Rise in Early-Onset Colon Cancer Being Studied Through Single-Cell Sequencing
On this episode of Advances in Care, host Erin Welsh and Dr. Joel Gabre, a gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia who specializes in cancer care, discuss the ongoing rise in colorectal cancer rates among younger individuals. Dr. Gabre lays out trends observed by the medical community in colorectal cancer rates, including the increasing likelihood by birth cohort for patients to develop this disease. He also talks about the main differences in colorectal cancer for patients from these different cohorts, most notably the location where cancers are likely to develop in the colon.Dr. Gabre also shares some of the leading hypotheses for why colon cancer rates are rising in younger people, and that clinicians and researchers are focused on searching for answers to improve prevention and treatment options. He gets into the importance of the western diet in developing these forms of cancer and shares details about his team’s recent findings regarding changes at the cellular level that could be contributing to the accelerated growth of these cancers.Finally, Dr. Gabre speaks to his personal experiences as a gastroenterologist who has seen first hand the rise in colon cancer rates among his patients. He shares a story of what motivated him to begin researching the cellular mechanisms driving colorectal cancer in young people, with the hope of finding a solution.***Dr. Joel Gabre is a gastroenterologist and GI cancer genetics specialist interested in studying diseases of the upper GI tract with particular focus on the esophagus. He completed his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University in biophysics, medical degree at the University of Maryland, internal medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati, and gastroenterology fellowship and post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was chief GI fellow. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases and as a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia.For more information visit nyp.org/Advances
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15:46
How GLP-1s Provide New Options to Manage Heart Disease
On this episode of Advances in Care, host Erin Welsh talks to Dr. David Majure, a cardiologist and heart failure specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. Together they discuss the rapid rise in GLP-1 research over the past few years, indicating new applications for these therapies to help a wide variety of patients. They explore how GLP-1s work on a molecular level, and how using them to treat diabetes revealed other potential cardiovascular benefits.Dr. Majure highlights several recent studies that explore the effects of semaglutide and tirzepitide on patients with heart failure, particularly those with preserved ejection fraction. This new research demonstrates that GLP-1s can be an effective treatment beyond diabetes, helping with weight management and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Majure breaks down what effects doctors can expect to see in patients who are prescribed GLP-1s, including the difference in outcomes between semaglutide and tirzepatide. He also notes the potential risk factors, cautioning that while these medications are effective, the focus in addressing heart disease should always remain on prevention.***Dr. David Majure is the Medical Director of the Heart Transplant Service at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. He specializes in the care of patients with heart failure, patients requiring or who have a heart transplant or ventricular assist device (LVAD), and patients with pulmonary hypertension. He has contributed extensively to research and has served as principal investigator in multiple clinical trials, exploring all aspects of advanced heart failure. Dr. Majure has been recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor since 2020.For more information visit nyp.org/Advances
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15:25
Developing Precise Diagnostics for this Common Genetic Heart Disease
On this episode of Advances in Care, host Erin Welsh and cardiologist Dr. Diala Steitieh discuss the current landscape of care for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — or HCM — the most common genetic heart disorder. Dr. Steitieh outlines the advantages of genetic screenings for patients who have HCM, along with the symptoms and risks if the condition is left undiagnosed or unmanaged.She expands on the importance of understanding obstructive vs. non-obstructive conditions and the importance of making a precise diagnosis to get a clear sense of each patient’s severity. Dr. Steitieh and her team recently implemented a new approach to their diagnostic imaging protocol called goal-directed Valsalva. With this emerging tool in the landscape of cardiology, they are able to get a better sense of an obstruction impacting blood flow, and ultimately offer a wider variety of treatment options.Beyond diagnosis, Dr. Steitieh also shares her excitement about updates to the management of HCM, including recently approved drugs and new guidelines regarding sports & exercise. She and her team at Weill Cornell Medicine are in the process of becoming a designated Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association Center of Excellence, a development that Dr. Steitieh hopes will improve access to care for patients in New York and beyond.***Dr. Diala Steitieh is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, and the Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy program in the Division of Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. She has a background in sports cardiology and also cares for patients with a wide array of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary disease and valvular heart disease. Dr. Steitieh also serves as an attending physician on the inpatient services at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, including the intensive care unit and cardiac units.For more information visit nyp.org/Advances
