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- Dr. Robert Nagourney -
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BRCA Prostate Cancer: Lessons Learned from a Successful Outcome
On March 29, 2016, we reported the story of a 55 year old man diagnosed 13 years earlier with prostate cancer who had failed many prior...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
May 15, 20162 min read
The Role of Medical Oncology in Stage IV NSCLC
There has been a trend in medical oncology to add therapies, layer upon layer, until every patient receives every drug every time. In...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Mar 11, 20162 min read


Another Victory in Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer
The battle against Stage IV pancreatic cancer is every bit as challenging as a hard fought military campaign.

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Mar 7, 20163 min read
Harvard Investigators Endorse Functional Profiling
In the December 2015 issue of Nature Reviews: Cancer, investigators from Harvard University published an editorial in support of...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Feb 3, 20162 min read
Seventh Time’s the Charm-Unexpected Response in Relapsed Leukemia
For medical oncologists, the choice of chemotherapy drugs is one of statistical probability. For cancer patients, it is a matter of life...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Jan 25, 20164 min read
For Recurrent Colon Cancer Case: "Right to Try" or "Right to Receive"?
Over the past five years I have been treating a 70-year-old gentleman diagnosed in 2010 with lymph node positive, Stage III colon cancer....

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Jan 12, 20164 min read
In Medical Oncology Logic Prevails (Finally)
Breast cancer remains a challenging public health issue, with 231,000 new diagnoses and 40,290 deaths in the US in 2015. Chemotherapy is...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Jan 6, 20163 min read
Rational Patient Selection: Hope for Head & Neck Cancer and Beyond
In many disciplines, medical oncology included, change is slow. The management of advanced cancer has progressed little over recent...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Dec 9, 20152 min read
The Many Faces of Lung Cancer
As November is lung cancer awareness month, it is opportune to examine this disease and our changing understanding of its treatment. Lung...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Nov 19, 20153 min read
Biomarkers in Oncology
The treatment of advanced human malignancies has progressed slowly since the first introduction of systemic chemotherapy in the 1950’s....

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Nov 11, 20154 min read
The Cost of Chemotherapy Comes Home to Roost
Medical care in the United States is a $2.7 trillion industry. That translates into almost $8,000 per person per year. One of the most...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Nov 10, 20154 min read
An Unexpected Ally In The Treatment For Pancreatic Cancer?
A recent paper in Cancer Research examined the impact of Vitamin C exposure on the effects of radiation in pancreatic cancer. Using cell...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Sep 21, 20153 min read
Another Hiccup in Cancer Genomics Testing
Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, once said, "It’s okay to have your eggs in one basket, as long as you control what happens to...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Sep 8, 20152 min read
Never Too Old To Be Cured - Stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Surviving Mantle Cell Lymphoma Stage 4 Just a year ago a colleague referred a patient for consultation. This 80 year old gentleman,...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Aug 31, 20152 min read


Pigment, Color and Cancer - The Need for Phenomics
An interesting story reported by National Public Radio on November 12 described the origins of color in biology. Andrew Parker, a...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Aug 28, 20153 min read
Despite Genetic Probing, Pancreatic Cancer Survival Requires Phenomics
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has allowed molecular biologists to probe the genomic landscape of different diseases. Under the auspices...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Aug 26, 20152 min read
Of Prostate Cancer, Glucose, Metabolism and Metformin
A study conducted by Canadian investigators and reported in the September 1, 2013 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology examined the...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Aug 12, 20153 min read
Pancreatic Cancer Survival - Reasons To Be Optimistic
Pancreatic cancer constitutes only 3% of cancer diagnoses yet it is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in women and the 5th in men...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Aug 10, 20153 min read
For Advanced Breast Cancer, Taxol is Still Best of its Class
An important trial result was reported for patients with advanced breast cancer. A total of 783 patients with stage IIIC/IV disease,...

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Jul 14, 20152 min read
Chemosensitivity Testing – What It Is and What It Isn’t
Several weeks ago I was consulted by a young man regarding the management of his heavily pre-treated, widely metastatic rectal cancer....

Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, MD
Jun 30, 20154 min read
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