Sep 14, 2016 | Cancer, Dermatology, Health Tips, Your Health
Guest blog written by John Zade, current research fellow under Hooman Khorasani, MD, the Chief of the Division of Dermatologic & Cosmetic Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Moles on our skin, medically termed as nevi, are extremely common and almost all of us have a few on our body. Although most dark spots on your skin are completely harmless, it is important to be aware that some may become cancerous. These cancerous moles are known as melanoma; luckily there are a few distinguishing features of these spots that help us find them and treat them. In this blog I’m going to go into how you can spot melanoma on yourself and your loved ones and how often you should be getting your skin checked. (more…)
May 26, 2016 | Aspen Ideas 2016, Breast Cancer, Diet and Nutrition, Health Tips, Heart Disease
Kelly Hogan, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian who has worked within the Mount Sinai Hospital for the past three years, now focusing on breast cancer nutrition for the Dubin Breast Center. Kelly provides individual counseling in the areas of wellness, weight management and symptom/side effect management, in addition to creating patient education and wellness programs
Spring has finally sprung on the east coast, and the lure of outdoor dining has returned in full force. While I am a big advocate for cooking most meals at home – on average, restaurant meals or takeout contain more sodium, fat and sugar than home-cooked ones – enjoying a salad, sandwich or four course meal al fresco is one of life’s simple pleasures. The good news here is that it’s possible to dine out healthfully by making smart choices, without sacrificing fun or flavor. Review these key strategies before heading out into the sunshine this season (and don’t forget your sunglasses!). (more…)
Mar 11, 2016 | Cancer, Health Tips, Urology
Guest post by Reza Mehrazin, MD, Assistant Professor of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. To make an appointment with Dr. Mehrazin, call 212-241-4812.
Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma (RCC), is among the most lethal of urologic cancers. In 2015, 61,560 new cases are estimated to occur in the United States and approximately 23% of these patients are expected to die from their disease. The incidence of kidney cancer, particularly small tumors which are less than 4 cm in diameter, has been on a rise and this has largely been attributed to the increased use of cross-sectional abdominal imaging, such as CT or MRI scans. Although surgery and removal of the tumor is the standard of care for kidney cancer, there is growing understanding that in some patients who are elderly and/or have other medical conditions, the potential benefits of surgery is questionable. For these patients, active surveillance or close monitoring of the renal tumors could be a great option. There are many studies that show that an initial short-term period of observation to better understand the tumor growth rate may be safe for small kidney tumors in select candidates. (more…)
Nov 18, 2015 | Cancer, Head and Neck
Guest post by Ilya Likhterov, MD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and member of the Division of Head and Neck Oncology at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. To make an appointment with Dr. Likhterov, call 212-844-8775.
Thyroid cancer diagnosis is becoming more and more common among patients of all ages, but in the vast majority of cases, thyroid cancer is slow growing and rarely causes symptoms while it is small. Although there is potential for thyroid cancer to spread to the lymph nodes in the neck, overall prognosis is excellent even in the high risk, advanced stages of disease. (more…)
Sep 18, 2015 | Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health
By Sara Schub, who is 45 years old and currently living in New York City. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Columbia University and works in healthcare administration. She also counsels women at risk of HBOC and volunteers for various health-related charities.
In early 2011, at a routine appointment with Dr. Monica Prasad, she asked me how I was doing. I took that as an opportunity to tell her what was weighing heavily on my mind – my mother and my cousin were both recently diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. She immediately inquired about my family history of cancer and for the first time I realized how prevalent cancer was in my family. Dr. Prasad suggested I go for genetic testing because I might be at high risk of developing the disease, so I went to a genetic counselor at Mount Sinai. I told her what I knew about my family history, she drew my genetic family tree, enumerated the various genetic mutations that were possible, and recommended genetic testing. (more…)
Sep 1, 2015 | Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Urology
Guest post by Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, the Kyung Hyun Kim MD, Chair in Urology in the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System
September is often a bittersweet moment in time: an end to weekends at the beach, late sunsets, grilling dinner in the backyard, and family vacations. But September also ushers in a new season: a return to school for our children, the start of a theater subscription, baseball playoffs, and more. For health professionals in the urology field, it is a special time. Prostate Cancer Awareness Month reminds us of how many men we can save with increased awareness and early detection and is a solemn reminder of those patients whose cancer had progressed too far to intervene successfully. (more…)
