Once upon a time medical practice was about the consulting room. Here the patient and doctor could consider what was best for the individual based on their unique circumstances. The aim was to treat the patient, not to treat a number, or to treat to a target or to...
What is in a name? Whenever cancer is diagnosed people will immediately, and understandably become very worried. The word has certain connotations. Even though many cancers today are treatable and that many are found at an early stage, we still associate cancer with...
In this New York Times article, A-list actress Angelina Jolie bravely announced that she made the tough decision to undergo elective bilateral mastectomy after her doctors warned her that she has an 87% risk of developing breast cancer and a 50% risk of getting...
For the last 50 years it has been known that smoking is bad for your health. Whilst smoking rates have plummeted from over 70% of the adult population to under 20% today (and less than 10% in teenagers), some people continue to smoke. This can variably be seen as odd...
If a drug was released which reduced your chances of getting cancer by one in three it would be a genuine blockbuster drug. Sales would be huge. Everyone would want to be on it. Such a discovery would be front-page news. The London based World Cancer Research Fund has...
As the year draws to a close it is interesting how three of the key themes that I have written about this year have all raised their heads. And those are 1) The medicalization of life 2) Over diagnosis from screening tests 3) Pharmaceutical companies misbehaving...
