New Treatments for Pancreatic Cancer

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2013- Focus on Pancreatic Cancer Conference. In this blog, she discusses treatments for pancreatic cancer including proton therapy for pancreatic cancer. “Penn is setting the standard in terms of survival and outcomes for pancreatic cancer.”Ursina Teitelbaum, MD, medical oncologist at Penn MedicineChanging the Paradigm for ChemotherapyIn opening her talk...

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Esophageal Cancer: "You Don't Have to Go Through It Alone"

As a teenager, Rick Megaro had heartburn a lot. He managed it with over-the-counter medications, but it always came back. He just figured he would have to live with it. When he was 28, Rick began to have difficulty swallowing, and made an appointment with his doctor. “He figured I was eating too fast, and advised me to slow down my eating and cut my food into smaller bites,” remembers Rick. “A few years later, I had a lot of trouble eating spaghetti,...

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A Toast to Hope and Progress at the 10th Annual Focus on Melanoma Conference

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2013- Focus Melanoma and CAN Prevent Skin Cancer Conferences. In this blog, she discusses advances in melanoma treatment and research. Lynn Schuchter, MD, had to delay her presentation, ”10 Years, Reflections on the Journey,” while The Broad Street Line, a men’s a cappella group from Temple University, began serenading the conference chair and program leader for Penn’s Melanoma Program with their version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.No song, and no moment,...

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The Abramson Cancer Center Welcomes Dr. Weber as Director of the Sarcoma Program

The Abramson Cancer Center is pleased to welcome Kristy L. Weber, MD as the new director of the sarcoma program at the Abramson Cancer Center, chief of orthopaedic oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and vice chair of faculty affairs in the department of orthopaedic surgery. After receiving her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Weber completed an orthopaedic residency at the University...

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What You Need to Know about Testicular Cancer

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month. In this blog, Barbara Zoltick, RN, discusses testicular cancer, who is at risk and how to perform a self-exam to check for the most common cancer for men between 15 and 35.Barbara Zoltick, RNBarbara Zoltick, RN, is an onocolgy nurse practitioner at the Abramson Cancer Center. Barbara has more than 30 years experience caring for patients with urologic cancers including testicular cancer. She has authored peer-reviewed...

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Penn Medicine Helps Patients Battle Cancer with Proton Therapy

Kathy Brandt is a lung cancer survivor who thanks her doctors at Penn Medicine for saving her life. Kathy had proton therapy for lung cancer at Penn.The main reason Kathy went to Penn Medicine for lung cancer treatment was because Penn Medicine offered Kathy a radiation treatment that no one else in the region could – proton therapy for lung cancer, under the same roof as all of her other treatments.“They offer proton therapy for lung cancer, which was especially important to me. I was concerned about the scatter from radiation, and proton therapy...

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How Much Sunscreen Should I Use?

At the 10th Annual Focus on Melanoma Conference, Penn Dermatologist Chris Miller, MD, said, “If you haven’t gone through a bottle of sunscreen throughout the summer season, you didn’t use enough sunscreen.”Right now, the beginning of the summer, is a great time to refresh your knowledge about SPF, sunscreen and how to apply sunscreen correctly. What is SPF?The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) displayed on the sunscreen label ranges from 2 to as high as...

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The American Cancer Society Turns 100

This May, the American Cancer Society celebrated its 100th birthday. To celebrate, and honor cancer survivors, the American Cancer Society is featuring 100 stories from everyday people who are helping to finish the fight against cancer.Here at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, we also have stories of people finishing the fight. From the cancer researchers who are making life-changing discoveries in the lab, to the physicians who are bringing those...

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Survivor Strong: Celebrate Cancer Survivor’s Day With These Inspirational Stories

Cancer Survivor’s Day was this month - a day to celebrate life with and after cancer. Every person diagnosed with cancer is considered a survivor, and we thought it would be inspirational to share some stories of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center survivors. “Thank you for saving my life.”Susan Bolinger of Elverson, PA, had a nagging sore throat that wouldn’t go away. After a tonsillectomy revealed she had tonsil cancer, she had a tonsil dissection, and...

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Celebrating Father's Day With Stories of Hope

Father's Day is Sunday, and to celebrate all the men and fathers in our lives who are cancer survivors, we are sharing stories from fathers and sons.If you are a father, or have a man in your life you'd like to honor this Father's Day, please join us on our Facebook page, and share your own words of inspiration. "Forever filled with gratitude."Frank McKee, Jr., talks about what it was like to watch his father overcome prostate cancer with proton...

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PSA Levels and Prostate Cancer

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month. In this blog, we discuss prostate cancer, and how rising prostate-stimulating antigen, or PSA, levels can indicate the presence of prostate cancer. The prostate gland produces a protein called prostate-stimulating antigen, or PSA.Often, PSA levels will begin to rise before there are any symptoms of prostate cancer. Sometimes, an abnormal digital rectal exam may be the only sign of prostate cancer (even if the...

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Support Prostate Cancer Research in 2013 Gary Papa Run

According to the National Cancer Institute, 1 in 6 American males are affected by prostate cancer today. They estimate that 2013 will see 238, 590 new cases diagnosed as well.To raise greater awareness support for the fight against prostate cancer, Penn Urology and Radiation Oncology doctors will be joined by staff, family and friends for the 11th Annual Gary Papa Run on Father's Day, June 16 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.To register as a team member or team sponsor, please visit www.garypaparun.comand join the Penn Urology/Penn Radiation Oncology...

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Penn Physician Gets Serenaded by Broad Street Line

Chief of Hematology/Oncology at Penn Medicine Lynn Schuchter, MD, was serenaded by The Broad Street Line, a men’s a cappella group from Temple University, at the 10th Focus On Melanoma Conference. The group surprised her as they began singing and coming on stage while seated in the audience for the conference. They sang “Over the Rainbow” and “All My Life” to Dr. Schuchter, who watched (and danced) alongside the group. Watch the Broad Street Line’s performance below. Penn’s Focus On Melanoma Conference addresses the personal and medical issues...

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What’s New in Pancreatic Cancer Research?

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2013- Focus on Pancreatic Cancer Conference. In this blog, she discusses new advancements in pancreatic cancer research. Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD, at the 2nd FO Pancreatic CancerStarving Pancreatic CancersWhat do pancreatic cancers require to “feed” themselves? How can that information be used to design new treatments for this disease? Greg Beatty, MD, PhD,...

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