Clinical Corner
Merry Jennifer Markham, M.D., FACP, talks COVID-19
Merry-Jennifer Markham, M.D., FACP, featured in COVID-19 articles
Merry-Jennifer Markham, M.D., FACP, interim chief of the UF division of hematology & oncology, associate professor in the UF College of Medicine, and associate director for medical affairs at the UF Health Cancer Center, has been featured in several articles and podcasts regarding the novel coronavirus as it relates to cancer patients.
COVID-19: Older Patients With Cancer Especially Vulnerable
“Oncology clinicians are well-versed in caring for immunosuppressed patients with cancer, of all ages,” Merry-Jennifer Markham, M.D., interim chief of the division of hematology and oncology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, told Medscape Medical News.
However, she emphasized that during this COVID-19 outbreak, “we must be especially diligent about screening for symptoms and exposure, and we must recognize that our older patients with cancer may be especially vulnerable.”
To read the rest of the story, click here.
Coronavirus and COVID-19: What People With Cancer Need to Know
People with cancer, people who are in active cancer treatment, older patients, and people with other serious chronic medical conditions, such as lung disease, diabetes, or heart disease, may be at higher risk for the more severe form of COVID-19. The same rules apply for people with cancer as for those without cancer: Be sure to wash your hands well, and wash them frequently. Avoid touching your face, and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
To read the rest of the story, click here.
On April 15, the Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), North Central Florida Cancer Control Collaborative (NCFCCC), and UF Health Cancer Center held Cancer Connections via Zoom. In this webinar, speaker Merry Jennifer Markham, M.D., FACP, discussed how to navigate cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To view the webinar, click here.
Spotlight on Coronavirus: Your Questions Answered
There is no doubt that we are traveling through unchartered territory. Calls for social distancing, travel restrictions and lockdowns, may separate us physically, but we can still connect and support each other. No one should feel alone. This episode features questions we received from cancer patients and caregivers about the spread of the virus in general and its impact on the lives of people living with cancer specifically.
Clinical Trial Highlight: COVID-19 Update
The UF Health Cancer Center remains committed to providing novel treatment options for our patients facing cancer. To that end, we are currently taking every precaution and limiting research procedures and visits to only those necessary to deliver safe care.
We are still offering access to many of our research studies and are continuing to evaluate new participants as is possible.
Please visit our listing of available clinical trials for more information or email trials@cancer.ufl.edu.
UF Health Cancer Center participating in the COVID-19 & Cancer Consortium
The UF Health Cancer Center is proud to be participating in the COVID-19 & Cancer Consortium — a consortium composed of over 50 cancer centers and other organizations who have come together to collect data about coronavirus-positive cancer patients.
Our physicians will be contributing de-identified data on the experience of our UF Health patients with cancer who develop COVID-19 with the hopes of rapidly collecting and disseminating information about this especially vulnerable patient population.
To learn more about the consortium and participating institutions, visit https://ccc19.org.