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16:44
A Landmark Surgery that Saved Three Children with One Heart
On this episode of Advances in Care, host Erin Welsh talks to Dr. Andrew Goldstone and Dr. David Kalfa, pediatric cardiac surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia, about their groundbreaking heart transplant that saved the lives of three separate children. It was the first time doctors at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital performed a split-root domino partial heart transplant. In this procedure, one child was transplanted with a new heart and their original heart was used to donate living pulmonary and aortic valves to two separate recipients in need.Dr. Goldstone, Dr. Kalfa and the rest of the team at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia had previous experience with a handful of domino partial heart transplants where one patient is transplanted with a new heart and another receives a valve from the explanted heart. Those experiences helped prepare for the split-root domino, which took nearly 24 hours of extremely coordinated care. In addition to their efforts to increase the number of domino heart transplants being done, physician-researchers at the institution are leading new studies that are also helping improve living valve procurement and storage, allowing more children to receive heart valves that will grow with them and require less surgeries.***Dr. Andrew Goldstone is the Surgical Director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support and Director of the Valve Transplant Program at Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian. He has been recognized nationally and internationally for his clinical and basic science research. In the lab, he focuses on mechanisms underlying collateral artery formation and cardiac regeneration. His long-term goal is to continue adding high-level evidence to better inform the surgical treatment of pediatric and adult cardiovascular disease.Dr. David Kalfa is a Board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon with a subspecialization in pediatric cardiac surgery. He is also a researcher focusing in the field of growing heart valves and growth accommodating heart valves.For more information visit nyp.org/Advances
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22:41
Preventing Unnecessary C-Sections through Labor Induction Research
On this episode of Advances in Care, host Erin Welsh and Dr. Moeun Son, OB/GYN and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, discuss Dr. Son’s perspective on treating patients who face a high-risk pregnancy and might need a caesarian delivery.Dr. Son explains that even though c-sections are a highly common and safe delivery option for many women, they’re not often not the top option in a woman’s birth plan, and don’t carry the same benefits as natural labor. She outlines the standard methods for labor induction to prevent the necessity of a c-section, which includes the administration of a synthetic form of the hormone oxytocin.Beyond her work with patients, Dr. Son is also passionate about researching alternative methods for labor induction and preventing unnecessary c-sections. She and her colleagues designed a study to promote natural oxytocin release through nipple stimulation – mimicking breastfeeding through the use of a hospital grade breast pump. The success of that treatment eventually led to the The Stimulation To Induce Mothers Study – or STIM Study. Today, it’s an ongoing trial that aims to compare the effectiveness of natural oxytocin versus synthetic oxytocin in helping women give birth vaginally.Dr. Son hopes that this research will broaden birthing options for women experiencing a high-risk pregnancy, and add more safe and effective treatment methods to the field of women’s health.***Dr. Moeun Son is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine. In her practice, she focuses on women with high-risk pregnancies, from pre-existing maternal conditions to babies with health anomalies. She is the principal investigator on many clinical research projects, including various randomized clinical trials. Dr. Son also serves as the Program Director of the MFM Fellowship Program at Weill CornellFor more information visit nyp.org/Advances
On Advances in Care, epidemiologist and science communicator Erin Welsh sits down with physicians from NewYork-Presbyterian hospital to discuss the details behind cutting-edge research and innovative treatments that are changing the course of medicine. From breakthroughs in genome sequencing to the backstories on life-saving cardiac procedures, the work of these doctors from Columbia & Weill Cornell Medicine is united by a collective mission to shape the future of health care and transform the lives of their patients. Erin Welsh, who also hosts This Podcast Will Kill You, gets to the heart of her guests’ most challenging and inventive medical discoveries.
Advances in Care is a show for health careprofessionals and listeners who want to stay at the forefront of the latest medical innovations and research. Tune in to learn more about some of medicine’s greatest leaps forward.
For more information visit nyp.org/Advances