Posts by tag
research
Hansjörg Senn of St Gallen: A practice-changing career
The speed of progress in breast cancer – not just survival, but also quality of life and survivorship – has been the envy of the wider cancer community for many decades. The factors contributing to this relative success are many…
GDPR: Why patient control over our health data might not be such a bad thing
Cancer patients want our data shared and used in ways that could help us, and those like us. Why wouldn’t we? That’s why patients and patient organisations are broadly supportive of EU proposals to create a Cancer Patient Digital Centre,…
Angelita Habr-Gama: putting Brazil on the cancer research leaderboard
Brazilian surgeon Angelita Habr-Gama changed the way that lower rectal cancer is treated when she discovered that many patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation for early rectal cancers showed no residual disease and yet were still undergoing abdominal perineal resections. She…
From social determinants to cancer outcomes: the cell biology behind the disparities
Raised levels of stress are a normal response to being diagnosed with cancer, and asking patients about their psychological and emotional wellbeing is, or should be, a normal part of attending to their quality of life. But can stress directly…
A fair chance for women in oncology: we must all insist on change
Women are under-represented in positions of power and leadership, in scientific and health disciplines across the world. This has been widely recognised for decades, yet efforts to implement the changes required to give women a fair chance have met with…
Chemobrain: it’s real, it’s troublesome and it deserves more attention
Fiona Henderson was part way through her psychology degree when she received her breast cancer diagnosis. Right after treatments finished, she returned to her studies – initially without a problem. “Three or four months later, I really struggled. I was…
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…
North and South ‒ learning faster means learning together
When you look at the vast waiting area in Mumbai’s world leading Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, pictured above, what do you see? A crowded chaotic scene where sick patients and their relatives sit around for hours, waiting, hoping for someone…
We need a National Cancer Institute! Why Italy should follow the example of the US and France
The genomic revolution and advances in technology are making the pursuit of innovation in oncology increasingly challenging. In Italy, the number and the diversity of the players in the field of experimental and clinical research, and the output of indexed…
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…