Tag Archive for: comorbid conditions

How Can Your Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Care Team Help in Treatment Decisions?

How Can Your Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Care Team Help in Treatment Decisions? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treatment decisions be aided by your care team? Expert Dr. Nirav Shah from the Medical College of Wisconsin explains key factors that help guide treatment decisions and how some patient characteristics may alter dosing and treatment approaches.

Dr. Nirav Shah is an Associate Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Learn more about Dr. Shah.

[ACT]IVATION TIP:

“..try to come up with an individualized treatment plan that meets the needs of your disease and your situation.”

See More from [ACT]IVATED DLBCL

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Related Resources:

How Is Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Explained to a Newly Diagnosed Patient

How Is Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Explained to a Newly Diagnosed Patient?

When Should CAR-T Therapy Be Considered for Relapsed_Refractory DLBCL Patients

When Should CAR-T Therapy Be Considered for Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL Patients

Is Stem Cell Transplantation Still a Treatment Option for Some DLBCL Patients

Is Stem Cell Transplantation Still a Treatment Option for Some DLBCL Patients


Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield: 

So, Dr. Shah, how do you work with your DLBCL patients in helping them make treatment decisions, and what should they consider when they are making their treatment decisions? 

Dr. Nirav N. Shah:

 It’s a great question, Lisa. I think that in the current area that we’re practicing, the term I use is one size doesn’t fit all. I really try to meet with the patient, understand number one, their disease, so the biology of their disease, what subtype or phenotype is it, what stage is it presenting in. Then I try to think about the actual patient characteristics, what are their goals of care, what is their age, and what are their comorbid conditions that may impact our ability to treat them and other factors, social factors. Do they have a support system? What is the distance that they’re driving to come here to be able to get treated here, and so I take all of this information together and try to come up with the best treatment option that is available for that patient.

Now again, the majority of people are going to get common regimen such as R-CHOP chemotherapy, which is one of the standard of care for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but even within them, there are different ways you can administer it if you’re a particularly older patient or have a lot of medical problems. And so I really believe in trying to individualize the treatment plan for the patient, because each one of us are different, and how we tolerate things and what our body has been through in the past is going to impact how we’re going to be able to handle a specific treatment. And so my activation tip to patients about this is to try to come up with an individualized treatment plan that meets the needs of your disease and your situation.


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What Are Common Barriers to Clinical Trials Access?

What Are Common Barriers to Clinical Trial Access? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Clinical trials are key to the approval of new breast cancer treatments. But what factors could prevent some patients from participating? Expert Dr. Jame Abraham reviews common barriers and emphasizes the commitment of the oncology community to improving trial access.

Dr. Jame Abraham is the chairman of the Department of Hematology & Medical Oncology at Cleveland Clinic and professor of medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Abraham.

See More from Breast Cancer Clinical Trials 201

Related Resources:

What Should You Know Before Participating in a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial?

Should Breast Cancer Patients Consider a Clinical Trial?

When Should Breast Cancer Patients Consider a Clinical Trial?

When Should Breast Cancer Patients Consider a Clinical Trial?


Transcript:

Katherine:

Dr. Abraham, what are barriers to accessing clinical trials?  

Dr. Abraham:

That’s a really good question. I think we need to continue to work on breaking down the barriers. And the most common barrier is, wherever she, or he, are going for the treatment, they don’t have access to a client. There’s no trial available. The second, let’s just say, if I can say, the lack of awareness from the provider, or the patient’s side, about the importance of trial. And then, third, some trials can be complicated. So, it requires multiple appointments, or multiple trips to the doctor’s office, or the hospital, or the cancer center. So, that may not be feasible for everybody. Somebody has limited access, limited support, it can be tough. 

And then, let’s just say, that people have comorbid conditions, if I can say. Other conditions, heart disease, or other things, or they’re not able to be more active, and some of those things, can make that person ineligible for a trial. 

So, there are a number of things, potentially, can be barriers, but I think, as an oncology community, as cancer centers, we need to continue to work on optimizing, or breaking down, these barriers.  

As a nation, we have a huge – we have a lot of work in addressing the disparities in cancer care.

As you know, where you’re born, and it can be innercity, Cleveland, innercity, Detroit, or it can be in the Appalachia, where you’re born, and what’s your access to healthcare, that plays a major role. 

And, of course, your race, and your education, I know that plays a major role in access to healthcare, and then, able to continue with treatment, and that plays a similar role in clinical trials, too. So, the number of patients entering clinical trials from different race, especially African American patients, are less, compared to the other patient population. So, there is a lot of work, need to be done, in addressing the disparities in cancer care, in general, and especially clinical trials. 

Katherine:

And I imagine that’s a focus for many of the people working on trials?  

Dr. Abraham:

It’s a focus for National Cancer Institute, it’s a focus for all the cancer centers, absolutely.