Kyra N. McComas

Jan 17, 2025 | appliedradiationoncology.com | Kyra N. McComas

Despite advances in cancer treatment, cervical cancer, particularly locally advanced disease, remains a challenging entity with a poor prognosis. For patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer, pembrolizumab has demonstrated efficacy1 and is a category 1 recommendation on NCCN guidelines (along with platinum-based chemotherapy).

Oct 30, 2024 | appliedradiationoncology.com | Kyra N. McComas

As summer fades into fall, we have yet another ASTRO Annual Meeting in the books. With an overarching theme of provider wellness, we experienced moving keynote addresses discussing how to navigate the changing landscape of medicine while still maintaining high-quality, compassionate care (for both our patients and ourselves). There was also some interesting news on the science front, presented at the plenary session.

Aug 16, 2024 | appliedradiationoncology.com | Kyra N. McComas

The world of cancer treatment is a rapidly evolving creature, and rectal cancer is no exception. In particular, locally advanced rectal cancer has a number of valid treatment options. While it’s traditionally a surgical disease, in some cases we now have evidence for watch-and-wait approaches that spare patients the morbidity and toxicity associated with oncologic resections.

Jun 3, 2024 | appliedradiationoncology.com | Kyra N. McComas

The idea of delayed gratification is a common adage encountered in medicine. Medical students and residents are told time and again to just suck it up, keep going, and don’t whine because “this is just the way things are.” The ultimate goal of becoming an independent physician takes years, sometimes even a decade, to reach (and this begins only after being a high-achieving undergraduate). But the reality is, delayed gratification is not unique to medicine. It is fundamental to life in general.

Apr 16, 2024 | appliedradiationoncology.com | Kyra N. McComas

Durvalumab has changed the game for stage III non-small cell lung cancer; pembrolizumab is potentially sparing MSI-high rectal cancer patients surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy; and trastuzumab is standard of care for all HER-2 positive breast cancers.