October News Round Up

October 31, 2019
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Infectious disease expert Scott Curry talks with reporters.

 

MUSC helps fight mumps outbreak at College of Charleston

MUSC Catalyst News
Scott Curry, M.D., associate hospital epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist at MUSC Health, studies health problems that affect groups of people — including mumps. He said the MMR vaccine does not cause autism and does not contain mercury, contrary to what some people think. “There are very few legitimate medical reasons not to get the MMR vaccine. People who have very impaired immune systems, pregnant women, people who have had severe allergic reactions to previous MMR vaccine doses and people with untreated AIDS are about it.”

Breast cancer patient fights cancer while pregnant, raises awareness for research and prevention

MUSC Catalyst News
A miracle is what others might say. Manigault, who was referred to Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, had a little over two weeks to recover from her planned C-section before she underwent a bilateral mastectomy. This surgery was a success, with good news that no cancer was found in her lymph nodes. She is now in recovery and plans to have reconstructive surgery somewhere between six months and a year. 

“They were so proactive. When I would leave one appointment with Dr. Young Lee, she would immediately call Dr. Goodier. Being pregnant, it’s so important that they coordinate and talk because just because something may be right for me, we also have to think about my baby. They commit their time, their care and they show great compassion. They treat you like they are gonna beat this, they are gonna fight this with you. Like you’re not in it by yourself,” she says.

Better than ever: Cancer survivor to ride LOWVELO with doctor who saved his life

MUSC Catalyst News
Thousands of lesions had appeared along Nick Charalambous’ spine and pelvis. Weeks passed as his Anderson-based medical team endeavored to find out what kind of cancer was at work, and that’s when someone suggested he see oncologist Robert Stuart, M.D., at Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Health Focus: Restless Leg Syndrome

SC Public Radio-Health Focus
Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Robert Vorona about restless leg syndrome. Dr. Vorona is an Adult Sleep Medicine Specialist in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at MUSC.

Health Focus: Sepsis

SC Public Radio-Health Focus
Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Andrew Goodwin about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. Dr. Goodwin is an Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and he’s the Medical Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at MUSC.

Lung cancer risk 40% greater in unfiltered cigarette smokers

Healio
Smoking any type of cigarette is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer incidence and death, but unfiltered cigarettes pose the greatest risk, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Additionally, researchers found that “light” or “ultralight” cigarettes were associated with the same risk for lung cancer mortality as regular cigarettes.

Nichole T. Tanner, MD, MSCR, an associate professor in the department of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, and colleagues wrote that despite the creation of low-tar alternatives and filtered cigarettes, “smoking remains responsible for 80% to 90% of lung cancer diagnoses, and 5-year survival is 18%, highlighting the importance of prevention.”

Auris shows off data from first-in-human study of its robotic lung biopsy platform

FierceBiotech
Auris Health presented late-breaking data tracking its Monarch robotic bronchoscopy system in real-world settings showing it was able to successfully target hard-to-reach lung nodules and biopsy the undiagnosed tissue to check for possible cancers.

“This is the first prospective, multicenter study of robot-assisted bronchoscopy in patients with undiagnosed lung lesions,” said trial investigator Gerard Silvestri, the Hillenbrand Professor of Thoracic Oncology and a lung cancer pulmonologist at the Medical University of South Carolina.

The right doctor at the right time: Geriatricians focus on healthy aging for older adults

MUSC Catalyst News
The aging population comes with a new set of health care challenges. This month’s news of former President Jimmy Carter’s hospitalization after his third fall this year may feel familiar to middle-aged adults trying to help their parents navigate a new stage of life. 

“A geriatrician has specialized medical training for older adults,” said Amanda Overstreet, D.O., who is board certified in geriatrics and oversees geriatrics education for internal medicine residents at MUSC Health. “One reason it’s important is the physiology of an older adult is different than the physiology of a younger adult.” Despite the aging population, geriatrics remains an undervalued specialty, Overstreet said. Medical students aren’t exposed to many geriatric specialists simply because they are few and far between. For example, she said, she joined the faculty of MUSC in 2016 and “that year, I was the only new geriatrician in the state of South Carolina. So that just gives you a sense of – there are just not many of us.”

But MUSC is working to change that. It launched a new geriatric fellowship program in July, said Mark Newbrough, M.D., a geriatrician who oversees the fellowship.

Heartfelt gift helps fund amyloidosis care at MUSC

MUSC Catalyst News
Today, there is more to be hopeful about than ever before for people with amyloidosis. But with numbers on the rise, MUSC is eager to get the comprehensive center off the ground — and raising $5 million to launch it will allow specialists to advance their research, develop better treatments, get the word out far and wide — and, hopefully, one day, find the cure.

Daniel Judge, M.D. feels MUSC is in a unique position to accomplish this.

“I’m biased, but I think we’re clearly by far the best when it comes to novel drugs or therapies for this condition. We just recently did a heart transplant for somebody who has this condition, and we’re the only heart transplant center in the state. What we can offer is far beyond what anyone else in the state can offer or even in some cases, the region.”

Darby agrees. “I don’t think this disease is rare, just rarely diagnosed. With a dedicated center, think of all the lives that might be saved.”