Updates from ASCO and ESMO 2021 Add to Successes in Hodgkin Lymphoma Research and Treatment By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH In 1832 Sir Thomas Hodgkin described a morbid condition of the glands and spleen which in 1865 was named Hodgkin disease by Samuel Wilkes. It was a fatal disease. Yet it has [...]
Will New Medication Guidelines For Rheumatoid Arthritis Improve Patient Satisfaction With Treatment? By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Despite the advances and diversification of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a recent report surveying current RA patients showed that the majority are not satisfied with their treatment experience. In [...]
What Are Patients and Caregivers Talking About? Lung Cancer Biomarkers By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Since the FDA approved the first targeted treatment for NSCLC in 2003, treatment decisions for NSCLC are increasingly made based on individual genomics.1,2 There are now 20 distinct biomarkers that serve as identification points differentiating cancer cells [...]
Impressive Advances in Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most prevalent form of adult leukemia, with about 20,000 new diagnoses per year in the United States alone.1 While it can occur at earlier ages, it is primarily a disease of older adults, with [...]
Undertreated Psoriasis Patients Need Answers By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH A 2021 study concluded that psoriasis continues to be a common inflammatory disease, affecting more than 7.5 million adults in the US alone -- 3.0% of the US adult population.1 By far the most common form (80% of cases)2 is plaque psoriasis, [...]
Positive News For Triple Negative Breast Cancer By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Almost 150,000 patients and caregivers have interest in, have joined communities, have searched and posted about breast cancer and advanced breast cancer on Inspire. Almost 22,000 posts have been written about breast cancer research. There has been intense interest in [...]
Engaging with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients and Caregivers By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH The word “Earth” doesn’t reflect the complexity and diversity of the planet. Similarly, the term “lung cancer” only identifies the location of the cancer. There are two general categories, non-small cell lung cancer [...]
Patient Perspectives on an Invisible Disease: Lupus and Lupus Nephritis By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Imagine going to see a doctor when you are exhausted and enduring multiple kinds of pain, and they recommend a “psych” evaluation. When they “can’t find anything,” the medical professional you looked to for help decides you [...]
More Good News about Treating Multiple Myeloma By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH This spring, the FDA approved a drug called idecabtagene vicleucel ('ide-cel'), a form of CAR-T cell therapy available to treat some forms of recurrent multiple myeloma (MM). Ide-cel is used to modify a patient’s own T-cells to attack the B-cell [...]
Searching for Answers to Migraines By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Migraine headaches can be devastatingly debilitating: When my migraines get so bad, I stare at the wall in complete silence not letting my head touch anything. If my head touches something, it will send more pounding pain throughout my skull. Migraines are [...]
