Cover Up and Protect with SPF Clothing

Colleen Bronstein is a melanoma and breast cancer survivor, mother, artist, entrepreneur and a contributor to the Focus On Cancer blog. After her melanoma diagnosis in 1999, Colleen started her own business, Sun Threadz, which promotes skin cancer awareness and protection with clothing designed to protect skin from the sun’s harmful rays. As a melanoma survivor I understand the need to protect myself when I am exposed to the sun. I love the beach...

Read More

10 Farmers Markets in Philadelphia and New Jersey

A diet rich in a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is important for cancer prevention, not to mention it’s trendy too. An increasing number of farmers have been making their way to Philadelphia and its surrounding areas as a part of a nation-wide movement to buy local. Did you know most of the fresh fruits and vegetables you purchase in your supermarket have already spent as many as seven to 14 days in transit? Once produce is picked, it stops...

Read More

Diagnosing and Staging Lymphedema

Cancer-related lymphedema is characterized as secondary lymphedema since it is ‘secondary to’ known damage to the lymphatic system due to surgery and/or radiation associated with the treatment of cancer. There are very few medical tests that are valuable in the diagnosis of lymphedema. The diagnosis is made primarily based on an extensive and accurate medical history and physical examination. Lymphoscinitgraphy is one diagnostic test that may be...

Read More

Treating Lymphedema in Lower Extremities

Lymphedema is a possible complication of cancer treatment. While it is a well known complication after breast cancer treatment with swelling in the arm or chest wall, lymphedema can also occur in the lower half of the body after treatment for cancers in abdomen and pelvis.     What is lymphedema?The body’s lymphatic system performs several important functions. Drains protein and excessive fluid from the tissuesHelps to digest fatWorks...

Read More

A Sister’s Journey: Cancer Treatment

Caroline (left) with her sister.Cassandra Hogue is a guest contributor to the Focus On Cancer blog. Cassandra’s sister was treated at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. Through her sister’s surgery, several rounds of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and most recently, proton therapy, Cassandra has been a solid source of support and comfort for her sister. My sister Caroline began cancer treatment at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, two months after she...

Read More

Cancer-fighting Foods: Rosemary-Lemon White Bean Dip

This cancer-fighting recipe for Rosemary-Lemon White Bean Dip is perfect to take to a summer picnic or party. And, it's healthy.Limonene, a compound shown to have anti-cancer properties in laboratory animals, is found in the rind of the lemon. Rosemary and garlic have a number of phytochemicals with bacteria killing and cancer-fighting properties.Cannellini beans are a high in fiber and protein. They also contain B6, which may contribute to maintenance...

Read More

Who is at Risk for Pancreatic Cancer?

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s Focus On Pancreatic Cancer Conference. In this blog, she recaps the conference. You can view the conference in its entirety, including presentations here.Approximately five to 10 percent of pancreatic cancer is considered to be familial, or hereditary.  For those who have a family history of pancreatic cancer or one of several genetically linked syndromes that predispose them to pancreatic cancer, it is very important to identify that risk and get appropriate...

Read More

Learn About New Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer

Join Penn Medicine and 6 ABC News for a webchat about advances in prostate cancer treatment, and treatment options for prostate cancer available at Penn Medicine. Chief of the Division of Urology Alan Wein, MD, PhD (Hon), and Chief of Genitourinary Service, Department of Radiation Oncology Neha Vapiwala, MD, will discuss proton therapy for prostate cancer, as well as the many options for prostate cancer treatment at Penn Medicine. Date: Thursday,...

Read More

"Good Morning America" Host Reveals She Has Blood Disorder

Last week, "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts revealed Monday she has myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) a blood and bone marrow disorder characterized by the production of blood cells. The 51-year-old co-host says she developed MDS after treatment for breast cancer in 2007. Selina Luger, MD, is director of the leukemia program at Penn Medicine. She says previous cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiation can be a risk factor for developing...

