Her back was mottled, and she could barely sit up. She was weak from her invasive cancer. I visited her on Easter Sunday. Perhaps it was God’s will that I didn’t have an elaborate Easter dinner with ham, rolls, pies, and house decor filled with d…
Category: Oncology/Hematology
Against all odds: 17-month-old defies death and improves neurologically after craniospinal irradiation
Three months ago, a case was discussed in the multidisciplinary tumor board. A 17-month-old child was admitted through the ER with a posterior fossa tumor (brain tumor) and multi-level spinal cord compression due to tumor deposits. The tumor was so ext…
Breakthrough trial shows MRI-guided radiation can reduce prostate cancer treatment toxicity
Nearly 290,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023. Thankfully, the vast majority will be diagnosed with clinically localized disease and can be cured with either surgery or radiotherapy. Emerging clinical trial data have cement…
Why poor diets are contributing to a surge in colorectal cancer cases among young people
An alarming trend has emerged in my medical practice in recent years: I’m seeing more and more young adults with colorectal cancer. When I began practicing as a family physician 21 years ago, I never saw patients in their 40s and 50s with the dis…
A veteran’s battle against possible lung cancer
During my night shift at the emergency department, I encountered a 72-year-old decorated war veteran named Mr. Sun. Accompanied by his concerned wife, he came to address a year-long struggle with fatigue and a non-productive cough he’d been exper…
The insurance denial process: one oncologist’s fight against a broken system
It is 4:15 p.m. in my clinic, and I’m running an hour behind. One of my morning patients arrived acutely ill and thus required more of my time and attention than the schedule allotted for. Accordingly, every patient after that has ended up waitin…
Finding hope in the face of cancer
“My best friend’s mother arrived at our oncology outpatient department. She had recently been diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer and was understandably apprehensive, filled with numerous questions. I took her medical history and …
Breaking Bad: the antihero’s journey through cancer
An excerpt from From Whispers to Shouts: The Ways We Talk About Cancer. “Walt, is that you?” Skyler asks her husband in the final scene of the Breaking Bad pilot. They’re in bed, she’s pregnant, and he’s come toward her in…
The beauty of a patient’s gratitude
This is not an ordinary 1000 Rupee note. It’s a happy memory for me. For those who say I always share depressing stories, this one is for you, for a change. We performed concurrent chemotherapy and radiation on a 70-year-old lady with nasopharyng…
The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology
I am a Desi doctor, where Desi refers to someone from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh. I am currently a final-year resident in radiation oncology at a private-sector hospital in Pakistan. During my medical school and house job, I worked in a public sect…
