Oncology Ny
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With the renaissance of interest in how best to care for patients with terminal illness comes the need to recognize palliative care and hospice programs as the completion of comprehensive cancer care, not as its antithesis. In practical terms, admission to a hospice program is appropriate when efforts to control the biologic disease have ceased to be helpful and the primary medical focus is on symptom control and quality of life. In this article, the authors explore the goals of palliative care, review the transition to a hospice program, and assess the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Furthermore, they reflect on the importance of and barriers to the appropriate adoption of palliative care programs as well as palliative care education in oncology.
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In clinical trials, screening mammography has been shown to reduce mortality from breast cancer by about 25% to 30% among women aged 50 years and older after only 5 to 6 years from the initiation of screening. Among women 40 to 49 years old, the evidence supporting the efficacy of screening mammography is less convincing. ⋯ Even if there is a small delayed reduction in breast cancer mortality among women age 40 to 49 years, the potential absolute benefit of screening women in this age group is likely to be small, given that the incidence of breast cancer is low. Since there is strong scientific evidence that mammography reduces breast cancer mortality among women age 50 and older, our national focus should be on screening these women who have the most to benefit.