CRANBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To assist patients, caregivers and medical professionals to better understand carcinoid syndrome, CURE Connections® unveiled a 13-part discussion series featuring patients and doctors who shared their experience with carcinoid syndrome. CURE Connections® is a video platform designed specifically for patients with cancer featuring information, stories and advice about the cancer journey.
The series was moderated by Shubham Pant, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was joined by Michael Morse, M.D., a gastrointestinal oncologist from Duke Medical Center; Larry Pleasant, a patient with a carcinoid tumor; and Maryann Wahmann, founder of the Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network.
“I was actually fortunate,” said Pleasant, recalling his experience regarding his diagnosis. “I hear stories regularly about people who go years without being diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. I was diagnosed through a routine colonoscopy.”
Pleasant continued to explain his symptoms, “The only symptom I had was I had noticed in the previous year or so that any time I had an alcoholic drink, if I had wine with dinner or a beer, I had a flushing episode. My face would turn red and I’d feel the flushing, but I had no other symptoms, nothing.”
Dr. Morse remarked on keeping the patient well informed prior to and during the treatments, saying, “We try to explain what types of therapies are out there, what the different options are for their particular cancer. For some people, the different therapies may be applicable to them at different points in the disease. And then, again, our emphasis is on using the therapies that are going to be effective but hopefully not cause undue toxicities or risks or side effects.”
When discussing the importance of self-education and direct communication between doctors and patients, Maryann Wahmann agreed, saying, “In the beginning, a lot of patients are scared, but I always tell the patients that they need to ask questions. The doctors might not know everything. Try to get as much material as possible and bring the information to them. Each patient is different, each doctor is different.”
Wahmann, who was accustomed to nighttime fevers because of a separate condition, added that better communication with her doctor about her symptoms may have led to an earlier diagnosis. When fevers began occurring in the daytime, she did not bring it up to her doctor. “Had I said to him, ‘Well, they’re starting to come during the day,’ maybe I would have picked it up a little sooner,” said Wahmann. “He said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I could have noticed.’”
To view the complete interview series, visit www.curetoday.com/cure-connections/carcinoid/winning-the-carcinoid-battle.
About CURE Connections®
A subsidiary of CURE Media Group, CURE Connections® provides a video platform for patients with cancer to share information, stories and advice about their cancer journey. CURE Media Group combines science and humanity to make cancer understandable. CURE Media Group is part of the Cranbury, New Jersey-based Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc., family of businesses, which includes the acclaimed OncLive® (http://www.OncLive.com) platform of resources for the practicing oncologist. For more information, visit http://www.curetoday.com or http://www.mjhassoc.com.
