Andrew L. Pecora, MD

Articles

Provocative Questions: A "Cancer To-Do List"

December 6th 2013

As we approach the end of the year, it is a reasonable time to reflect on what has been accomplished in cancer research and therapeutic development.

The Affordable Care Act Is Here!… Or Is It?

November 7th 2013

A majority of Americans-patients, physicians, hospital executives, business leaders, and elected officials- are bearing witness to the beginning of a change in healthcare reimbursement and delivery that rivals the introduction of the Medicare system in 1965.

It's All in the "Genes"

September 23rd 2013

I remember trying to explain to my son when he was in the fifth grade how the genetic code contained in all of our cells is translated, resulting in the various tissues we all possess for daily life

Did Our Founding Fathers Get It Right?

August 28th 2013

Only Time Will Tell the Far-Reaching Societal Implications of the Supreme Court's BRCA 1/2 Ruling

ASCO 2013: Humanity Meets Immunity

August 13th 2013

While the anti-T-cell-checkpoint approach is far from perfect, the demonstrated ability for humanity to overcome evolutionary design and break tumor cell tolerance to turn the tide against cancer is nothing less than inspiring.

The Rapidly Changing Oncology Landscape: It Is Not Just Science

June 25th 2013

Running on a parallel track to the rapid pace of discovery in oncology is another revolution: the business side of delivering oncology care. In fact, the cancer care delivery landscape may be changing faster than the science track.

Sunshine or Sunset? Only Time Will Tell

May 28th 2013

Andrew L. Pecora, MD, discusses possible drawbacks to the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, which was passed in 2010 by Congress as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

What Really Matters?

May 9th 2013

Discussing prognosis and a treatment plan has been getting particularly complicated with acute myelogenous leukemia with the development and use of molecular markers that confer prognostic and therapeutic information.

(Molecular) Pathways, Pathways, and More Pathways

April 2nd 2013

The oncology we all learned over the past three decades will soon be a thing of the past, making way for therapy decisions based on what molecular switches should be turned on and off, and of equal importance, in what sequence.

ASH Sunday

March 8th 2013

On Sunday, December 9, 2012, the Plenary Session at the 54th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting featured several noteworthy abstracts.

To Die or Not to Die, That Is the Question

February 11th 2013

It has always been our job as cancer care physicians to guide the patient, even when our guidance is not what one would like to hear.

How Close Is Close Enough?

January 9th 2013

We have come a long way from the microscope of Galileo, but questions remain in actual practice about how close we need to get to help our patients.

Peering Deeper Into the Black Box

November 28th 2012

Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of knowledge regarding the fundamental drivers of the malignant phenotype.

A Multivitamin Each Day Keeps Cancer Away

October 23rd 2012

New data from a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health appear to have proven that there is an inexpensive and relatively simple approach to reducing the incidence of most cancers that afflict men: Take a multivitamin daily.

ENCODE Decodes DNA

September 25th 2012

A consortium of over 442 global investigators at 32 institutions recently reported results in over 30 publications of a decade of work from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements project.

Moore's Law Meets Goldilocks

August 23rd 2012

To be transformative, we need to think outside the box, and maybe it will take a computer visionary and a fairytale to guide us.

Plenary Sunday at ASCO

July 26th 2012

A well-designed study involving hundreds of patients for many years can lead to one- to two-sentence conclusions that create the new standard of care; this year's Plenary Session on Sunday at ASCO was no exception.

Another Bite of the Immunotherapy Apple

June 22nd 2012

In the past few years the pace of discovery of effective immunotherapies has accelerated as a consequence of better chemistry and understanding of immune biology.

Bending the Cost Curve and Here Come the Judge(s)

May 17th 2012

Lately, business and government have done more to "move the needle" in changing healthcare delivery than physicians, scientists, and other clinical professionals.

"Scotty, I Need More Power"

April 20th 2012

The paradigm of "more energy is better" is not limited to space travel, and in fact is center stage in a growing debate in the field of radiation oncology.