When an elderly person gets cancer, it can be tricky for doctors to predict which treatments they'll tolerate and which will be too harsh for them. That's why some oncologists have taken to using a technique called geriatric assessment to gauge their patients' overall health and ability to function and their life goals. Results for the assessment can help patients and doctors choose a wise and appropriate treatment path, one that reduces risks of harmful side effects and supports quality of life.
Read on to learn how seniors with cancer can get care that's tailored to their age and capacity. |
From foot fungus treatments to flu shots, every year hundreds of homeless people in Atlanta get their health care needs met by a medical SWOT team of sorts.
"Street medicine" programs in Atlanta and cities around the country send teams of doctors, nurses and other health care providers into the city's streets to treat homeless people where they live.
The central tenet of street medicine is, "Go to the people."
"We're trying to avoid emergencies, but we're also trying to build relationships,” says Matthew Reed, who's been doing social work with the team for two years.
Read on to learn how this approach can help connect the homeless to services like mental health counseling or housing. |
People with sickle cell disease experience bouts of excruciating pain and other life-threatening symptms. For decades doctors have had little help to offer them. But now a new experimental treatment shows effectiveness.
The treatment involves infusions of genetically modified cells developed with the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR. The first patient to get this treatment is thriving so far, giving researchers hope that this technique could cure her, and potentially others with the disease. The patient, Victoria Gray, who is a 34-year-old mother of four, calls the treatment “a miracle.”
Read more about Victoria Gray’s battle with sickle cell and the cutting-edge gene-editing treatment that’s helping her. |
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| More of this week's health stories from NPR |
We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism on Shots and follow us on Twitter at @NPRHealth.
Your Shots editor,
Carmel Wroth
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