Stories in this issue of Momentum are stitched together with a common thread—the crucial role that surgeons play in cancer treatment and recovery. It’s a role that can be overlooked. While the media spotlight focuses on emerging cancer treatments—immunotherapies that spur people’s immune systems to attack tumors, and targeted therapies that keep cancer cells from […]
Looking over his chickens at his home in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, Jerry Ford says taking care of this energetic brood is what kept his spirits up after he had facial reconstructive surgery at Vanderbilt two years ago. As an HVAC technician Ford often crawled through cobwebbed spaces, so he thought an irritated spot on his right […]
In the past, traditional craniofacial reconstruction allowed little pre-planning; surgeons had to decide exactly where they would cut while they were in the operating room. Now, through the use of virtual surgical planning (VSP), physicians can plot out surgeries in advance. One of the first steps in a facial reconstruction is to run computed tomography […]
Reconstructive plastic surgery is actually the oldest form of plastic surgery, having developed from the need to treat soldiers with traumatic injuries in World War I. Reconstructive plastic surgeons go a step beyond making someone look good; they restore form, function and health to bodies, and usually have a large impact on a patient’s quality […]
Reconstruction of the breast falls into two main categories: implant-based and tissue-based reconstruction. With all reconstruction surgery, there are follow-up procedures to build or better define a nipple, as well as to refine the breast shape and to address any incisional scarring. The Vanderbilt Breast Center offers several types of plastic surgery operations that can […]
Imagine trying to navigate an unfamiliar Medical Center with appointments sprinkled across numerous buildings, often on different days of the week. Now add a cancer diagnosis, and the emotions that come with that, and traversing unfamiliar surroundings becomes infinitely more difficult. Your life has just been turned upside down and there’s much to do. There […]
The five-year CMS Oncology Care Model will provide treatment following nationally recognized clinical guidelines for patients undergoing chemotherapy, with an emphasis on patient-centered care delivered in a timely, coordinated manner. The services may include: Coordinating appointments with providers within and outside the oncology practice to ensure timely delivery of diagnostic and treatment services; Providing 24/7 […]
El Camino de Santiago is a collection of routes throughout Europe that pilgrims have been walking for centuries. All the trails lead to the 800-year-old cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which holds the remains of the apostle, Saint James. In 2012, I completed the first 200 miles of El Camino de Santiago’s 500-mile French […]
VUMC study: current cancer drug discovery method flawed The primary method used to test compounds for anti-cancer activity in cells is flawed, Vito Quaranta, M.D., and colleagues reported May 2 in Nature Methods. The scientists developed a new metric to evaluate a compound’s effect on cell proliferation. The old system counted how many cancer cells […]
Hiebert appointed to national cancer board Scott Hiebert, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry and associate professor of Medicine, has been appointed to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB). The NCAB consists of 18 members appointed by the President to advise the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the National Institutes of Health […]
