![]() Having helped thousands of hematology and oncology patients over the past 30 years, Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, was four times voted one of New Jersey Monthly Magazine’s Top Doctors. Treating patients at Regional Cancer Care Associates, LLC, in Howell, New Jersey, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum maintains active membership with the American Society of Hematology (ASH). ASH recently published a study in its medical journal Blood that reported an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in the months prior to a cancer diagnosis. People with lung cancer, colon cancer, and other cancers in late stages are among those most likely to experience a cardiac event or stroke due to increased blood clots. The largest and most systematic study of heart attacks and strokes in advance of a cancer diagnosis, the research was compiled with information from a Medicare database connected to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. The study included 748,662 Medicare beneficiaries who were newly diagnosed with a wide variety of cancer types from 2005 to 2013. Overall, the study concluded that a person’s risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke rose by 70 percent in the year before his or her eventual cancer diagnosis, with the highest risk time reported as the month before the diagnosis.
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![]() For more than three decades, Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, has been practicing hematology and oncology. A physician at Regional Cancer Care Associates, LLC, in Howell, New Jersey, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has treated thousands of patients and studied a range of medical conditions, including breast cancer. A recent study discovered that acupressure is an effective, low-cost way of relieving common side effects associated with breast cancer treatment. The study was completed by researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and served as a follow-up to their 2016 study revealing that acupressure reduced fatigue after breast cancer treatment. Since survivors of breast cancer rarely experience only fatigue, the current research examined acupressure’s role in reducing anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and poor sleep after breast cancer treatment. To gather their data, researchers looked at 288 patients from the original 424 participants who reported experiencing symptoms in addition to fatigue. For several weeks, these participants were asked to report on their sleep quality, depressive symptoms, fatigue, pain, and anxiety. After six weeks, those patients who underwent relaxing acupressure, a type of acupressure traditionally used for insomnia, had fewer sleep problems and depressive symptoms than patients who received either standard care or stimulating acupressure. On top of that, anxiety and pain were reduced significantly more among the group of patients who received either type of acupressure when compared to those who received standard care. And improving symptoms of depression improved both sleep quality and fatigue in most patients. This suggests that tailored treatment is more important when helping survivors manage their post-treatment symptoms. ![]() An accomplished clinician, teacher, and researcher, Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, has been recognized as a Top Doc four times by New Jersey Monthly Magazine. Currently treating patients at Regional Cancer Care Associates, LLC, in New Jersey, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum uses his 30 years of experience in hematology and oncology to give patients the best care possible. Hematologists are physicians who specialize in treating blood disorders that affect patients’ red or white blood cells, platelets, bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, or clotting proteins. Common hematological conditions include anemia, hemophilia, polycythemia vera, and sickle cell disease. People with blood disorders may experience symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, recurring fevers or infections, abnormal bleeding or bruising, or excessive blood clotting. Hematologic oncologists specialize in the treatment of cancers that occur in the blood or blood-forming tissues, such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Hematologists at Regional Cancer Care Associates treat both cancerous and non-cancerous blood disorders with the most advanced treatment options available, including new clinical trials. ![]() A hematologist and oncologist with Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) in New Jersey, Kenneth D. Nahum, MD, has been practicing medicine for more than 30 years. In addition to treating patients, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has served as the principle and co-investigator on dozens of drug studies for the treatment of unresectable cancers. Cancer that cannot be fully removed by surgery, unresectable cancer is not the same as untreatable cancer. Further, some tumors are initially deemed unresectable but later become removable. Several factors contribute to a tumor being unresectable, including the tumor's size and location. When a tumor is large, removing it with surgery may require the removal of a large portion of an essential organ. This will negatively impact the function of the body and make safe removal of the growth difficult. The same is true if the tumor is intertwined with vital blood vessels. Certain tumors may also be deemed unresectable because of their spread. Since surgery is a local treatment, it is not a viable option for tumors that have spread to other areas of the body. Chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and other systemic treatments that kill cancer cells in numerous areas of the body are preferred. ![]() A hematologist and an oncologist with Regional Cancer Care Associates, LLC, Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, divides his time between treating patients and participating in clinical research. In addition to his involvement in clinical studies, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has co-written publications about different therapies for conditions like Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM). Seen in about six people per 1 million, WM is a type of lymphoma. People who have this condition produce too much immunoglobulin M (IgM), a type of protein. As a result, the blood becomes thicker than normal and moves through the blood vessels slower. WM cells can grow in the spleen, liver, bone marrow, or lymph nodes and are easily