Cancer

Defining Benign vs. Malignant Palpable Masses

Richard Lackman, MD, FACS, chair of orthopaedic surgery and director of the Sarcoma Center of Excellence at the Abramson Cancer Center, discusses how to ensure a proper diagnosis when a patient presents doctors with a palpable mass. Is pain often a false gauge of severity? Dr. Lackman speaks about treatment modalities for a variety of palpable masses. When should patients be referred to a specialist?

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Aired: October 20, 2008
Length: 13 min

Renal Cell Carcinoma and Partial Nephrectomy

C. William Schwab II, MD, discusses how in certain cases of renal cell cancer, patients are now given the option of partial nephrectomy, as opposed to complete kidney removal. Is this a viable alternative for your patients?

Host Dr. Lee Freedman talks with Dr. Schwab, assistant professor of surgery in the division of urology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, about recent advances toward increasing the efficacy of this procedure.

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Aired: October 13, 2008
Length: 13 min

Progress in Diagnosis and Treatment of Esophageal Cancer

Francis Spitz, MD, associate professor in the division of surgical oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, discusses the diagnosis of esophageal cancer and how it has typically warranted a grim outlook, but prognosis is improving in many respects.

Dr. Fritz speaks about advances in diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer with host Dr. Lee Freedman. Whom should we screen for the disease? Once diagnosed, what are the likely prospects for a full return to functionality?

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Aired: September 1, 2008
Length: 13 min

The Promise of Proton Therapy

Steve Hahn, MD discusses what proton therapy is and how it may be used to attack cancers in new and promising ways that will reduce morbidity and side effects.

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Aired: July 28, 2008
Length: 13 min

Metastatic Bone Cancer: Beyond the Diagnosis

Richard Lackman, MD, FACS, chair of orthopaedic surgery and director of the Sarcoma Center of Excellence at the Abramson Cancer Center, discusses what needs to be conveyed to patients when presented with metastasis to the bone, and which cases are more favorable for the prognosis.

Dr. Lackman speaks with your host, Dr. Lee Freedman, about bone cancer, covering topics such as the approach to blastic vs. lytic lesions, impending fracture indicators, and surgical solutions for the patient.

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Aired: July 7, 2008
Length: 13 min

Implementing Proton Therapy for Cancer Treatment

Steve Hahn, MD, professor and chair of radiation oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, details advances in our understanding of proton therapy. This innovative cancer treatment could be of great benefit to patients, but, Dr. Hahn cautions, we're still in the early stages of development. Current research must be conducted with the utmost precision.

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Aired: May 5, 2008
Length: 13 min

Molecular Biology and Personalized Cancer Therapy

Keith Flaherty, MD, a national leader in the understanding of signalling pathways and the molecular biology of cancer, discusses how breakthroughs in understanding intracellular pathways will lead to personalized cancer therapy. Agents such as Sorafenib may be among the first substances that will be used in unique combinations to thwart the growth and spread of malignancies.

How will these agents be developed, studied and mixed together for the optimum clinical result? How will the intense research needed for this endeavor be funded? How will the future of cancer treatment be altered?

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Aired: April 28, 2008
Length: 13 min

Cancer Care Designed for Patients 65 and Older

David M. Mintzer, MD, chief of hematology/oncology at Pennsylvania Hospital, discusses cancer care that is designed for patients 65 and older.

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Aired: March 16, 2008
Length: 39 min, 46 sec

Ovarian Function, Fertility, and Cancer Therapy

Clarisa Gracia, MD, MSCE, discusses ovarian function and fertility before, during and after cancer treatments. The new ways in which we are beginning to perserve fertility provides hope for young cancer patients.

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Aired: February 24, 2008
Length: 13 min

Hematology/Oncology

Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, professor of medicine, and division chief of hematology/oncology at University of Pennsylvania, and a leader of the melanoma program at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center, discusses hematology/oncology.

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Aired: January 28, 2008
Length: 44 min, 41 sec

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Cancer – New Ideas

Tracey Evans, MD discusses the the latest thinking in regard to screening and case finding for lung cancer. Dr. Evans then reviews newer approaches to the treatment of various types and stages of lung cancer.

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Aired: January 7, 2008
Length: 13 min

Gynecologic Oncology

Thomas C. Randall, MD, chief of gynecologic oncology at Pennsylvania Hospital, discusses gynecologic oncology.

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Aired: November 11, 2007
Length: 45 min, 59 sec

New Directions in the Treatment of Lung Cancer

Tracey Evans, MD discusses developing agents for use in the treatment of this often deadly disease.

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Aired: November 5, 2007
Length: 13 min

Hematology-Oncology

Arthur M. Feldman, MD, a physician of hematology-oncology at Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, discusses hematology-oncology.

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Aired: October 7, 2007
Length: 43 min, 45 sec

Lung Cancer and Disease, Thoracic Surgery

John C. Kucharczuk, MD of the thoracic surgery division at Pennsylvania Hospital discusses lung cancer, lung disease, and thoracic surgery.

