Category: Kidney Cancer

Cancer Care During Extreme Weather: Precautions and Considerations

Blizzard on the road.With winter upon us, it is important for cancer patients to be prepared in the case of severe weather. During severe weather, such as a blizzard, it may be difficult to get to Weill Cornell Medicine. All of our physician practices have coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so if you have any urgent questions or concerns, please call the regular number and you will be able to reach the on-call physician.

If you are due for an infusion or injection during an episode of severe weather, we can discuss the risks/benefits of finding a safe way to get to the treatment center vs. delaying treatment vs. finding an alternative temporary treatment center.

Storms can cause travel delays, especially on roads, so consider allowing for extra time and taking public transportation whenever possible. Drive slowly, and remember that injuring yourself in an accident may also impact your cancer care. It may also be an option for you to stay in a hotel near the hospital to avoid hazardous road conditions.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center is open to serve patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In the event that the outpatient center is closed or unavailable due a natural disaster (which is rare), the emergency department will likely be open.

If you are uncertain about travel conditions, the emergency hotline is 212-746-WCMC (9262). Travel alerts for road conditions are released by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). If you are having a medical emergency or need an ambulance, dial 212-472-2222 or 911.

For people undergoing cancer treatment, blizzards and cold winter weather can impact more than just the ability to travel to treatment. Patients are more susceptible to hypothermia since side effects of treatment can be dehydration, fatigue, and anemia. Patients undergoing or having previously received certain types of chemotherapy can experience extreme sensitivity to the cold. Other chemo patients can actually feel less sensitivity to the cold and a decreased sensation in the hands and feet. This may lead to a major problem because it puts you at risk for frostbite since you are unaware of how cold it really is. Also, patients with lower than normal amount of platelets in the blood, might result in more serious bruising or bleeding with an injury or fall.

It’s important that patients feel safe and prepared to “weather the storm” during severe weather, including a loss of power or blackout. When weather or other issues can be anticipated, make sure you have enough medication and food/supplies on hand.

In general, but especially after severe inclement weather, be sure to communicate with your physician and healthcare team if anything out of the ordinary happened. For example, close the communications loop if you ended up going somewhere else for treatment or ran out of medication. This way we can make sure we update your medical records.

Most importantly, trust your instincts and don’t panic in bad weather. Wishing everyone a very safe rest of winter!

8 Tips for a Healthy Mouth During Cancer Treatment

Four different colored toothbrushes in toothbrush holder.We grow up learning certain truths regarding the need to brush our teeth at least twice a day and visit the dentist on a regular basis, but during cancer treatment, our mouth needs can change.

Cancer treatment is designed to fight the cancer cells in your body, but in doing so can have a wide range of side effects. One of the main side effects of chemotherapy, the standard treatment for prostate, bladder, and testicular cancers, is changes that occur in the mouth. Chemotherapy can lower white blood cell, platelet, and red blood cell counts throughout the body, so patients are at increased risk for infections. Gum diseases, dental abscesses, and cavities are all infections that are prone to worsen during treatment.

While killing cancer cells, cancer treatment can also harm normal cells, such as the cells in the mouth. This can cause problems with your mucosa and gums (the soft lining of your mouth) and the glands that make saliva. Additionally, both chemotherapy and radiation treatment can cause mucositis, a side effect that involves an inflammation of the lining of the mouth and can lead to red, painful sores.

Here are 8 tips to maintain good oral hygiene and ease mouth pain during cancer treatment:

