By Nicholas Zuk Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that cannot be improved through sleep or rest in someone with cancer (American Cancer Society, 2024). CRF is often exacerbated through chemotherapy treatments, causing cancer treatment-related fatigue, or “chemo fatigue.” Chemo fatigue can occur both during treatment and can last for months…
By Nicholas Zuk Prostate cancer, with 13% of Americans expected to develop it in their lifetime, is one of the most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer in men (CDC, 2024). Fortunately, most cases of prostate cancer are non-emergent and slow spreading, often taking years to become large enough to detect or to spread outside of…
By Nicholas Zuk Every year, millions of people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer. Because of its high unpredictability, various forms, and difficulty to treat, cancer remains one of the most complex challenges in modern medicine. While there have been groundbreaking advancements in our ability to treat cancer and its many forms, navigating a cancer diagnosis…
By Nicholas Zuk Receiving a cancer diagnosis at any age is a life-changing experience that comes with a variety of challenges. For young people, however, it presents difficulties that can make their situation even more complex. Unlike older adults who have likely been out of school for years or decades and have established careers, young…
By Nicholas Zuk Whether through personal experiences or the stories of others, nearly everyone has had contact with someone affected by cancer. Because of its devastating potential to harm humans, cancer is almost always associated with negativity, pain, and death. For medical students and researchers in the United States and abroad, cancer represents one of…
By Nicholas Zuk Imagine being 75 years old, already managing the slow decline of aging. Your body is riddled with arthritis, you have to carefully watch your blood sugar levels because of your diabetes, you have high blood pressure, and your body aches all the time. Then, at a routine checkup at the doctor, some…
By Nicholas Zuk In December of 2023, after suffering for several weeks with severe abdominal pain, my mother went to the emergency room. She had a CT scan, was admitted to the hospital, and within 24 hours was diagnosed with colon cancer. Two days later she underwent surgery. Because I had just begun taking final…
By Nicholas Zuk When I became an EMT in the summer of 2024, I knew I would encounter patients experiencing extremely difficult medical situations. What I did not expect was how much I would learn from them about health, resilience, and the choices we make. Some of the most memorable patients I have treated have…
By Darryl Mitteldorf, LCSW When faced with an unexpected diagnosis of cancer, many patients find that conventional language falls short in conveying the sheer intensity of their experience. Instead, they turn to metaphors—vivid, sometimes jarring images that capture the overwhelming impact of the moment when their lives irrevocably changed. This Malecare white paper investigates cancer-related…
