Opinion
Whose needs come first – the patient’s or the trial’s?
“Not eligible.” The two words that took away everything reverberated in her mind.
Opinion
Dear Marisol
I know you don’t remember me. We met when you were just a baby. Now that you’re older, I want to tell you a story about your mom you may not know...
Opinion
Blast crisis, no crisis? Caring for the apathetic patient
There’s no right or wrong or sensible reaction to cancer. There’s only a swirl of messy, overwhelming feelings. It’s trying to bring effective...
Opinion
Doctor, will you please lie to me?
Looking for hope in the face of terrible news is a common reaction. It’s natural. We tend to be optimists, and we look for a silver lining. We...
Opinion
Charity case
I deliver a lot of bad news in oncology, but I usually get to blame the disease. What I hate perhaps even more is the other type of bad news: We...
Opinion
Aftermath
It was Marty who showed me, early in my career, what happens after leukemia. I frequently see related issues in my patients now, and I credit...
Opinion
Should doctors disclose preliminary results?
False alarms are terrifying, and false reassurance is cruel, yet all the while, excessive waiting can feel excruciating.
Opinion
Gatekeeper
Many people with metastatic cancer say they wouldn’t want invasive treatment near the end of life. But how do we know when it’s the end?
Opinion
Information overload
Once a patient hears “cancer,” they often stop listening. We could go on, spelling out the next steps and treatment options. But patients usually...
Opinion
The oncologist’s dilemma
What do you do when the evidence doesn’t line up with the patient’s wishes?
Article
When is the right time to stop treatment?
Patients often face a trade-off of more suffering with a small chance at remission, versus accepting no chance of cure but feeling well for as...
News
Am I going to die?
In the debut column of Hard Questions, Dr. Ilana Yurkiewicz explores thorny issues of patient care as she pursues her hematology and oncology...