  1. Visit your dentist early in treatment. See if your doctor can identify potential sources of dental infection or irritation prior to starting chemotherapy. Get any dental cleanings, teeth extractions, and fillings at least 2 weeks before starting treatment. This will help to prevent mouth problems so that you can get the most out of your cancer treatment.
  2. Brush your teeth. During treatment, do not neglect brushing your teeth at least 3 times a day. Use a brush with soft bristles and be gentle on your gums. Consider using a toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth and gums, and make sure that your toothpaste contains fluoride to prevent cavities and tooth demineralization, especially if you have a dry mouth. If you wear dentures, make sure that they are adjusted properly with a comfortable fit. Brush and rinse your dentures after meals and do not wear them while sleeping.
  3. Keep your gums healthy. Floss regularly as long as your platelet count is above 20,000. This is to minimize inflammation of the soft tissues in your mouth which can lead to dental disease, bleeding and infection if your blood counts are low. If possible, start a good flossing routine prior to starting chemotherapy so that your gums are healthy going into treatment.
  4. Pay attention to what you eat. What you put in your mouth matters, and not just in terms of maintaining a balanced diet during treatment. Read package labels to find out what’s in the foods you’re eating, as this will help determine what may irritate your mouth. Hot and spicy sauces can increase pain and sensitivity, especially if you have sores in your mouth. Caffeinated beverages and alcohol can increase mouth dryness, and vinegars, citrus and tomato juices have a lot of acidity which can also irritate the mouth. Be in tune with which foods might be triggers, and if eating out, ask whether sauces and dressings can be omitted or served on the side.
  5. Modify your diet as needed. If your mouth is sore, eating soft, bland, room-temperature food may help. If your mouth is dry, you can add extra moisture to foods in the form of sauces, oils, milk or broth to aid in swallowing. Foods such as eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, soups, cooked vegetables, pudding, milkshakes and smoothies can often be tolerated when your mouth is sore or dry. If you experience taste changes, experiment with different foods at different temperatures.
  6. Cut down on sugar. Avoid foods that have a lot of sugar because your teeth are more vulnerable to infections and cavities during cancer treatment. Beware of sugar content in beverages such as soda, juice, coffee, tea and sports drinks.
  7. Rinse daily with alcohol-free mouthwash. Many types of mouthwash wash contain alcohol, which can burn your mouth and contribute to oral dryness. Keep your mouth moist with an alcohol-free mouthwash. If you suffer from dry mouth, suck on sugar-free lozenges to stimulate saliva flow. Keep your lips moist with a natural lipbalm containing bees-wax or lanolin to prevent chapping or cracking. Do not use petroleum based lip balms as these can contribute to lip dryness.
  8. Know when to speak up. Be sure to reach out to your healthcare team and dentist if you’re experiencing any of the following: Swelling or pain in the mouth or jaw, trouble swallowing, mouth ulcerations that do not heal within one week, white patches in the mouth, a burning mouth sensation, or severe oral dryness.

At Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, we provide supportive oral care before, during and after cancer treatment. To learn more about the services we offer, click here. To make an appointment with a dentist at our center who specializing in treating cancer patients, please call Dr. Heidi Hansen at 212-746-5115.

For additional information about oral care during cancer therapy, visit the below links:
  • NCI: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/mouth-throat
  • American Dental Association: http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/c/cancer-dental-health
  • American Academy of Oral Medicine: Information on Dry Mouth, Information on Mucositis
  • NIH (oral mucositis): https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000047.htm

Special thanks to Heidi Hansen, DMD for her contributions to this article.

A Meeting of the Minds in Prague

prague-aua-programLast week, approximately 100 of the leading experts in genitourinary (GU) cancer research and treatment converged in Prague in the Czech Republic for the 114th Annual American Urology Association (AUA) Meeting. The AUA’s mission is “to promote the highest standards of urological clinical care through education, research and in the formulation of health care policy.”

The AUA has over 22,000 members from across the country, and many of the Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian GU physicians serve as members of the New York chapter. At this year’s meeting, doctors David Nanus, Jim Hu, and Scott Tagawa were invited to present on the latest standards in screening and treatment for prostate, bladder and kidney cancers.

jim-hu_aua-prague-2016On Thursday, September 15th, Dr. Jim Hu spoke about the screening controversy surrounding the early detection of prostate cancer and how this influences present day practice and the medical care men are receiving. We have a number of different screening tools available to detect prostate cancer and distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive sub-types. One of the most common and least invasive ways to screen for prostate cancer is through Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing, but this is controversial because some argue that it leads to false positives, or the detection of cancers that are very slow growing and may never need treatment. Most physicians and scientists agree that PSA testing isn’t perfect, but research shows that it can be a very good screening indicator when used in conjunction with physical exams, biomarkers and imaging tools. In addition, analysis of a recent study demonstrated that surveillance remains an option for some men with little difference in 10-year survival in those that choose treatment with either surgery or radiation, though there are tradeoffs in terms of a higher likelihood of developing advanced cancer in those that avoid more aggressive treatment.

Later that day, Dr. Scott Tagawa provided an update on the impact of chemotherapy in treating prostate cancer – a modality that was once thought to be a treatment last-resort. Chemo is now a standard much earlier on during cancer care and people are living longer, and feeling better as a result. In particular, the earlier use of a short course of chemotherapy at the time that men initially present to the clinic with advance prostate cancer leads to a significant increase in survival combined with better overall quality of life in the longer-term. The two taxane chemotherapy drugs proven to be successful in prostate cancer are docetaxel and cabazitaxel, and the latest research on these drugs seeks to answer questions regarding for whom and when these treatments will be benefit. At Weill Cornell/NYP we are leading the field in this research and developing hi-tech biomarkers to determine sensitivity and resistance.

Dr. David Nanus presented on Friday and highlighted the latest advances in treating urothelial cancers of the kidney and bladder. After nearly three decades with no new FDA drug approvals for bladder cancer, in 2016 we witnessed great treatment advances for bladder cancer. With immunotherapy, chemotherapy and genomics, we’re now on the cusp of precision medicine. The combination of these approaches with novel treatments is improving the lives of many of our patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. We are now able to offer complete tumor and germline (inherited) genomic analysis as part of research studies that in the near term will translate to selecting the optimal treatment strategy for each individual patient.