Award-winning medic Natasha Tiffany, MD, practices at the Oregon Oncology Specialists office in Salem, Oregon. Focused on providing quality medical care to patients with cancer, Natasha Tiffany, MD, recommends immunotherapy treatments. According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, immunotherapy coupled with chemotherapy at the onset of lung cancer can drastically increase the survival time of patients. However, the positive results apply to less than half of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. In the study, researchers included 616 patients from around the world. Of this group, 400 received the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, sold as Keytruda, while the rest received only chemotherapy. Researchers found that patients who underwent both immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatment had a 48-percent reduction in the chances of the lung cancer's progression, and death. They also found that median survival – the life expectancy for 50 percent of patients - doubled from 12 months with chemotherapy alone, to 24 months with both immunotherapy and chemotherapy. According to Dr. Leena Gandhi, lead researcher of the study, the findings show that chemotherapy alone is not a sufficient standard of care. Patients with non-small cell lung cancer should receive both immunotherapy and chemotherapy as early as possible.
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Since 2004 Natasha Tiffany, MD, has served as a full-time physician at Oregon Oncology Specialists (formerly Hematology Oncology of Salem) in Oregon, working with patients in both clinical and hospital settings. In addition to providing medical care, Natasha Tiffany, MD, keeps up with advances in the field and networks with her peers through membership in the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG). Researchers have long searched for an alternative to opioid treatment for patients who experience joint pain and stiffness as a side effect of taking aromatase inhibitors to deal with hormone-related breast cancers. In a groundbreaking new study, SWOG has found that acupuncture may serve as an effective alternative to pain medication, as it has been shown to greatly reduce the joint pain reported by these patients. During the course of the study, the largest of its kind, patients received acupuncture two times per week over an initial six-week period, and then once a week after that for another six weeks. Researchers compared the subjects' reported “worst level of pain” to the levels of those who didn’t receive acupuncture treatment and found that the acupuncture group reported less pain. These findings were presented at the organization’s Breast Cancer Symposium last December. Natasha Tiffany, MD, completed her medical training from Oregon Health and Science University and is currently a physician partner at Hematology Oncology of Salem and was appointed chair of Salem Cancer Institute Thoracic Oncology Committee. An active oncology practitioner, Natasha Tiffany, MD, is also a member of American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO). ASCO is a professional organization dedicated to the promotion of the oncology field in its many aspects: continuing professional education, research, and promotion of high-quality patient care. In fulfilling its functions, the ASCO advocates for legislation that would potentially improve the profession as well as treatment. In 2015, the ASCO worked on having the Congress expedite the passage of the "21st Century Cures Legislation," a bill that, when passed, could help to accelerate the process of discovering, developing, and delivering of the latest treatments to patients. The first draft has been released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is due for further legislative work in the House and the Senate. The ASCO will be consulting closely with lawmakers to ensure that the proper legislative framework will be designed. |
AuthorNatasha Tiffany, MD, is a physician, educator, and research scientist currently working in Oregon. A Partner and Physician in a private practice located in the state’s capital city of Salem, Dr. Tiffany teaches at her alma mater, Oregon Health & Science University, where she is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Hematology and Medical Oncology Division. Archives
October 2019
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