controlled due to their slow spreading. The symptoms that appear with WM vary from person to person and may not appear for several years. Weakness is the most common symptom of WM since it results from having too few red blood cells in the body. This occurs when WM cells push out normal cells in the blood marrow. Weight loss, loss of appetite, and neuropathy, a pins-and-needles sensation in the legs, are also common for WM. Many of these symptoms are similar to certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. More aggressive cases of WM are often characterized by more extreme symptoms, known as B symptoms. These include severe skin itchiness, heavy sweating, and unexplained fever. ![]() A distinguished hematologist and oncologist for the past 30 years, Kenneth D. Nahum is a recipient of the Humanitarian Physician of the year award from Kimball Medical Center. Currently serving at Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) in New Jersey, Kenneth D. Nahum also supports medical advancements through contributions to his local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). One of the many ways JDRF supports patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is through its artificial pancreas program. The artificial pancreas is a portable, convenient technology system that helps people managing T1D live a more normal life without the need to check blood-sugar levels or inject themselves with insulin multiple times per day. Using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and insulin pump, the artificial pancreas responds to changes in the patient’s blood sugar level with an algorithm-based appropriate dosage at the right time. The technology is user-friendly, miniature, and not visible to anyone other than the user. ![]() A hematologist and oncologist with Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) in Howell, New Jersey, Kenneth D. Nahum has a distinguished clinical, research, and teaching career. In addition to his medical work, Kenneth D. Nahum and his wife support nonprofit and educational organizations, including the Solomon Schechter School of Monmouth County, more recently renamed the Hebrew Academy of New Jersey. To spur 21st-century learning and train students for the digital age, the Hebrew Academy features a state-of-the-art technology lab on campus. Once a basic school library and computer room, the school upgraded its technology center in 2013, equipping the space with 20 iMac computers and 30 iPad tablets. During their time in the technology lab, students learn how to perform Internet research, access learning tools available on the computers, and navigate other digitized resources. They also use learning applications and connect via video chats with other students and teachers across the globe. ![]() An oncologist and hematologist at Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA), Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has been working as a physician for more than three decades. In that time, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has joined several professional organizations, including the American College of Physicians (ACP). The world’s largest society for internal medicine specialists and subspecialists, ACP advances the practice of internal medicine by providing professionals with a variety of education and networking opportunities. This includes the organization’s Internal Medicine Meeting, an annual conference that provides attendees with access to hands-on sessions and presentations that keep them updated on advances in their field. Designed for hospitalists, general internists, family physicians, residents, and subspecialists in internal medicine, the ACP Internal Medicine Meeting 2019 is scheduled for April 11-13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. ACP will host more than 200 scientific sessions and offer attendees a maximum of 30.5 category 1 AMA credits. These credits can be used toward a professional’s maintenance of certification (MOC) or continuing medical education (CME) efforts. ![]() Hematologist and oncologist Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum practices with Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) in New Jersey. Possessing more than 30 years of experience in medicine, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has treated thousands of patients and studied new treatment options for metastatic cancers. Metastasis refers to cancer that has spread from one organ to other parts of the body. This occurs when cancer cells break from the original tumor and move through the lymph system or bloodstream to new locations. Most of the time, cancers of varying types metastasize to the lungs, brain, bones, and liver. However, cancer cells can grow in other areas, including the skin, adrenal gland, and muscle. The location of metastatic cancer largely affects the symptoms a patient experiences. In certain cases, metastasis is not accompanied by any symptoms. Because of this, the condition can be difficult to diagnose if patients do not have a follow-up care plan. ![]() For more than three decades, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has treated patients with blood disorders and cancer as a hematologist-oncologist. Practicing at Regional Cancer Care Associates, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has cared for thousands of patients over the years, in addition to undertaking clinical research on such conditions as multiple myeloma. A type of blood cancer, multiple myeloma causes the body to release too much protein, which builds up and eventually damages the organs. Although scientists have not identified a specific cause, they have linked the condition to the presence of an abnormal plasma cell in the bone marrow. This abnormal cell rapidly multiplies and overwhelms healthy cell production, pushing healthy cells out of the bone marrow and leaving a high number of multiple myeloma cells. This abnormal cell may be the result of either a mutation in the oncogenes, a part of the DNA that contains instructions for how to grow and divide cells, or an abnormality in the chromosomes. Several studies have revealed that people with multiple myeloma are missing parts of the 17th chromosome in their DNA, while others have found that people with the condition have one chromosome switched with another. |
AuthorA practicing partner of Regional Cancer Care Associates, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, has over 30 years of experience treating cancer patients in New Jersey and surrounding areas. Archives
December 2018
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