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Aired: April 1, 2007
Length: 45 min, 04 sec

Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Arthur Staddon, MD, director, Joan Karnell Cancer Center; director, Bone or Soft Tissue Sarcoma Program at Pennsylvania Hospital, discusses cancer diagnosis and treatment.

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Aired: March 11, 2007
Length: 36 min, 31 sec

Dermatology

Melanoma Breakthroughs: Signalling Pathways

Keith Flaherty, MD, an authority on and one of the leading researchers in the country in understanding the role of signaling pathways in malignancies, discusses these new targets for chemotherapy.

He discusses how these pathways are elucidated and how agents are being developed that attack these new targets. In turn, this may lead to dynamic breakthroughs in cancer treatments such as with melanoma.

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Aired: July 21, 2008
Length: 13 min

Melanoma Basics: Are You Up To Date?

Christopher J. Miller, MD reviews basic and newer understandings about melanomas — how do they arise, what are risk factors, how are they recognized and diagnosed?

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Aired: March 23, 2008
Length: 13 min

Endocrinology and Diabetes

Diabetes Diagnosis and Treatments

Stephen Rosen, MD, chief of endocrinology and metabolism at Pennsylvania Hospital talks about the latest diabetes diagnosis and treatments.

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Aired: April 6, 2008
Length: 55 min, 20 sec

The Diabetes Epidemic

Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and genetics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and director of the Penn Diabetes Center, discusses the magnitude of the diabetes epidemic. The CDC has ominously projected that one in three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime. What can we do to prevent the CDC's prediction from materializing?

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Aired: March 16, 2008
Length: 13 min

Novel Treatments for Diabetes

Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD discusses exciting new innovations in our approach to both type I and type II diabetes including islet cell transplantation, medications for beta cell preservation and new insights into the control of obesity.

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Aired: November 26, 2007
Length: 13 min

Gastrointestinal Medicine/Surgery

Surgical Treatment Options for Gastrointestinal Diseases

Jeffrey A. Drebin, MD, PhD, FACS, chief of the division of gastrointestinal surgery, discusses surgical treatment options for gastrointestinal diseases.

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Aired: February 23, 2008
Length: 56 min, 11 sec

General Medicine/Surgery

Damaged Nerve Tissue: Repair and Regeneration

Douglas Smith, MD outlines the groundbreaking work being done in his lab with in vitro and in vivo repair of nerve tissue.

Topics discussed are the growth and development of new nerve tissue in the lab and it's transplantation into animals with nerve injury. The potential of this technology to help humans in ways never before thought possible is also presented.

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Aired: June 9, 2008
Length: 13 min

The Paradigm Shift In Our Approach to Medications

Garrett FitzGerald, MD outlines how the collaborative work of multiple disciplines is leading to a brave new world when it comes to the development of medications and how, in the near future, the concepts of drug efficacy and safety will be redefined.

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Aired: January 14, 2008
Length: 13 min

Personalized Medicine

Garrett FitzGerald, MD discusses how advances in molecular biology and our understanding of the human genome will lead to a paradigm shift in how we approach the development and prescibing of medications for our patients.

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Aired: November 12, 2007
Length: 13 min

Heart and Vascular Services

Addressing Vascular Plaque Ruptures

Emile R. Mohler III, MD, associate professor of medicine and director of vascular medicine at UPHS, discusses how a ruptured vascular plaque with subsequent thrombus often triggers the heart attack that occurs without warning. How do we identify and treat at-risk cardiac patients?

Host Dr. Lee Freedman discusses an array of tools to evaluate plaque burden and promote plaque stabilization with Dr. Mohler.

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Aired: November 17, 2008
Length: 13 min

Addressing Patients With Palpitations

Joshua Cooper, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, outlines the approach to a patient who presents with palpitations. What key factor in a patient's history can help you distinguish the benign incident from the potentially life-threatening? What diagnostic tests are helpful and necessary in the workup? Dr. Cooper also explains treatment options, with a focus on ablative procedures, in his conversation with host Dr. Lee Freedman.

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Aired: October 27, 2008
Length: 13 min

Current Management Strategies for Atrial Fibrillation

Joshua Cooper, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, outlines present approaches to this common, but often complex arrhythmia. Host Dr. Lee Freedman talks with Dr. Cooper about reversible causes to rule out before embarking on treatment of the primary arrhythmia, as well as proper methods for controlling ventricular response, and assessing clot risk strata. When should we be satisfied with rate control and anticoagulation, versus a full conversion back to normal sinus rhythm?

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Aired: September 29, 2008
Length: 13 min

A Female-Specific Approach to Cardiovascular Disease

Ruchira Glaser, MD, MSCE, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, discusses how, in most cases of cardiovascular disease, women present the same way as men. Yet more women suffer atypical symptoms and the mortality rate is higher for women. With this in mind, should we take a different approach to cardiovascular disease in women?

Dr. Glaser talks with host Dr. Lee Freedman about the diagnostic value of vasospasms and exertion or resting pains, while also exploring structural concerns and the stratified risks of invasive therapy.

