It's Great to be Back | Listen to Audio
It’s great to be back for Cancer Answers on WSB—I’ve got so much to tell you about!
April marks Cancer Awareness month, so let me share some of the ways Georgia Cancer Specialists is helping improve cancer care in Georgia.
Since we last spoke…
- GCS has opened more offices in rural and outlying communities so that patients throughout the state have access to the very best in care.
- We’ve continued our commitment to research by offering the latest clinical trials—like one looking at GVAX, a prostate cancer vaccine that could someday prevent the disease.
- GCS also launched a free web site—ChemoOrders.com—that will revolutionize cancer care by streamlining the chemotherapy prescription process for doctors, nurses, and patients.
This is Dr. Bruce Feinberg. Be well.
Breast Cancer | Listen to Audio
With Cancer Awareness month in full swing, it’s only natural to talk about breast cancer.
That’s because the last 20 years has seen an unprecedented breast cancer awareness movement that has helped us prevent, live with, and beat the disease as never before.
Georgia Cancer Specialists is proud of our commitment to fighting breast cancer.
In Metro Atlanta alone, our practice has 14 renowned female oncologists specializing in breast cancer prevention and treatment. Every doctor works closely with nurses, nutritionists, and wellness counselors who offer patients the team approach they deserve.
Georgia Cancer Specialists is the Breast Cancer Answer for women in Douglasville and Conyers, Alpharetta and Fayetteville—and dozens of communities in between. Last year alone, more than 1,500 recently diagnosed women trusted us with their care.
This is Dr. Bruce Feinberg be well.
Breast Cancer 2
Last week I spoke about Georgia Cancer Specialists’ 14 female oncologists and our commitment to being Metro Atlanta’s Breast Cancer Answer.
As part of that commitment, we use a unique and standardized treatment approach for the thousands of breast cancer patients who entrust us with their care each year.
Every patient is different, of course, but everyone deserves the very best from their treatment team. That’s what Georgia Cancer Specialists strives to offer.
The 10-step method—developed by our doctors, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, and wellness staff—is a road map to comprehensive, compassionate, and collaborative care.
It includes communicating openly with our patients, working with specialists outside of our practice when advantageous, and drawing on the latest information and technologies to make important treatment decisions.
This is Dr. Bruce Feinberg. Be well.
Second Opinions | Listen to Audio
Let’s talk about “second opinions.” Patients often avoid them so as not to insult their doctor. Doctors often think they’re a last ditch effort to overturn an accurate but undesirable diagnosis.
But patients who seek second opinions are taking positive steps to improve their health. This is certainly true with cancer.
What we call cancer is actually several hundred different diseases, and each one of them can behave differently from patient to patient.
At Georgia Cancer Specialists, we believe informed patients who are active in their care will be healthier and happier for it. That’s why we communicate the full range of treatment options to our patients, and we value their input.
If you have questions about your diagnosis or treatment plan, a GCS doctor is available to see you, review your records, and help you make important decisions about your care; or go to our Ask the Doc page.
This is Dr. Bruce Feinberg. Be well.
Community Cancer Care | Listen to Audio
Imagine if you had to drive to downtown Atlanta to surf the Internet or talk on your cell phone? What if nobody outside of 285 could watch TV or play video games?
If you think that’s crazy, consider a world where access to vital cancer treatments was equally limited.
Believe it or not, that was recently the case in Georgia.
For years and years, patients throughout Georgia had to drive to downtown Atlanta several times a week to receive life-saving care.
At Georgia Cancer Specialists, we didn’t think that was right.
That’s why for the past 20 years we’ve been opening treatment centers in outlying and rural areas like Blue Ridge, Hawkinsville, Villa Rica, Greensboro—17 in all.
Now, the latest treatments, clinical trials, and wellness services are available to patients outside the perimeter and well beyond.
And, I almost forgot: Georgia Cancer Specialists has 15 offices serving Metro Atlanta, too.
This is Dr. Feinberg. Be well.
ChemoOrders.com | Listen to Audio
What we call cancer is actually 200 complicated diseases that may be local, regional, or advanced and require surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Meanwhile, an expanding cancer treatment arsenal has produced more cures, but also more choices and complexity for physicians making treatment decisions.
So how do cancer doctors keep up to date and determine each patient’s individualized treatment needs?
With this question in mind, Georgia Cancer Specialists developed ChemoOrders.com—a free, online system that helps doctors and nurses prescribe the most up to date therapy to their patients in a more accurate and efficient manner.
ChemoOrders.com produces print-ready, patient-specific—validated and verified—chemotherapy orders with all the supporting documents, based on physician-entered vital signs and disease information. It’s a touch-of-the-button access to everything patients and doctors need for a successful treatment experience.
This is Dr. Bruce Feinberg. Be well.
Rising Cancer Drug Costs | Listen to Audio
According to a recent AP story, cancer drugs are getting so expensive that some doctors are receiving training on how to talk to patients who cannot afford the life-saving treatments they need.
This is a sad comment on the current state of our healthcare system.
As with all major challenges, a solution is achievable, but only through a combination of collaborative and individual action.
More and more, leaders from each side of the aisle are working together to provide accessible, effective, and affordable healthcare. This is to be commended.
But what about you?
For starters, you can take preventative measures against cancer, get screened regularly, and support cancer research initiatives.
Doing so will reduce the number of advanced cancers that are difficult and expensive to treat, and will help us find better, more affordable treatment options. There is no better example than colon cancer, where screening colonoscopies can save thousands of lives and billions of dollars.
This is Dr. Bruce Feinberg. Be well.
