A Call For More Research On Cancer’s Environmental Triggers
Perhaps no question about cancer is more contentious than its causes.
portfolio
Commentary: How Patients Have Transformed A Medical Meeting About Breast Cancer
By speaking up, advocates at the meeting have shifted the direction of breast cancer research. Some are alive, improbably, as a consequence of new treatments enabled and promoted by their advocacy.
John McCain is a fighter, no question. But can attitude affect cancer?
Language can be a powerful tool in medicine. As with physical remedies, there are potential harms and risks to consider, but potential upsides, too.
Why The Movie About Henrietta Lacks Matters Today
What’s most compelling about the new movie is that it illuminates the patient, Henrietta Lacks, and renders her unforgettable.
The Personal Toll Of Practicing Medicine
In this article, I reflect on the circumstances that led me to stop practicing medicine—work that I loved—and why the health of experienced doctors should be valued, and protected. Here’s the full article and podcast.
At Penn State, THON—The World’s Largest Student-Run Charity—Helps Kids with Cancer
Dancing for cancer may seem a crazy idea, paradoxical, and wildly inefficient as a fundraising scheme. But it’s become the thing to do, a good karma-generating phenomenon, and year-round source of pride for the Penn ...
Notes From The ‘Die-In,’ A Demonstration For Metastatic Breast Cancer
Die-in for metastatic breast cancer, Washington DC, October 13, 2015 (photo courtesy of Zachary Parker)
NED, A Vibrant Band Of Doctors Rocking For Women With Cancer
N.E.D. is a doctor’s old shorthand for remission, when there’s No Evidence of Disease. It’s also the name of a rock band that’s breaking the silence surrounding “below-the-belt” women’s cancers.
Why Yes, We Should Treat Cancer
To deny new cancer treatments that might prolong life in a good way, possibly for cure or a remission, or even just to tame the disease, is a misguided proposition.
So What About That Acrylamide In Your French Fries?
In 2002, scientists reported that acrylamide forms when seemingly healthy carbohydrate-rich foods like potatoes, other root vegetables and grains are cooked at high temperatures by frying, roasting, broiling, toasting or baking.
‘The Knick’ Depicts Medical Care In 1900: Doctors, Blood And Incredible Drama
The Knick offers a distorted but rare look at urban medicine in the early 1900s − worth watching if you can stomach the hard core surgery and bloody details.
Missing Tony Soprano
Over the course of its six groundbreaking seasons on HBO, we discussed every aspect of The Sopranos with friends and family—except for actor James Gandolfini’s size.
Who’s a Survivor?
Survivor seems a strange term for a patient like me, said by her oncologist to be in remission—meaning that there’s no overt evidence of persistent cancer cells in the body.
The Physician Burnout Epidemic: What It Means for Patients and Reform
In a large analysis published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine , researchers at the Mayo Clinic surveyed 7,288 physicians on their quality of life and job satisfaction.
The Truth About Breast Cancer and Drinking Red Wine—or Any Alcohol
Last week’s report that drinking red wine could reduce the risk for breast cancer was just the latest in a long string of studies on the issue.
What Should Doctors Wear? Even Lab Coats Could Spread Disease
With reports proving that germs can reside on scrubs, ties, stethoscopes, and white lab coats, some have said doctors should just go naked
Looking Back on ‘The Normal Heart,’ and Patients’ Activisim
They were impatient with the pace of research and physicians’ protocols, and spoke out emphatically about their needs: for more research; for prevention and treatment; for easier access to new drugs; and, simply, for ood ...
The X-Rays of Others
Marilyn Monroe’s x-rays, white-on-black films of her chest and pelvis, are up for grabs this weekend. The images, long held by the star’s…
A Clinical Eye on Abramović
A doctor dissects the MoMA blockbuster.
A Chip against Cancer: Microfluidics Spots Circulating Tumor Cells
With an ordinary blood sample, a device can monitor cancerous cells for spread or resistance to treatment.
The Enduring Clicks of an Ancient Game
Some members of the Manhattan Mah Jongg Club have played for half a century; others are novices.