Oncology/Hematology

Remote second opinions for equitable cancer care

Conditions
November 20, 2025

Where a person lives far too often determines the quality of cancer care they receive and, ultimately, their chances of survival. Despite decades of progress in precision oncology, stark disparities persist between patients treated in urban academic centers and those in rural or underserved communities. A JAMA Network Open study of nearly 37,000 patients found that when rural and urban patients receive the same, protocol-driven care, their outcomes …

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The danger of dismantling DEI in medicine

Physician
November 18, 2025

I am a gastrointestinal medical oncologist. I am also a Black woman. When people ask me how I got here, this is the story I share. In 2011, while sitting in a medical school lecture I received an email from a classmate that read: “Open this, you should apply.” It described a program for students who are underrepresented in medicine and interested in pursuing a career in oncology. Without hesitation, …

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A story of gaps in cancer care

Conditions
November 17, 2025

Since a diagnosis of colon and rectal cancer in 1993, I have had a number of serious complications and a recurrence. Some, if not most of what occurred could have been avoided. My experience points to some gaps in my health care that providers and patients might want to consider.

I was given the option to choose a cancer treatment and made the wrong choice. As a busy university administrator, I …

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How to better communicate medical numbers

Conditions
November 16, 2025

An important paper, “How to communicate medical numbers,” was published in a recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This is so important, for the doctor-patient relationship, for what journalists write for the public, and for individual decision-making. One of the authors, Angie Fagerlin, PhD, of the University of Utah medical school and Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was interviewed for a …

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A doctor’s own prostate cancer recovery

Physician
November 9, 2025

This past summer, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. For more than three decades, I have taught, examined, and guided patients through various types of illnesses. However, nothing prepared me for the disorienting effect of becoming a patient myself. The diagnosis itself (a less aggressive prostate cancer amenable to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy) felt, at first, like a technical problem with a straightforward surgical solution. But what I did not fully …

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Breast cancer in teenagers is rare but real

Conditions
November 8, 2025

When people think about breast cancer, they picture middle-aged or older women. The pink ribbons, awareness campaigns, and even clinical guidelines overwhelmingly focus on adults. What’s almost never discussed is that, though rare, breast cancer can occur in teenagers. And when it does, the diagnosis is often delayed, with consequences that change a young life forever.

Breast cancer in adolescents is extremely uncommon, accounting for less than 1 percent …

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Clear communication is kind patient care

Physician
November 5, 2025

I walked into the exam room to meet with a woman recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She had undergone a PET CT scan to evaluate for the extent of her disease. She sat on the exam table, clearly very anxious and upset. She told me that she had been up most of the night with her PET scan report, Googling about different organs and language that she did not understand. …

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Why universities must invest their wealth to protect science [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 29, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Hematology-oncology physician Adeel Khan discusses his article, “Universities must tap endowments to sustain biomedical research.” He explains how declining federal support for the National Institutes of Health threatens America’s position as a …

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Pancreatic cancer racial disparities

Conditions
October 22, 2025

The names read like a roll call of Black excellence: congressman John Lewis, the civil rights icon who walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and helped change America; congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the tireless advocate for justice who represented Houston for nearly three decades; Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul whose voice defined generations; reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, the prophetic voice from Abyssinian Baptist Church who fought for …

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Why hesitation over the HPV vaccine threatens public health and equity

Conditions
October 18, 2025

In the quiet that follows a routine pediatric check-up, a single word, “vaccines,” can suddenly change the air. Where vaccines were once a simple part of childhood, they have become something parents scrutinize, debate, and sometimes outright resist. The shift is palpable, and it is increasingly showing up in clinic rooms every day.

As a medical student training in New York City, I am constantly struck by a paradox: We live …

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Love and loss in the oncology ward

Physician
October 17, 2025

In the quiet moments of illness, I witness love and loss unfold.

I usually place the beds of relatively sick patients closest to my workstation. While I can monitor all the patients, except for a few female beds behind curtains, this arrangement helps me keep a closer eye on those who are more ill, particularly those receiving chemotherapy.

Directly in front of my counter lies a 50-year-old gentleman recently diagnosed with primary …

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A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

Physician
October 13, 2025

I am a cancer doctor.

It took me many years to become one and while I paid for my medical school tuition, my residency and fellowship training was partially subsidized by government funds for general medical education. Every residency and fellowship is partially funded this way because the government recognizes the need for doctors. I have also had an NIH funded basic research lab where I did research that has contributed …

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What an active shooter taught me about being a doctor

Physician
October 10, 2025

“Do you know what it feels like, to know you could die at any moment?” His words linger in the air, heavy, long after the threat of violence has passed, long after our team has calmed him with words and soft gestures. It is not the first time a patient’s family member has swung at me, nor will it be the last. But it is the first time with a …

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A pilgrimage to Italy with prostate cancer

Physician
October 10, 2025

The pilgrimage of my dreams included a suitcase full of diapers, extra pants, and a quiet prayer for dignity. Italy has always been a dream destination for me. As a Catholic, I consider Rome the Holy City of my faith, and this year’s Jubilee motivated me to visit the four Holy Doors. I also love art and culture, and Italy is home to many historic sites and great works of …

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When culture has the final word in cancer care

Conditions
October 8, 2025

Oncology has long been described as a discipline ruled by biology. Tumor pathways, mutational signatures, margins, and survival curves dominate how we measure, categorize, and predict outcomes. We are taught early in training that tumor biology is king, and much of our decision-making revolves around this truth. Yet, after years of practicing surgical oncology in India, I have learned that biology alone rarely determines the fate of my patients. Culture …

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Unhooking from the ego in medicine

Physician
October 5, 2025

These days, getting spun out into a state of worry and panic is just a click away: Turn on any device for constant updates on the chaos around us.

Adding to this, on a personal level, the last six years have been the most difficult and transformative period of my life. I had never imagined that I would experience and recover from the darkness of depression and suicidality six years ago, …

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Living with the uncertainty of surviving stage 4 cancer [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 3, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Pediatrician Kelly Curtin-Hallinan discusses her article “My improbable survival of stage 4 cancer.” Kelly shares her year-long journey of facing a dire diagnosis, enduring rounds of tests, managing the anxiety of waiting …

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How humor helps build trust and connection in pediatric oncology [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 27, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Physician-scientist Diego R. Hijano discusses his article “How humor builds trust in pediatric oncology.” Diego shares how personal loss and his own cultural and linguistic experiences shaped his approach to care, teaching …

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How to choose the right doctor for you

Conditions
September 27, 2025

An excerpt from Scary Diagnosis: Navigating Fear, Finding Strength, and Securing the Health Care You Deserve.

Doctors are the centerpiece of the health care system. In large part, they have designed it, written its rules, lobbied the government to support it financially, and, through doctor-friendly regulation, they are its main financial beneficiaries. For most patients, their doctor is not just the centerpiece of a huge system; they represent the entire …

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Why mild and female hemophilia must be recognized

Conditions
September 26, 2025

People living with inherited bleeding disorders (including those with mild and moderate hemophilia and females affected by hemophilia) face persistent unmet needs that are often overlooked in clinical research and treatment guidelines. About twenty percent of mild hemophilia cases experience serious bleeding episodes, challenging current assumptions of their benign course.

Unmet needs

Diagnosis and awareness: Patients with mild and moderate hemophilia often face a delayed or missed diagnosis, leading to unrecognized and …

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