Volume 2, Number 2 (March/April 2005)

Letter from the Editor

107

Oncology EMR comes of age

Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, Editor-in-Chief

The West Clinic, Memphis, TN

Laptops, BlackBerry phones and handhelds, iPods, electronic banking—we’re immersed in technology. But medicine has been a later adopter of the technological revolution. That is changing quickly as more clinicians, including oncologists, hook up with electronic medical record systems.

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Community Translations

111

Thalidomide in multiple myeloma

Summary by Matt Stenger, MS; reviewed by Steve Tucker, MD, Compassionate Oncology Medical Group, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

First used as a sedative, tranquilizer, and antiemetic for morning sickness in the 1950s, thalidomide gained a notorious reputation for the birth defects it caused. Never approved for use by the FDA except in leprosy, the drug fell into disfavor—until recently, when it proved effective in treating multiple myeloma.

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Challenging Cases/Rare Cancers

117

Breast cancer presenting in aberrant axillary breast tissue

Jennifer R. Bakker, MD, Dahlia M. Sataloff, MD, and Helen M. Haupt, MD

University of Pennsylvania and Graduate and Pennsylvania Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA

Aberrant axillary breast tissue can occur anywhere along the embryonic mammary streak. The tissue responds to hormonal influences and is at risk for breast disease. But little information exists on treating these patients. The authors report their experience with one case and review the literature.

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Economics/Practice Management

127

Preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: the economic implications of choosing antiemetics

Gordon J. Vanscoy, PharmD,¹ Barry Fortner, PhD,² Randall Smith, PhD,³ Robert Weber, MS,⁴ and Thomas L. Rihn, PharmD⁵

¹University Pharmacotherapy Associates, LLC, Monroeville, PA; ²Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network/Supportive Oncology Services, Memphis, TN; ³University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA; ⁴University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA; and ⁵University Pharmacotherapy Associates, LLC, Monroeville, PA

Despite significant improvements in controlling acute emesis with first-generation serotonin receptor antagonists, recent data show that both acute and delayed nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy remain a concern. The authors offer an analysis of the economic and practice implications of choosing an antiemetic regimen.

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Practice Survival Skills

135

The baptism

Myron Goldsmith, MD

Huntington Beach, CA

Could a Jewish doctor become an instrument of salvation by helping baptize a woman dying of advanced lung cancer?

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Psychosocial Oncology

138

Breaking bad news: the S-P-I-K-E-S strategy

Robert A. Buckman, MD, PhD

Princess Margaret Hospital and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

It’s one of the most difficult tasks oncologists face—and one for which they are poorly trained. Although breaking bad news to patients will never be easy, having a plan of action that is both compassionate and effective helps considerably.

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Community Dialogue

145

Straight talk on alternative and complementary therapies

Community Oncology interviews Barrie R. Cassileth, PhD, Chief, Integrative Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

What do you do when a patient comes in with a list of supplements he or she wants to take to reduce pain, nausea, or fatigue? We talk with a renowned expert who looks to the scientific evidence.

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Technology

157

Electronic medical records: taking the plunge

We asked four practitioners to give Community Oncology readers the benefit of their experience in adopting EMR systems: the false starts, the do-overs, and the happy endings.

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Controversies in Patient Management

173

Is oncology compatible with specialty pharmacy?

Dawn G. Holcombe, FACMPE, ACHE, MBA

Oncology Network of Connecticut, LLC, South Windsor, CT

With the large amounts of money being spent on oncology drugs, specialty pharmacy wants in on the act. But can it deliver the goods? Where oncology is concerned, says this expert, specialty pharmacy is not ready for prime time.

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Washington Update

187

Medicare changes must be made now

Ted Okon

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Reader Services

184

Guide for Authors

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