Cancer Researcher Becomes Cancer Patient

Patient Greg Karczmar with Maddie (German Shepard), February 10, 2019 at their home in Crete. (Photo by Jean Lachat)

Scientist Gregory Karczmar, PhD, has dedicated much of his career to developing better and more affordable screening methods for early detection of breast and prostate cancer.

Still, he never imagined a screening test would lead to his own diagnosis of cancer. During a routine colonoscopy in November 2017, Karczmar’s gastroenterologist found colorectal cancer.

“Now as a cancer survivor, I have become a passionate advocate for cancer screening,” said Karczmar, 64. “I tell everyone: ‘get screened.’ Screening can find cancer earlier when it’s more treatable and cure rates are higher.”After getting his diagnosis, Karczmar turned to the cancer specialists at the University of Chicago Medicine. As a researcher for UChicago Medicine’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, he knew many of the doctors who would be treating him and about their team approach to care.

Can Eye Exam Reveal Alzheimer’s Risk?

Alzheimer's and Vision, Chicago Health Magazine Online

Looking for clues about the health of your brain? You might want to pay a visit to your eye doctor. Research increasingly links common eye conditions — glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy — to risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. What’s interesting about the study results, says Albert Hofman, MD, PhD, […]