HPV vaccine now recommended for boys. For nearly five years, public health officials have encouraged women and girls to be vaccinated with Gardasil to prevent the human papilloma virus (HPV) which can cause cervical and other cancers. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics added the HPV vaccine to its list of inoculations recommended for boys. To find out how boys and men benefit from Gardasil, Barbara Lewis will chat with Kelly Kasper, M.D., of the IU School of Medicine and Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis and with Fred Duncan, executive director of Little Red Door Cancer Agency.
Blood tests for cancer detection. A simple blood test soon may be the standard way to detect some cancers in their very early stages. Oncimmune , a company inspired by research at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, has developed blood tests for early stage lung cancer; a blood test for breast cancer will soon be available. John Robertson, M.D., founder of Oncimmune and professor of surgery at the University of Nottingham, will explain how blood tests can recognize cancer before a CT scan is able to.
Profile: IU cancer researcher George Sledge. IU School of Medicine physician and researcher George Sledge, M.D., soon will finish his year as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. It seems an apt time to learn more about Dr. Sledge’s career and his assessment of the past 20 years in cancer research. Dr. Sledge will join Barbara Lewis to discuss his roles in the development of two important cancer drugs: Taxol and Avastin. He also will explain his current goal: improving patient-doctor communication. Dr. Sledge is co-director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center.
Jogging Memories. Here’s one more reason to lace up the sneakers and go for a walk: new research indicates that moderate exercise can actually increase the size of the hippocampus – the brain region linked to memory. Kirk Erickson, Ph,D., assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, led the study. Dr. Erickson will meet with Sound Medicine’s David Crabb, M.D., to provide details about his paper, which was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Grace Notes essay. Finally this week, IU oncologist and essayist Larry Cripe, M.D., will explain why it is so important for him to write about death and dying. Dr. Cripe is medical director for the palliative care program at IU Hospital in Indianapolis.