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Art of Oncology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology

Acknowledgement: IPCRC.net is grateful to the Editors of The Journal of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Alexandria, VA for open access to the Art of Oncology series of articles through www.IPCRC.net. All articles available for downloading and reprinting with permission. © 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Editors

Since September 2010: David P. Steensma, MD, FACP, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
To August 2010: Charles L. Loprinzi, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Art of Oncology Kindle E-Books: Two collections of 'Art of Oncology' articles, "Art of Oncology: Honest and Compassionate Responses to the Daily Struggles of People Living with Cancer," are available as Kindle e-books:

Volume 1, released in May 2010 can be purchased at www.jco.org/kindle
Volume 2, released in May 2011 can be purchased at www.jco.org/kindle2

Instructions to Read / Download Articles: You can read the Full Text of each article by clicking on the article listing. Once you are at the Full Text page, you can download the PDF of the article.

Click to access the full collection of the Art of Oncology

Special Article on Palliative Care

Palliative Care and the Quality of Life. Diane E. Meier. JCO July 10, 2011;29(20):2750-2752 (Open Access with permission from JCO).

2011

2010

2009

The Homecoming. Navneet S. Majhail. JCO Dec 1 2009: 5857-5858.
A Good Life. Robert E. Fisher. JCO Nov 1 2009: 5298-5299.
What My Patients Taught Me About Love. Mikkael A. Sekeres. JCO Oct 1 2009: 4817-4818.
This light-hearted article depicts what a physician learned from his patients who had been married for decades.
The Forgotten Spouse. Akash Nanda. JCO Sep 1 2009: 4227-4228.
Cancer can be as devastating to patient's spouse and family as it is to the patient itself.
The Moment of Truth. Michael J. Messer. JCO Aug 1 2009: 3723-3724.
Providing poor prognostic information to long term patients is not easy for the patient or the physician. Holding back such information, however, can be even harder than sharing it.
"I Think You Are Pretty; I Don't Know Why Everyone Can't See That": Reflections From a Young Adult Brain Tumor Survivor Camp. Deborah B. Crom. JCO Jul 1 2009: 3259-3261.
A specialized camp for brain tumor survivors allows for interesting perspectives into the insights of these patients.
The Blood of the Lamb. David P. Steensma. JCO Jun 1 2009: 2729-2731.
This "book report" about a novel by Peter De Vries brings this historical novel into perspective and highlights the early days of chemotherapy use in patients with leukemia.
Every Cancer Patient Needs Radiation Therapy!. Benjamin W. Corn. JCO May 1 2009: 2288-2289.
This bombastic appearing title, penned by a radiation oncologist, is put into perspective at the end of the article.
Another Infusion of Hope. Francesca Giorgi, and Romeo Bascioni. JCO Apr 1 2009: 1722-1723.
Some patients appear to require hope to be infused, even on their deathbed. This is an interesting discussion of how this was provided to an individual patient.
Faculty Development to Change the Paradigm of Communication Skills Teaching in Oncology. Anthony L. Back, Robert M. Arnold, Walter F. Baile, James A. Tulsky, Gwyn E. Barley, Roy D. Pea, and Kelly A. Fryer-Edwards. JCO Mar 1 2009: 1137-1141.
This is another in a series of article by Dr. Back et al in the Art of Oncology series. Faculty can be taught how to teach appropriate communication skills to other oncologists.
Mastering Emasculation. Richard J. Wassersug. JCO Feb 1 2009: 634-636.
Androgen deprivation therapy is common place for patients with prostatic carcinoma. This causes a number of side effects. This article describes how patients can relate to these changes.
The Role of Investigational Therapy in Management of Patients With Advanced Metastatic Malignancy. Emil J Freireich, and Razelle Kurzrock. JCO Jan 10 2009: 304-306.
The authors of this article argue that some patients can do remarkably well with early phase clinical trial therapy despite very poor prognosis. They argue that this might best be considered the standard of therapy, as opposed to patients being transitioned to palliative care. The commentary on this article was written and described in the next entry.
Phase I Versus Palliative Care: Striking the Right Balance. Lidia Schapira, Timothy J. Moynihan, Charles F. von Gunten, and Thomas J. Smith. JCO Jan 10 2009: 307-308.
This article tried to put into perspective the previous article written regarding the role of investigational therapy in the management of patients with advanced metastatic malignancy. The title of it describes its message.
Between Utter Despair and Essential Hope. Monika Renz, Dieter Koeberle, Thomas Cerny, and Florian Strasser. JCO Jan 1 2009: 146-149.
Denial is common in oncology, especially when a new diagnosis is made. There are many aspects to this denial. This articles discusses the phases of denial in a way reminiscent of Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross' discussion of the dying process.

