Cancer and inequality: bringing the message home
Why do fewer people die of cancer in my neighbourhood than on the other side of town? Steve Buist of the Hamilton Spectator asked this question of his home city in southern Ontario, and used [more]
2014
A seat at the table: patient advocates prepare for life on the inside
Little by little, patient advocates are winning their battle to be involved in decisions that affect them. They are now focusing on how to use their new-found voice to deliver real change for the people [more]
Learning the art of leadership
A course teaching leadership skills to cancer clinicians is proving a hit among the growing number of oncologists now finding themselves being asked to take on management roles. According to a 2012 report from Leeds [more]
Accreditation of breast centres: why and how
The European Commission is developing a Europe-wide accreditation scheme for breast centres to push up standards of diagnosis and care. Here experts from both sides of the Atlantic take a look at existing schemes, the [more]
The letter to which I couldn’t reply
With all the investigations, imaging and testing involved in personalising treatments, it can be hard to remember to listen to what the patient is saying. One doctor keeps a letter with him as a permanent [more]
Dropping bars or rising hoops phase III outcomes of NSCLC
Over the past three decades, the interpretation of clinical trial outcomes in studies of advanced-stage non-small-cell lung cancer has changed. The robustness of findings from these trials has been called into question. We believe this [more]
Change must come from within
Is progress against cancer is being stifled because young researchers are obliged to spend their best years competing for grants within a system biased against innovation? Half a century ago, a man named Denis Burkitt [more]
Marcel Verheij: Revolutionising radiotherapy
Could intelligent combinations of drugs and radiation take precision radiotherapy to new levels? Marcel Verheij believes so, but may struggle to prove it without a fairer share of funding In the mid-80s, radiotherapy looked doomed. [more]
Keeping one step ahead: Could trials do more for patients with incurable cancer?
Joining a clinical trial can be a lifeline for patients with few options open to them. But are outdated attitudes and practices preventing them from benefiting as much as they could? The transformation in the [more]
Stories that give witness, stories that save lives: the special role of health reporters in Africa
How can journalists help raise the profile of cancer and get it on the political agenda in countries where infectious diseases get most attention, reliable data are scarce, doctors are reluctant to talk and editors [more]
Survivors demand a fair deal from financial services
Companies should no longer be allowed to deny mortgage or insurance services to cancer survivors without explanation or a transparent risk assessment, say patient advocates. A few hopeful signs show their message may be getting [more]
Putting precision pathology on the policy agenda
Will pathology services need a serious overhaul if they are to deliver the accuracy required for precision medicine? Two European initiatives are trying to build the case for change in this least visible of cancer [more]