Barbara Chernow

December 07, 2016

What is the appropriate reaction when a friend is diagnosed with cancer? Should you be sympathetic, optimistic, questioning? How do you handle your own fears—those you feel for your friend and, particularly as you grow older, those that evoke the possibility of personal loss and even the reality of your own vulnerability?

November 11, 2016

Respect the right of a patient with cancer to decide against treatment or to reach a point where fighting the disease is no longer worth the suffering.

September 09, 2016

Any diagnosis of cancer is frightening, but the functional, psychological and cosmetic effects of oral cancer treatment create an additional layer of fear. Even patients who are treated successfully will require care throughout their lives. This disease exacts an unending physical and mental price.

August 19, 2016

Fortunately, cancer awareness has increased, and so have treatment options. One of my goals is to encourage patients and families to maximize their use of available resources to minimize post-treatment challenges and discomfort.

July 05, 2016

People caring for others often neglect their own health. In doing so, they violate a basic rule: You cannot take care of someone else if you do not first take care of yourself.

May 17, 2016

Despite educational and graphic antismoking ads and public service announcements, many young people still find the attraction outweighs the risks. How do we convince them otherwise?

April 14, 2016

Patients and caregivers benefit from informed and sensitive decisions about treatment options. How do you provide the best possible care while successfully balancing personalities and emotions?

March 18, 2016

Once the initial shock of a malignant diagnosis is absorbed, patients and families need to practice due diligence to ensure the best possible and most appropriate care.

February 24, 2016

More than 50 years after her mother's first diagnosis, Barbara begins to reflect on the many lessons that came from a family member battling oral cancer.