Improving the System and Making a Difference
9 Improving the System and Making a Difference We must become the change we want to see. Mahatma Gandhi, 1869–1948 A medical student with whom I had worked went to…
ANESTHESIA
Psychosocial and Spiritual Aspects of Care
7 Psychosocial and Spiritual Aspects of Care There is a time of the night between midnight and dawn when people despair. Anatole Broyard, Intoxicated by My Illness If one wants…
Special Therapeutic Issues: Hydration, Nutrition, and Antibiotics in End-of-Life Care
6 Special Therapeutic Issues Hydration, Nutrition, and Antibiotics in End-of-Life Care I have no pain, dear mother, now; But oh! I am so dry: Just moisten poor Jim’s lips once…
Symptom Assessment, Patient-Reported Outcomes, and Quality of Life Considerations in Perioperative Care for Patients With Cancer
Introduction It is imperative that patients with cancer are followed closely, so as to maximize treatment benefit while minimizing complications; thus monitoring the severity of symptoms and functional impairment is…
The MD Anderson Cancer Center Moon Shots Program®: A Global Priority
Introduction The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Moon Shots Program® is a collaborative effort to accelerate the development of scientific discoveries into clinical advances that save patients’ lives….
The Costs of Postoperative Complications After Major Abdominal Surgery: Opportunities and Challenges
Key Points • Major abdominal surgery is associated with a high prevalence of complications. • Postoperative complications are associated with increased hospital costs. • Postoperative complications are associated with increased…
Big Data, Advances in Computational Sciences, and Oncology Care
As information technology has matured, organizations and industries embracing the use of data-driven analytics to guide services has profoundly changed the human experience. Just-in-time inventory, predictive pricing models and simple…
Research in Perioperative Care of the Cancer Patient: Opportunities and Challenges
It is estimated that 30%–40% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. In those patients, cancer will be a major cause of death. Therefore, it…
Economics of Cancer Care Delivery: Opportunities and Challenges
Introduction Cancer is an intensely emotional disease that places much of one’s life in jeopardy. The total cost of cancer care increased from $124 billion in 2010 to at least…
Ethics in Cancer Care Delivery—Do Not Resuscitate
Introduction The National Cancer Act, also known as the “War on Cancer” Act, was signed into law in 1971. Thanks to the Act’s support for ongoing cancer-related research, the number…
