As oncology treatments continue to evolve and change over time, so do various treatment options available. Clinical trials present the opportunity to use new treatment options that are still being studied and not approved by the FDA, clinical trials may compare a new treatment to a treatment that is already available as well. Thanks to science and the fascinating arena of clinical trials, some patients now have a plethora of options available to treat their cancer, should you meet the various inclusion criteria of a trial and are able to find one located near you.

We are excited to be able to share the following article provided by a member of the GRACE Fellows Ambassador Program, Dr. Arjun Gupta.

The article, originally written for JAMA Oncology, is an amazing and warm piece about Dr. Gupta's experience with his first patient as a first-year oncology fellow.  To view the full article on the JAMA website, please follow this link, or scroll down to see the full text.  

From the Grace Archives | Originally Published January 4, 2010 | By Dr Harman | 5 Comments

What is palliative care? I get this question at least once a day, not only from patients and families but also from other clinicians. While many GRACE members are familiar with palliative care, there still exists a lot of confusion out there about what palliative care exactly is. To be honest, back when I started medical school, I didn’t know what it was myself.

GRACE is excited to bring to you more in our new series on surviving with cancer

From the Grace Archives | Originally Published May 6, 2011 | By Dr West 

This is a difficult topic for many people to think about, and especially to bring up in a public forum, but people still want and need to know what they might expect as they or someone they care for are declining. It is understandable to fear the unknown, and to fear suffering. I would say that there are a few leading points here:

1) Most patients don’t suffer much as their cancer progresses and as they transition through the dying process.

From the Grace Archives | Originally Published March 10, 2011 | By Dr Ramchandran 

From the Grace Archives | Originally published August 12, 2012 | By Dr West 

GRACE is excited to bring to you more in our new series on surviving with cancer

From the Grace Archives | Originally Published November 12, 2014 | By Dr. Weiss

Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer; 85% of lung cancer patients have smoked at some point in their lives (or, stated another way, 15% of lung cancer patients have never smoked).  While quitting smoking certainly decreases the risk of getting lung cancer, more than half of lung cancer happens in people who have quit. 

From the Grace Archives | Originally Published November 13, 2014 | By Dr. Weiss 

Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer – 85% of lung cancer patients have smoked at some point in their lives (or, stated another way, 15% of lung cancer patients have never smoked).  While quitting smoking certainly decreases the risk of getting lung cancer, more than half of lung cancer happens in people who have quit.  

Reason #3 to not blame the lung cancer patient: