Category Archives: technology

Up close: A peek at laboratory analysis

Posted on March 8, 2019 by

BY CHARLES McCHESNEY Pneumatic tubes whisk blood samples to the new Core Laboratory on the fifth floor of the Upstate Cancer Center, where two Roche cobas 8000 analyzers stand, whirring quietly. The machines test hundreds of blood samples each day … Continue reading →

Posted in health care, HealthLink on Air, pathology, technology

He chose radiation treatment for his prostate cancer

Posted on February 27, 2019 by

BY JIM HOWE Jan Roberts wasn’t sure what to expect when he received radiation treatments for prostate cancer at the Upstate Cancer Center. A disabled Vietnam veteran, he receives primary care at the Syracuse VA Medical Center, where he was … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, medical imaging/radiology, patient story, technology, urology | Tagged , , , ,

What’s Up at Upstate: In case you missed it …

Posted on December 10, 2018 by

CANCER CENTER EXPANDS When the Upstate Cancer Center opened in July 2014, only the first three floors of the five-story building were completed and occupied. The fourth and fifth floors were constructed but left empty, anticipating future Upstate needs. The … Continue reading →

Posted in aging/geriatrics, brain/neurology, cancer, health care, nursing, pathology, technology, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics

New option for breast cancer treatment combines surgery with radiation

Posted on September 14, 2018 by

Surgeons and radiation oncologists at Upstate are teaming up to provide intraoperative radiation therapy to women with early-stage breast cancer. This allows for an intensive dose of radiation to be applied during surgery in the space where the tumor is removed. … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, medical imaging/radiology, surgery, technology, women's health/gynecology

Interventional radiologist loves solving problems

Posted on August 24, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH In a typical day, Mitchell Karmel, MD, may take a biopsy of a liver tumor in one patient, install a port, so another patient can receive chemotherapy, and drain an abscess from deep within the abdomen of another. … Continue reading →

Posted in health care, medical imaging/radiology, technology | Tagged , , , , , ,

A small box that saves lives: Fayetteville man recovers from infection, thanks to ECMO machine

Posted on August 6, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH Robert Crain, 47, awoke on Jan. 8 from a medically induced coma. Slowly he pulled together memories from three months before. The Fayetteville podiatrist had a nagging cough in early October. When he began feeling short of … Continue reading →

Posted in health care, infectious disease, kidney/renal/nephrology, lung/pulmonary, patient story, technology | Tagged , , , , , ,

 Complete and complex: More cancer patients benefit from molecular diagnostics

Posted on June 6, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH We are used to differentiating cancers by where they were discovered: breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer. Cancer doctors and scientists today are starting to label cancers based on their genetic makeup — and that’s only the beginning … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, drugs/medications/pharmacy, genetics, health care, health careers, research, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A new option: Technique heats the body’s water molecules to destroy cancer cells

Posted on May 23, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH Options are important when you have cancer of the liver. Vascular and interventional radiologists at Upstate now offer microwave ablation, a technique that uses heat to destroy cancer cells. The minimally invasive procedure can be an alternative to … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, medical imaging/radiology, technology | Tagged , , ,

3 reasons your doctor might recommend robotic surgery

Posted on May 21, 2018 by

BY LEAH CALDWELL Depending on the type of cancer and its stage, your care plan may include surgery. Robotic surgery is one type of minimally invasive surgery. The surgeon uses a flexible scope with a camera and blade and views … Continue reading →

Posted in health care, surgery, technology | Tagged

Concept of ‘designer’ babies raises thorny questions, few answers

Posted on April 27, 2018 by

BY JIM HOWE If parents could create a “better” baby, should they? Would “better” mean a healthier child than the average baby? Cuter? Smarter? Taller? Should scientists and doctors help parents to genetically customize an embryo that would become that better … Continue reading →

Posted in genetics, health care, maternity/obstetrics, research, technology