Looking into your genes with a DNA expert

DNA with cancer care

About 10 percent of cancers are considered hereditary. That means some people’s genes put them at a high risk for certain cancers. Fortunately, there are medical professionals trained to look at patients’ personal and family histories to assess this risk: genetic counselors. “It’s a trained specialist who is taught to put the pieces of the…

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A song and dance for patients at the end of chemo treatment

Karen Finkbiner is an oncology pharmacist, but her patients often refer to her as a bartender. “I think a lot of patients try to have fun with the thought of coming in for chemotherapy because, of course, it’s a pretty awful thing to think about,” she said. “So a lot of people refer to (the…

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Hazy on hookah

Kansas legislators are trying to determine what they should do, if anything, to regulate hookah. But first, several of them have to determine exactly what hookah is.

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Truman Med looks to be on cutting edge of cancer research

vials of blood byproducts

For years, Truman Medical Centers’ chemotherapy unit sat in an open room located in an un-renovated portion of its mid-1970s hospital near downtown Kansas City, Mo. Only a few feet separated each chemotherapy patient – seated in recliners next to their IV poles – and the ground-floor pharmacy sat several stories below the oncology unit.…

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