About the Special Issue

Many people dread the 'C' word because cancer is often associated with suffering and death. How can health care professionals work effectively while achieving job satisfaction and supporting patients and their families? Similarly, caregivers are also at risk of burnout, much like health care providers, as many cancer patients now experience extended survival times, thanks to significant medical advances. The guest editor, Professor Patricia Tai, extends a helpful hand to those burdened with great challenges by offering practical tips, drawn from her nearly 40 years of experience, that are easy to understand and follow. She has carefully observed the healthcare systems in Canada and Hong Kong, China. She graciously brought together international experts from various medical fields to contribute to this special issue—a labor of love dedicated to our courageous patients and caregivers who fight their battles every day.

Although the focus is on cancer care, many of the tips also apply to other medical disciplines. Layman summaries are provided throughout the special issue to benefit as many patients and caregivers as possible. The tentative 12 chapters/topics are as follows. Contributors may choose to modify their topics, even though Prof. Tai has initially invited them to write on these intriguing aspects of patient care:

(1) Making healthcare accessible: The first-in-Canada hormonal therapy off-site injection program

(2) How to evaluate the performance of cancer programs: The lean method

(3) Systemic therapy for prostate cancer: classes of drugs and management of their complications

(4) Dental care for patients

(5) Spiritual care for patients

(6) Prostate cancer: difficult scenarios

(7) Skin cancers: An illustration of mutual medical decision-making by patients and healthcare professionals

(8) CNS lymphoma: An example of advances in oncology over the past few decades

(9) Systemic therapy for prostate cancer: classes of drugs and management of their complications

(10) Photodynamic therapy: Updates on current and emerging indications

(11) Managing stress among healthcare professionals and caregivers

(12) Lung cancer updates

Call for Papers