Page 12 - Healthcare News Sept.-Oct. 2020

HCN TURNS 20
What’s Next in Cancer Care
Researchers Continue to Make Advances in Treatment Options
By John Sheldon, M.D.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., but we continue to make significant advances in reducing its toll.
Key developments have included targeted drug therapies resulting from genomic profiling of tumor samples, which determines the molecu- lar ‘fingerprint’ of the tumor; immunotherapy, which allows the body’s own natural immune system to better attack tumors; more sophisticat- ed radiation-delivery technologies, which allow for more precise targeting of tumors and better sparing of adjacent normal tissues from radia- tion dose; and newer combination or ‘multi- modality’ treatment regimens, taking advantage of a combination benefit effect of different ways of attacking and killing tumor cells.
In lung-cancer treatment, for example, we now have drugs to target a variety of specific mutations that may be present, such as EGFR, ALK, ROS1, MET, RET, BRAF, or NTRK. Immu- notherapy has been shown to provide a survival
improvement
in both stage-3
and stage-4
lung cancer.
For earlier and
smaller lung
cancers, highly
targeted radia-
tion treatment
can be deliv-
ered in a short
regimen of just
three to five
sessions, as an alternative to surgery for patients who are not good surgical candidates. And for other patients, combination regimens of radio- therapy and chemotherapy followed by immu- notherapy may be the preferred approach.
Even newer types of drugs are now available called antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, which target with high affinity a particular protein expressed on the surface of tumor cells, attach
to the target, and then deliver a toxic payload
“Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., but we continue to make significant advances in reducing its toll.”
to kill those particular tumor cells. This type of treatment was just approved by the FDA in April for metastatic ‘triple-negative’ breast cancer
(a more aggressive type of breast cancer), and another drug in this category was approved last December for locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer.
Molecularly targeted radiation delivery is an-
Please see Cancer, page 23
What’s Next in Health Education
Pandemic Has Accelerated Inevitable Technological Progress
By Marie Meckel, Kathleen Menard, Susan McDiarmid, and Theresa Riethle
Despite the complexities that COVID-19 has brought to healthcare education, the trajectory from traditional models to hybrid or virtual experiences was inevitable. Today’s technology allows healthcare educators to transcend geography, which widens access to health education in all segments of the popula- tion despite location, economic status, and race. The pandemic also revealed the vulnerabilities of underrepresented minorities.
These challenges caused many educators to pause to re-evaluate and readapt to how we teach and develop medical curriculum. Incor- porating technology through virtual learn-
ing experiences while focusing on how social determinants of health impact patient care and outcomes are two areas of focus in the future of healthcare education.
Health programs can integrate in-person and remote simulation experiences; these include the traditional simulation lab consisting of realistic mannequins where learners can develop clinical skills in a safe setting without patient harm. Ad- ditional virtual experiences include a wide array of interactive patient-encounter portals where
“By incorporating technology into healthcare education, medical learners will be better prepared for clinical practice.”
learners can conduct histories, perform physi- cal examinations, order and interpret diagnostic tests, develop assessments and treatment plans, all while documenting patient records and re- ceiving coaching and feedback every step of the way.
Live rounding with certified medical providers has also enabled learners to experience tradition- al hospital rounding from wherever they are in an interactive manner. Even surgical experiences can be supplemented with high-definition surgi- cal videos and medical lectures from subject- matter experts.
While none of these experiences will replace the need for traditional hands-on learning, they can provide learners with unique education ex- periences that directly correlate to what is seen in clinical practice. With the increase in tele- health visits, medical learners are now equipped to adapt to these visits, delivering care in a better and more effective manner.
Technology is intertwined into healthcare today as seen with diagnostic imaging, robotic surgery, and electronic health records. By incor- porating technology into healthcare education, medical learners will be better prepared for clini- cal practice. The virtual experiences will also develop independent and critical thinking, thus making it easier to adapt to innovations and changing patterns of illness and health systems.
In order to provide equitable, high-quality healthcare to all patients, we must include social determinants of health in the curriculum. These include socioeconomic status, education, neigh- borhood and physical environment, employ- ment, and social-support networks, as well as
Please see Education, page 23
12 WWW.HEALTHCARENEWS.COM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020