Read More

This Father's Day: Forever Filled With Gratitude

Frank Jr., and his dad. In 2010, Frank McKee was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He chose to have proton therapy at Penn Medicine for prostate cancer, and today, lives a full life with his family and friends. In this blog post, his son, Frank McKee, Jr., talks about what it was like to watch his father overcome prostate cancer with proton therapy treatment at Penn. I’ll never forget the moment my dad told me he had prostate cancer. I was leaving...

Read More

This Father's Day: The Hardest Thing I’ve Had to Do

Robert Lustig, MD, is professor of radiation oncology at Penn Medicine, prostate cancer survivor and proton beam therapy patient. At Penn, Dr. Lustig was able to have proton therapy for prostate cancer at the Abramson Cancer Center. In this blog, he discusses his diagnosis, and how difficult it was to tell his kids he had cancer. A few years ago I went to the urologist for a problem unrelated to my prostate. I was not at all concerned about prostate...

Read More

Should You Tell Your Child About Your Cancer Diagnosis?

Ruth Steinman, MD, is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the Abramson Cancer Center. Here, Dr. Steinman discusses ways to tell children of all ages about a cancer diagnosis.Many parents feel overwhelmed about their cancer diagnosis and how it affects their families, especially their children. They may wonder what they should tell their children, or how their children will react to their cancer diagnosis. Each child copes with a parent’s...

Read More

Young Friends Fund Young Faculty

Dr. Julia Tchou with son at a Young Friends event. Chef Daniel Stern has helped lead the revolution in Philadelphia’s restaurant scene as chef at some of the city’s premier restaurants — Le Bec Fin, Gayle, Rae, R2L and Mid-Atlantic. Together with wife, Jennifer, co-chairs Robert Blumenthal, Jonathan Feinberg, David Goldstein, Maria Papadakis, and honorary co-chairs, Judy Abramson Felgoise, Marcy A. Shoemaker, and Nancy A. Wolfson, Stern is...

Read More

Understanding How Pancreatic Cancer Spreads

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s Focus On Pancreatic Cancer Conference. In this blog, she recaps the conference. You can view the conference in its entirety, including presentations here.The ability of cancer cells to invade neighboring tissue and spread to distant organs, called metastasis, is what makes pancreatic cancer such a dangerous and potentially deadly disease. How does metastasis occur? When do cancer cells start to spread? Metastasis is a very complex, multistep process that...

Read More

The Benefits of Protein

In this video, Debra DeMille, MS, RD, CSO, registered dietitian and nutritional counselor at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center, discusses the benefits of eating protein and offers tips for choosing and cooking meat, fish and other sources of protein....

Read More

Maintain Oral Health During Cancer Treatment

Elizabeta Evtimovska, DDS, MS, is a maxillofacial prosthodontist at Penn. In this article, she discusses complications from treatments for head and neck cancer, and how patients can prevent long-term side effects of head and neck cancer treatment. Head and neck radiation and chemotherapy can cause a range of short and long-term oral complications. The acute complications such as mucositis (sores) and infections, as well as others are managed by...

Read More

Learn More About Thyroid Cancer and Thyroid Cancer Treatments

Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center invites patients, family members and anyone interested in learning about thyroid cancer risk, diagnosis and treatment to attend Focus on Thyroid Cancer. Focus on Thyroid Cancer is a free educational conference featuring Penn’s leading thyroid cancer experts with specialties in surgery, endocrinology, pathology, cytology and nuclear medicine.Penn’s Focus on Thyroid Cancer Conference addresses the personal and medical issues facing people with thyroid cancer including those in treatment, survivors, their loved ones,...

Read More

Improving Results for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s Focus On Pancreatic Cancer Conference. In this blog, she recaps the conference. You can view the conference in its entirety, including presentations here.Anyone who has been affected by pancreatic cancer, either as a patient, caregiver or member of the treatment team, knows pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages and to treat effectively. Pancreatic cancer often grows silently, and the symptoms pancreatic tumors cause are similar to...

Read More

How Do You Fit in Exercise?

Whether we work full time or manage a house full family, everyone is busy. Finding time to work out and fit in fitness isn’t always easy to do, but it is important for your health, and to set a good example for your family, children and friends. Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, FACSM, is an associate professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the mom of two teens who works 60 to 70 hours a week, and still...

Read More