Cancer Experience Registry

  It is such a pleasure to write this morning about the Cancer Experience Registry, a program of the Cancer Support Community. The Cancer Support Community (www.cancersupportcommunity.org) is the name of the merged Wellness Community and Gilda's Club, and provides a multitude of support and educational services to cancer patients and their families at their many affiliates around the country. The Registry has been developed by their Research and Training Institute to identify and advance the understanding of the emotional and social needs of people who have been diagnosed with all kinds of cancer. Read more... Comments (0)

Sex and Cancer

  I have written many times before about sexuality and cancer. The bottom line is that cancer is never a sexual aide, that a diagnosis and treatment impacts intimacy for everyone, and that it is not talked about as much as it should be. For most people with a new diagnosis, worries about sex are not at the top of the worry list; there are exceptions, but most of us are more distressed about possibly dying, the impact on our children, worrying about chemo and hair loss and nausea, professional issues, etc. It is also usually not at the top of our doctors' lists as there are so many things to discuss in the relatively brief appointment times. And, of course, are doctors are human and not all are so comfortable talking about sex. In our practice, I know that one of the common reasons for a referral to me is sexual concerns--expressed to the oncologist and quickly referred. Read more... Comments (0)

Same Issues in England

  It is always comforting to me to realize that others share our concerns. There is nothing surprising in this article from the BBC about survivorship issues in England and the need for physicians to expand the conversation beyond the specific medical concerns. People completing cancer treatment the world over must share the same worries about returning to work, families, sexuality, energy, etc. The health care system is somewhat different in Britain, and GPs (general practitioners, similar to our PCPs) seem to do more of the oncology follow up than is generally true in the US. Studies here have suggested that women who are followed by their PCPs after breast cancer treatment do just as well as those who continue to see their medical oncologists, but that is generally not the system. I suspect, in the era of more attention to costs, that may become increasingly true here, too. It is less expensive to see the PCP than to see a specialist.

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Talking with our Children

  I have written before about talking with our children, but the topic has been active this week in Boston as parents have wondered and worried about how to discuss the bombing and its aftermath with their families. The basic rules, I think, apply to any crisis or problem or difficult situation: use honest, age appropriate information and raise the subject more than once, in a way that can be explored or kept short. Read more... Comments (0)

Coping Differences between Straight and Sexual Minority Women

  It is always dangerous to make sweeping (or even semi-sweeping) generalizations, and that surely applies to any assumptions about coping. I have read a number of article through the years that compare the Quality of Life (QOL) or coping of straight vs lesbian women with breast cancer, but this study is the first I have seen that breaks it down even further. Speaking only from a perspective of clinical observation, I would be hard pressed to make any statements about differences among groups. Of course, different women process a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment very differently, but I could not generalize about particular groups or populations. The variables have always seemed to be related to the individual and her unique perspectives, resources, and life experiences. Read more... Comments (0)