Posts by tag
covid-19
Getting the message across: we need to learn from the Covid experience
One of the big lessons of the Covid pandemic has been the critical importance of good communication – how challenging it is to get complex medical information across to the general public, and the damage that poor communication can do.…
Pandemics, War, Reconstruction and the Duty of Medicine and Science
“It is sufficiently obvious that the problems of reconstruction following the war will tax the intelligence and good will of mankind to the utmost. It is also certain that mistakes made during this period will have more serious consequences…
Do patents encourage or discourage innovation? Intellectual property from ancient Greece to the Covid pandemic
In October 2020, India and South Africa submitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) a proposal for a waiver from certain provisions of the Trips agreement – the 1994 WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The rationale…
After Covid: AACR call to action to improve cancer care
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has issued ‘a call to action’ to build on lessons learnt from Covid-19 to modernize cancer patient care. The ‘ACCR Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cancer Research and Patient Care’, published…
Ending cancer service delays and backlogs: voices from the frontline
Pandemic-related delays and backlogs in cancer diagnosis, screening and treatments can be rapidly addressed if health services invest now in data systems that monitor needs and resources, together with innovative ways to meet that need. This was the key message…
Cancer-related fatigue: Might research into long-Covid help find causes and cures?
Long-term emotionally and physically debilitating fatigue is a fact of daily life for many who have had cancer. Awareness is low, causes mysterious, and physicians are often sceptical or plead powerlessness – even though a growing body of research attests…
Careers of women in oncology hit by Covid-19 pandemic
The pandemic has seen the careers of female physicians working in oncology suffer as they have taken on more domestic responsibilities during lockdowns. Recent studies have indicated the trend may be global and long lasting. A new paper published in…
Cancer community fights back against Covid-19 related delays
The European Cancer Organisation is making materials available to download in 30 different languages to help advocates across Europe lobby national governments to tackle the Covid-19 threat to cancer services in their own countries. The European Time to Act campaign,…
Cancer trials interruption in Latin America halts treatment for many
The interruption of cancer clinical trials across Latin America due to the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the treatment of thousands of patients in the public health system. A JCO Global Oncology study, conducted by the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group…
Indian cancer care struggles with pandemic of late diagnoses and delayed treatments
An average cancer patient in India usually seeks treatment three months after the symptoms appear. Due to lack of transport facilities and fear of contracting coronavirus, the time to seek care during the COVID-19 pandemic has doubled, with patients finally…