Articles from the author

The answer must be as nuanced as the problem. We should assume nothing but respect a patient’s decision to know only so much

Being made a member of the Order of Australia has prompted me to question how I repay a country for improving my life and giving me the opportunity to make things better for the next generation

A doctor can’t replace the strongest medicine of all: attentive kindness to stave off loneliness

Evidence applied without tact, consideration, empathy and an understanding of the patient’s perspective can be as harmful as evidence not applied at all

Should an oncologist step in when a cancer patient wants alternative treatment? Sometimes the gift of autonomy is the only thing left

There is something galling about someone who is trained to save lives taking them instead

Caring for patients leads doctors to confront our limitations and deal with our own mortal fears

I will never know the kind of doctor I would have become without the searing experience of being a patient

The modern cancer patient has typically Googled the diagnosis, the oncologist, prospective treatment and a whole lot more before setting foot in the clinic

A recent study shows staggering discord between doctor and patient perception when it comes to cancer prognosis and projections of survival

More people are likely to get a cancer diagnosis. Yet our treatment still focuses on the disease, not the person’s specific needs

The advent of immunotherapy provides good reason for optimism and even awe. Unfortunately, it does not work in the majority of patients