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Aired: September 15, 2008
Length: 13 min

Improving the Lives for Our Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension

Paul Forfia, MD, cardiologist and director of the pulmonary hypertension program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses pulmonary hypertension with host Dr. Lee Freedman. Pulmonary hypertension can be devastating to our patients and is a leading cause of cardiovascular complications. How can we identify and address this condition in our patients, and therefore improve their lives?

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Aired: August 25, 2008
Length: 13 min

Investigational Approaches to Structural and Valvular Heart Disease

Howard Herrmann, MD, professor of medicine and director of interventional cardiology and the cardiac catheterization laboratories within UPHS, discusses investigational, catheter-based treatment with host Dr. Lee Freedman. We are increasingly able to turn to non-surgical therapies for structural and valvular heart disease. What new devices are making these advances possible? What are the procedural risks?

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Aired: August 18, 2008
Length: 13 min

Approaching Vulnerable Plaque in the Coronaries

Emile R. Mohler III, MD, associate professor of medicine and director of vascular medicine at UPHS, discusses how doctors should approach vulnerable plaques in the coronaries and how they can calculate more precise risk levels in both high- and average-risk patients. Host Dr. Lee Freedman addresses diagnosis and treatment options with Dr. Mohler.

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Aired: June 30, 2008
Length: 13 min

A Primer on Adult Congential Heart Disease

Gary Webb, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Philadelphia Adult Congenital Heart Center within the University of Pennsylvania Health System, talks with host Dr. Lee Freedman about providing care for the growing population of adult patients saddled with congenital heart disease since childhood. When treating these patients, who often require lifelong surveillance, what risks and complications must we account for?

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Aired: May 12, 2008
Length: 13 min

Severe Heart Failure: Keys to Survival

Mariell L. Jessup, MDdiscusses the approach to severe congestive heart failure. Could non-compliance be at fault in those who are failing? How to detect and remedy this situation.

What can a heart failure specialist bring to the table? How are more sophisticated pacemakers, assist devices and transplants changing the prognosis for patients with class IV CHF?

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Aired: April 21, 2008
Length: 13 min

Expert Centers for Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Gary Webb, MD outlines the way for providers to locate centers of excellence for care of adults with congenital heart disease. He also discusses the specialized care a patient may receive at such centers, focusing specifically on the issues of contraception, pregnancy and genetic counselling.

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Aired: April 7, 2008
Length: 13 min

Can You Diagnose and Treat Early Heart Failure?

Mariell L. Jessup, MD first covers the diagnosis of heart failure: despite our technologic advances, this is still a clinical diagnosis. She then reviews the appropriate use of testing including echocardiography and BNP.

When should these be ordered? When should a cardiologist be consulted? Finally, she reviews the essentials of treatment of systolic and diastolic heart failure including medications and lifestyle interventions.

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Aired: February 17, 2008
Length: 13 min

Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy

Lee Kirksey, MD, a surgeon and vascular director of the Penn Wound Care Center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, discusses vascular surgery and endovascular therapy.

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Aired: September 30, 2007
Length: 47 min, 13 sec

Heart Rhythm Disorders

Joshua Cooper, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and an electrophysiologist talking about heart rhythm disorders.

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Aired: February 25, 2007
Length: 44 min, 53 sec

Neurosciences

Practice and Potential of Deep Brain Stimulation

Gordon Baltuch, MD, PhD discusses how deep brain stimulation, known as the ‘pacemaker for the brain,' has made noteworthy progress in treating Parkinson's disease. Dr. Gordon Baltuch, associate professor of neurosurgery, and director of the Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Lee Freedman to explain the technology and take a look ahead to its potential treatment applications for other diseases.

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Aired: August 11, 2008
Length: 13 min

Differentiating the Dementias

John Trojanowski, MD, PhD discusses how to differentiate the types of dementia and how making these distinctions can lead to different approaches in terms of management.

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Aired: July 14, 2008
Length: 13 min

The Gamma Knife – More Precise and Safer Treatment

John Y.K. Lee, MD discusses the Gamma Knife radiosurgery – what it is, how it works, and how it is bringing better and safer treatment for brain tumors and other neurologic disorders to our patients.

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Aired: May 26, 2008
Length: 13 min

Treatment for Cervical Stenosis and Radiculopathy

William C. Welch, MD, FACS, FICS, chief of neurosurgery at Pennsylvania Hospital, discusses the latest advances in the treatment of cervial stenosis and radiculopathy.

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Aired: May 3, 2008
Length: 49 min, 28 sec

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Think Surgery?

William C. Welch, MD, FACS, FICS reviews the approach to this common and disabling condition that affects our older patients. He reviews the diagnosis and initial treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis and then discusses how surgical techniques can bring relief to many of our patients.

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Aired: April 14, 2008
Length: 13 min

New Understandings in Traumatic Brain Injury

Douglas Smith, MD discusses the paradigm shift in our understanding of the mechanisms of traumatic brain injury. He explores how these new insights may impact our approach to various diseases including Alzheimer's disease.

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Aired: March 30, 2008
Length: 13 min

Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease

H. Branch Coslett, MD, chief of the section of cognitive neurology, discusses the latest research and advances in the treatment of Alzheimier's disease and other dementias.

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Aired: February 24, 2008
Length: 48