2008

Surprised by Hope. Prudence A. Francis. JCO Dec 20 2008: 6001-6002.
Many patients are overly optimistic about their prognosis. Some are able to tell their oncologists that they want them to be more optimistic about their case also. It can be appropriate to provide such optimism, when asked to do so and still appropriately guide a patient through their disease process, including palliative end-of-life care as a patient is dying.
Giving Permission. Steven M. Grunberg. JCO Nov 20 2008: 5477-5478.
This is a heartfelt story regarding how a patient prepared to be able to allow herself to die comfortably, after she was given permission to do so by her long term oncologist.
The Physician: A Secure Base. Philip Gerretsen, and Jeff Myers. JCO Nov 10 2008: 5294-5296.
Some patients can develop substantial symptoms which can be resolved just by hearing reassurance from their attending physician that things are well. This article discusses attachment theory and how a few words of reassurance can be quite powerful.
Across Generations: Cancer Treatment in Developing Countries. Zeba Aziz. JCO Oct 20 2008: 4990-4991.
Developing countries have a much less availability of cutting edge, new treatments. This is a story about oncology care in Pakistan.
Miracles. Frank L. Meyskens, Jr, and John H. Fetting. JCO Oct 1 2008: 4684-4685.
At times, "miracles" do occur. Patients do much better than is expected. Oncologists often times get credit for this from the patient's perspective. Should physicians actually get this credit? What does it mean?
Blogging During Terminal Care: Communication, Color Schemes, and Creating a Community. Leon A. Bach. JCO Sep 20 2008: 4504-4506.
Setting up an internet blog site can be a very effective and touching way for direly ill patients to communication with family and friends
SPIKE$: A Six-Step Protocol for Delivering Bad News About the Cost of Medical Care. Joshua McFarlane, Jerry Riggins, and Thomas J. Smith. JCO Sep 1 2008: 4200-4204.
Medical care expenses can be devastating for patients and families. Oncologists need to better know how to address such issues.
The Difficult Patient. Carrie A. Thompson. JCO Aug 20 2008: 4035-4036.
Difficult patients are, at times, quite needy. Persistence with caring for such patients, however, can lead to rewarding outcomes.
Preschool As Palliative Care. Mary Elizabeth Ross, Judith Hicks, and Wayne L. Furman. JCO Aug 1 2008: 3797-3799.
This is a touching story of how a young child, with an advanced malignant has a very limited life expectancy, was able to be incorporated into a preschool program.
On the Hippocratic Facies. Mark A. Marinella. JCO Jul 20 2008: 3638-3640.The physical examination, with findings described by Hippocrates, can provide helpful information for oncologists, even in the era of expensive tests such as MRIs and PET scans.
In Defense of Futile Gestures. Stuart H. Bloom. JCO Jul 1 2008: 3276-3278.
Some patients, against all odds, will do well with aggressive therapy.
Don't Mention It. David P. Steensma. JCO Jun 20 2008: 3083-3084.
Some patients appropriately choose not to discuss their dire medical situations with knowledgeable family and friends.
Swimming Upstream: An Advocate Reflects on Cancer Research and Social Realities. Musa Mayer. JCO Jun 1 2008: 2783-2786.
This article, written by a patient advocate, nicely outlines goals of new therapy and research in breast cancer, from a well-informed patient advocate perspective.
Horns of a Dilemma. Thomas A. Samuel, and Karthi Subbannan. JCO May 1 2008: 2219-2220.
Drs. Samuel and Subbannan describe a case where a patient had marked difficulty in making a decision on whether to receive palliative chemotherapy or not. They describe how the patient's initial decision not to decide was to decide.
The Physician on the Horns of a Dilemma. Charles L. Loprinzi, and Gregory P. Kalemkerian. JCO May 1 2008: 2221-2222.
The editorial commentary argues that physicians should take responsibility for providing decisions for patients who are clearly uncomfortable making decisions on their own.
The Sentinel. Bruce H. Campbell. JCO Apr 1 2008: 1760-1761.
Dr. Campbell poignantly describes a discussion with a patient with a fast growing anaplastic thyroid cancer with limited life expectancy. He was not able to educate to the patient regarding all of the disastrous outcomes that might occur in this sort of situation.
Missed Opportunities: Commentary on "The Sentinel". Timothy J. Moynihan, and Charles F. von Gunten. JCO Apr 1 2008: 1762-1763.
Drs. Moynihan and von Gunten provide wonderful guidance on how a more truthful discussion might be had.
Isn't There Someone to Blame? Alan B. Astrow. JCO Mar 20 2008: 1560-1561.
It is not infrequent for patients to blame oncologists for their poor outcome. What are the personal ramifications from being blamed for the outcome of a bad disease?
Concealment of Information in Clinical Practice: Is Lying Less Stressful Than Telling the Truth? Efharis Panagopoulou, Gesthimani Mintziori, Anthony Montgomery, Dorothea Kapoukranidou, and Alexis Benos. JCO Mar 1 2008: 1175-1177.
Dr. Panagopoulou provides information suggesting that lying is less stressful than telling the truth, in terms of revealing poor prognosis information to patients.
Secrecy and Integrity in Clinical Trials. Robert J. Wells. JCO Feb 1 2008: 680-682.
Dr. Wells argues that argues that clinical trial data should be provided to investigators and patients on a real-time basis, as opposed to keeping such data blinded.
Rigor in Monitoring Clinical Trials Is Ethical. Steven Piantadosi. JCO Feb 1 2008: 683-685.
Dr. Piantadosi takes the opposite stance.
Just Say Die. Scott R. Berry. JCO Jan 1 2008: 157-159.
Dr. Berry argues that we should use the word die or death as opposed to using other euphemisms. He argues that there is therapeutic value in this approach.

2007 and earlier articles and precis coming soon…

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