treatments, there is a cost involved.  Hopefully insurances will cover the patient care costs which include doctor visits, standard cancer treatment, drugs to reduce side effects, and laboratory and imaging studies.

However, often with a study extra doctor visits along with extra laboratory and imaging workup is required to evaluate the study’s efficacy.  These costs may be paid for by the sponsor of the study.

A patient is never enrolled in a study without their knowledge.  Patient rights are protected and each patient must sign an informed consent.  If you are considering taking part in a clinical trial,  we encourage you to ask questions such as–

  • What is the purpose of the study?
  • What are the goals?
  • What are the potential risks and side effects?
  • How long will be I be on the study?
  • What is the protocol?
  • What costs am I responsible for?
  • Whatever questions and concerns you may have.

If there is not a trial available to you locally and you wish to explore this option, a search can be done for treatment elsewhere.

By choosing to take part in a clinical trial, you are taking an active part in your treatment which may, in effect, help others in their cancer journey.

However, a trial is a trial–it is not a guarantee that the treatment is better than the current standard of care.  But, it may be better than the standard of care.  As with any type of treatment, some treatments that are effective with one person may not be effective for another.

And please know,  you may leave the study at any time.

Before you agree to a study, research all your treatment options.  An informed patient is a powerful one.

Fighting Cancer with Man’s Best Friend

We’ve all heard stories of dogs saving lives whether it be alerting a family to a house fire, protecting their owner from an intruder, or saving a child from a vicious animal attack.  Now, dogs are assisting in another lifesaving way–aiding in the fight against cancer.

At twenty-two sites across the United States, clinical trials are taking place on dogs with cancer. Please note, these trials are held on dogs who have developed the disease naturally and whose owners are seeking a cure for their pet.  The cancer is not given experimentally as is most often the case with laboratory mice.

Cancer is the number one cause for death in older dogs, and the majority of cancers seen in dogs closely resemble the cancers that affect people–including their biological behavior, where it spreads, and the speed in which the cancer grows.  This is why “comparative oncology” has  recently emerged as a promising means to help cure cancer. Comparative oncology researchers study the similarities between naturally occurring cancers in dogs and cancers in people in order to provide clues on how to treat cancer more effectively.

At its core, cancer is a genetic disease.  Each breed of dog (over 400 recognized) has its own unique set of genes, and different breeds of dogs are predisposed to different types of cancer.  For example, lymphoma is more likely to affect golden retrievers.  Squamous cell carcinoma is found more often in standard poodles (but only those with black hair). Invasive bladder cancer is more likely to be found in Scotties, Westies, and Shelties.  Brain cancer (glioma) is more likely to be found in terriers, boxers, and bulldogs.  An aggressive type of bone cancer that affects children called osteosarcoma is also found in large dog breeds such as Great Danes and German shepherds.

Humans and dogs are also especially similar when it comes to the immune system.  Immunotherapy, which uses the immune system to fight cancer, has been effective in dog trials which is promising for humans.  When a trial is successful in a dog, it can move on to a human trial.  As of now four drugs have made it to a human trial.  Sutent, which is sometimes prescribed for advanced kidney cancer, is one such drug. And in 2010, the vaccine known as ONCEPT became the first cancer vaccine to be approved in the United States.  According to Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., the chief of the Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, “There’s no question that the success of the animal trials did a lot to speed up the approval process of the human trials.”

Seems to us, dogs may just be man’s best friend–and women’s, too!

Source Material:  The Veterinary Cancer Resource Center, Cancer Research Institute, Dogtime.com, NBC News, CNN

Your First Visit

It’s natural to feel apprehensive on your first visit to an oncologist’s office. We at Iowa Cancer Specialists would like to ease your anxiety and let you know what you can expect.

We are located at Genesis West Medical Center inside the Cancer Center which is just off of the glass atrium.  When you walk through the Cancer Center entry, go to the reception desk on the left side of the room where you will be greeted by one of our friendly receptionists.  Our office should have sent you forms to be filled out in advance, and this is the time to turn them in.  If you forgot to bring the forms, please plan a few extra minutes as you will be asked to fill them out again.  Also, have your insurance cards ready as well as your co-pay.  You will be asked to sign other forms that give us permission to bill your insurance and information on the patient information and privacy act. We strive to keep patient wait time to a minimum.  But, while you do wait, help yourself to the coffee, tea, or water provided in the waiting area.

When the nurse or medical assistant calls your name, you will be ushered into our exam room.  There she will have you step on and off the scale and will take your vitals.  She will ask you questions regarding the reason for your visit, habits you many have, any concerns or current health problems, and family history.

When you see the doctor, he/she will ask you more questions.  Sometimes a full physical exam is required; sometimes not—depending on the diagnosis.   Your referring physician should have sent us your records for our review.  Our doctors will go over this information with you.  We recommend you have a family member or friend with you to help you digest the information covered, as well as as notebook to write down instructions.  Be sure to ask your questions.  We want you to leave our office with all of your questions answered.

Treatment varies from individual to individual.   Of course, you may request a second opinion at any time, and we will be happy to assist you in scheduling one.

Expect our physicians to order lab work.  This is important, especially if chemotherapy is recommended.  Also, CT scans may be ordered.  These are necessary and used to evaluate how well the treatment is working.

Our physicians may order other tests as well.  This is because not all cancers are the same, nor do they respond the same way to treatment.  It is important for us to gather as much information to determine how to best treat you.

For your convenience, we have a lab in our office if blood work is ordered. Also, we have an in-clinic dispensary to assist in filling your prescriptions.

We will keep your referring physician updated on your progress.  We are always available to answer any questions.

Having a cancer diagnosis is stressful enough.  Our goal is to make this journey as easy as possible.