Medical Must-See: A gynaecological tumour that’s one in 3300
A 40-year-old’s painless vulval mass was actually a rare benign smooth muscle tumour, a trio of pathologists discovered. The patient had slight discomfort but no…
Tag: Oncology
Patients on checkpoint inhibitors may need bone screening, endocrinologist suggests
Emerging evidence shows an association between immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and osteoporosis, with the agents linked to increased fracture risk in cancer patients. The latest…
Aussie lawyers are claiming PPIs cause gastric cancer – have they really got a case?
An old metaphor says, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Lawyers are a bit like that. The mood in…
I’m sitting on a cardiac time bomb — and that’s not the end of my tale of woe
In the Alan Bennett play, The History Boys, a teacher asks one of his students, a North Country lad, why he doesn’t like studying history. “History?”…
My patient blamed the wind for her cardiac symptoms: the GP dilemma when patients choose denial
I love how children reason, trying to make sense of this complicated world based on their limited experience. A little girl was noted by her parents…
Medical Must-See: A fingertip lesion that’s not bleeding obvious
A non-itchy, non-painful fingertip lesion has led a Moroccan doctor to a rare and “controversial” diagnosis of basosquamous carcinoma. The 68-year-old patient, whose history included…
The gentle probe of the tongue that changed a patient’s diagnosis and my perspective on medicine
“Dance with the one who brought you.” This phrase is often attributed to legendary American football coach Darrell Royal. There have been lots of interpretations…
First subcutaneous immunotherapy for lung and liver cancers added to PBS
Thousands of Australians with advanced lung and liver cancer can now access subsidised subcutaneous immunotherapy that cuts treatment time to seven minutes. On 1 August,…
Medical Must-See: Lower back pain signals rare, fatal cancer
This Indonesian man’s lower back pain foreshadowed a more sinister diagnosis, with his doctors finding a rare, aggressive form of bone cancer infiltrating his soft…
Non-statin cholesterol drugs may cut risk for liver cancer: study
Prior studies have found that statin medications can help lower liver cancer risks, and new research suggests that at least one non-statin cholesterol drug can…
