Bladder cancer: What is a survivor? By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men. When detected early, it is considered highly treatable.1 In 2021, about 83,000 people were expected to be diagnosed with bladder cancer (64,280 in men and 19,450 in women).2 Ninety percent of [...]
Melanoma a “fake cancer”? — Public perception and research strides By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH In a discussion of melanoma on Inspire, a caregiver said to fellow members: The doctors and drug companies are making tremendous strides in the treatment of this terrible disease!! Her message of hope resonates strongly today. Unfortunately, [...]
Are we moving beyond Levodopa for Parkinson’s Disease? By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH In November, the American Academy of Neurologists (AAN) updated their 2002 guidelines for treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) with dopaminergic drugs (drugs that improve dopamine release). The preeminent drug for treatment of early Parkinson’s, levodopa, creates the dopamine neurotransmitter [...]
Beating back chronic myelogenous leukemia By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH A patient feels fine, but a routine complete blood count (CBC) test reveals an unusually high white blood cell count. High white blood cell counts may result from many conditions, but if it’s accompanied by other signs such as high or low [...]
"Still alive and kicking" - The importance of sickle cell disease clinical trial awareness By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a rare disease: an inherited and incurable blood disorder that causes red blood cells to be misshapen and rigid, affecting their ability to provide oxygen to tissues. Their [...]
New classes of psoriatic arthritis drugs in clinical trials show promise By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting approximately one to two percent of the population. While psoriasis causes red and scaly patches on the skin, PsA creates mild to severe pain and swelling of [...]
Epilepsy can happen to anyone at any age By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Seizures are frightening for those who have them, for their loved ones and for onlookers. Descriptions of epilepsy go back as far as the Sumerians in 2500 BC. Expressing awe and dread, Babylonians, in 1050 BC, called seizures “ṣibtu” [...]
Updates from ASCO and ESMO 2021 Add to Successes in Hodgkin Lymphoma Research and Treatment By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH In 1832 Sir Thomas Hodgkin described a morbid condition of the glands and spleen which in 1865 was named Hodgkin disease by Samuel Wilkes. It was a fatal disease. Yet it has [...]
Impressive Advances in Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most prevalent form of adult leukemia, with about 20,000 new diagnoses per year in the United States alone.1 While it can occur at earlier ages, it is primarily a disease of older adults, with [...]
Undertreated Psoriasis Patients Need Answers By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH A 2021 study concluded that psoriasis continues to be a common inflammatory disease, affecting more than 7.5 million adults in the US alone -- 3.0% of the US adult population.1 By far the most common form (80% of cases)2 is plaque psoriasis, [...]
