Cancer

Trust us to make our own decisions about breast-cancer screenings

The new U.S. guidance on breast-cancer screening shouldn’t be controversial or a “both sides” issue in Canada. It should serve as a model for the change we need.

Cancer survival rates have significantly improved. Now we must pay attention to rehabilitation

Cancer survivors should not be left to feel like they need to manage their impairments on their own. There are models for cancer centres across Canada that can provide timely and comprehensive rehabilitation services.

Emergency brain surgery showed me the best of Ontario health care – and the worst

It’s true that when faced with a crisis, some of the best health-care professionals in the world are available to care for us. But that system is at its breaking point.

Synthetic data may revolutionize clinical trials – and save lives

Behind each clinical trial, there are real human lives at stake. Advancements in synthetic data could lead us to a future in which every cancer patient enrolled in a clinical trial is guaranteed hope.

Having breast cancer impacts sexuality: Why don’t we talk about it?

It's common for women to struggle with sexual health issues after breast cancer. But it isn’t just our bodies that change; the experience of cancer changes our relationship with time, aging and even the arc of life that we imagine for ourselves.

‘Technology to help bridge the gap’: Smart homes and sensors ease caregiver burden

Smart home technology has become ubiquitous in recent years. Now researchers in Ottawa are finding ways to use this same technology to aid health-care workers, family caregivers, and allow patients to age in place.

Odds are there is a woman in your life living with diabetes – she deserves better research

As the world celebrates another International Women’s Day, we should reflect on what gender equality really means. Science and research needs to adequately address women's health needs.

Food and mental health: Happy gut, happy mind

The food we eat every day is the subject of an ongoing conversation between the bacteria in our gut and our immune cells. This conversation dictates whether we are taking one step closer to health or one step closer to disease.

Addressing a blind spot in care for patients living with diabetes

The sudden decline in diabetes screening as a result of the pandemic has put a significant number of Ontarians in danger of vision loss. Unchecked, this problem is associated with a massive cost for the government and society. But this can be avoided with a proactive screening strategy.

Will the first cut be the deepest? The debate on for-profit surgeries

As Ontario moves to fund private centres for select surgical procedures, will the province see a reduction in backlogs? Or is it a slippery slope towards further privatization of the provincial healthcare system? Our experts weigh in.

Behind the scenes: The increasingly complex – and common – radiation treatment for cancer

Radiation therapy for cancer is becoming increasingly complex, sophisticated and personalized. Behind the scenes for most patients hides an invisible team hard at work.

The key to living longer and better? Dying at home

Despite our preferences, most Canadians do not have the privilege of dying at home. Although it is not possible to guarantee a good death, it is possible to reduce your risk of a bad death by thinking and talking about end-of-life.

The gift of a better death

Canadians need universal and equitable access to high-quality palliative care. It’s time to talk about death and dying more openly and ask ourselves: What is a good death?

New drug to treat prostate cancer may be out of reach for most Canadians

A new, last-hope prostate cancer treatment has been approved by Health Canada but may be out of reach for most of the more than 4,500 men who die of the disease each year.

Episode 51 – Cardiovascular Disease and Colorectal Cancer Screening

Ten health literacy principles cancer patients need to know

A medical oncologist describes ten health literacy principles to help cancer patients be informed participants in important treatment decisions.

​​‘You’re in remission’: Professor goes from picking out gravestone to planning retirement

My illness was something that happened to me, but I was still under there. I had to come out from under that shadow to figure out who I wanted to be even if I was going to die in a few months. My life changed significantly when I realized I was in control. I’ve decided I’m going to retire earlier than originally planned so I can scratch things off my bucket list now that it is deeper than before. I know if my cancer returns, I’m going to have a big blowout funeral party and obviously attend it myself.

Secondary losses: The impact of the pandemic on Canadians with cancer

We're only beginning to understand the "secondary losses" of the pandemic. The immediate future of health care will likely be defined by the appearance of illnesses that flourished among the forgotten, patients who were inadvertently neglected.

Smart bras, molecular imaging and genome sequencing: Innovations take on breast cancer

What if a bra, taking images like an MRI, could detect breast cancer? With recent technological innovations, there may soon be cheap, non-invasive ways to screen people for breast cancer in their own homes.

Our Surgeries, Ourselves

Columnist Anne Borden King combines meticulous research with moving reflections about living with breast cancer to expose an overlooked form of medical paternalism and explore the thought-provoking relationship between one’s body and most intimate self-image.