I can't do any better than this today:
I finally got around to reading yesterday's Cancer Research Blog Carnival that I cited and was completely entranced by Matthew Zachary's essay in The Huffington Post about his long battle with medulloblastoma. It was posted originally in July and provides outstanding insights on the life of a cancer survivor.
While many oncologists are all too familiar with cases like Matthew's, this is required reading for anyone involved in cancer research, especially us basic scientists whose research is sometimes funded by organizations working toward "The Cure."
Aw, heck, maybe even oncologists should read it as well.
More like this
Although I've mentioned before that I am a surgical oncologist, but I recently noticed that, in
"One dumb tumor is still smarter than ten smart oncologists."
--George Sledge, MD
My only retort is that, slowly but surely, oncologists and we oncologic surgeons are getting smarter.
What's the difference between a plastic surgeon and an oncologist?
A plastic surgeon says, "I guarantee I can make you younger."
An oncologist says, "I can't make you any younger, but I will try like hell to make you older."
A study from Duke University reveals that oncologists who hear an expression of emotional concern from their patients respond with an empathic statement only 22% of the time.
Very good article. Thank you for noting it.